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Call for Papers: RFBerlin Migration Forum 2027

CReAM@RFBerlin invites submissions for the third RFBerlin Migration Forum, on migration, integration, and economic competitiveness, with keynotes by Jens Hainmueller (Stanford) and Giovanni Peri (UC Davis).
Submission deadline: 8 November 2026.

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The ROCKWOOL Foundation Berlin Institute for the Economy and the Future of Work (RFBerlin) engages in research designed to raise the standard of public debate and create the best possible basis for policy making.

Equity, Inclusion & Opportunity
Equity, Inclusion & Opportunity
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Migration & Global Collaboration
Migration & Global Collaboration
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CReAM @ RFBerlin
Technology, Trade & Human Capital
Technology, Trade & Human Capital
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Discussion papers

No. 293/26 - November 2026

How is AI Affecting College Major and Course Choices? Evidence from Finland

Ciprian Domnisoru, Tuomas P. Heikkinen

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No. 292/26 - November 2026

Literacy and Occupation among Free People in the Antebellum United States

Barry Chiswick, RaeAnn H. Robinson

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No. 291/26 - November 2026

Estimating, Bounding, and Decomposing the Effects of a Parent-Directed School Readiness Program

Flávio Cunha, Qinyou Hu, Andrea Salvati, Kenneth I. Wolpin, Rui Zeng

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No. 290/26 - October 2026

Early Decisions, Long-Lasting Consequences: The Macroeconomics of School Tracking

Lukas Mahler, Suzanne Bellue

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Research Insights

Concise, research-based articles for scholars,
policymakers, and anyone curious about the world.

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No. 42/26 - October 2026

Collective Bargaining Between Protection and Flexibility: Lessons from Germany and Italy

How much flexibility should firms have to depart from collectively negotiated wages and working conditions? The experiences of Germany and Italy show both the benefits and the risks of decentralizing collective bargaining.

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No. 41/26 - October 2026

When a Younger Sibling Has a Disability, Older Children Pay a Mental Health Price

About one in fourteen Danish families has a child with a physical disability, such as a heart defect, epilepsy or cerebral palsy. Caring for that child takes time, money and emotional energy. What happens to the brothers and sisters who grow up alongside them?

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No. 40/26 - October 2026

How Municipal Budgets Respond to Revenue Gains and Losses

How do local governments use additional funds, and how do they adjust to revenue cuts? These questions are central to the design of fiscal equalization schemes and of large public investment programs that channel funds to municipalities. They are difficult to answer, however, because transfers typically respond to local conditions.

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CReAM Reports

Data-driven reports on migration and related economic and social trends, highlighting the latest developments across Europe and beyond.

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No. 6/26 - July 2026

Employment of Immigrants in the European Union: Progress, Persistent Gaps, and Untapped Potential

Employment among immigrants in the European Union has reached its highest level since 2017, yet important differences remain across origin groups, countries and demographic characteristics. While EU immigrants frequently match or exceed native employment rates across Member States, substantial employment disadvantages remain concentrated among non-EU immigrant women and highly educated non-EU immigrants, pointing to significant untapped labour market potential.

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No. 5/26 - June 2026

The Refugee Population in Europe in 2025: A Decade of Growth Comes to a Halt

The rapid growth of Europe's refugee population has come to an end. Drawing on new UNHCR data, this report shows how falling asylum inflows, the naturalisation of earlier refugee cohorts in Germany, and a reform of temporary protection in Italy are reshaping refugee numbers.

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No. 4/26 - May 2026

Immigrant Educational Attainment in the European Union: Origin, Gender and Cross-Country Differences

This report examines educational attainment among natives, EU-born immigrants, and non-EU-born immigrants across the European Union, highlighting how differences by origin, gender, and country continue to shape educational outcomes despite a general rise in tertiary attainment since 2017.

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News

RFBerlin research and researchers are regularly featured in the press.

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Press

2 Nov 2026

Featured in Worldwide Media: Research Insight on Collective Bargaining Goes Global
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Announcement

2 Nov 2026

RFBerlin’s new Head of Communications
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Press release

29 Oct 2026

Flexibility in collective agreements can improve competitiveness
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Press release

18 Oct 2026

When a younger sibling has a disability, it places a strain on older children
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Tweets by @RF_Berlin

rf_berlin

ROCKWOOL Foundation Berlin

Verified account @rf_berlin ·
8h

We're happy to announce that Aiko Schmeißer has started his first day with us as a Postdoctoral Researcher! 🎉

We are very excited to work with him, welcome to the team, Aiko! 🥳

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rf_berlin

ROCKWOOL Foundation Berlin

Verified account @rf_berlin ·
11h

Meet Freya Entrup, RFBerlin’s new Head of Communications! 📣
Freya brings experience from across journalism, political media, and public affairs. She’ll lead how we bring our research to scholars, journalists, policymakers, and the wider public.
Welcome to the team, Freya!

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rf_berlin

ROCKWOOL Foundation Berlin

Verified account @rf_berlin ·
30 Oct

🗞️ The weekly release of our Discussion Paper Series!
You find more here: https://buff.ly/B8AMvLL

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rf_berlin

ROCKWOOL Foundation Berlin

Verified account @rf_berlin ·
29 Oct

🧠 Research Insight
How can collective bargaining balance flexibility for firms with protection for workers?

Research by Christian Dustmann, Bernd Fitzenberger and Lorenzo Incoronato examines evidence from Germany and Italy.

🔍 Greater flexibility can help firms adapt and

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Upcoming events

RFBerlin hosts a wide array of events aimed at fostering academic research and collaboration.

Brown Bag Seminar

4 November 2026

Tomáš Jagelka (University of Bonn)

Separating Preferences, Skills, and other Latent Personal Attributes from Endogenous Effort and Cognitive Noise

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Masterclass

5 Nov – 6 Nov 2026

Racial Inequality in the Labor Market

Taught by Kerwin Charles and Ellora Derenoncourt

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Applied Economics Seminar

6 November 2026

Ellora Derenoncourt (Princeton University)

Minimum Wages and Informality

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Handbook of Labor Economics – Chapter Previews

In anticipation of the upcoming Handbook of Labor Economics, we offer early access to select chapters through our Discussion Papers series. Following our 2023 conference on this new edition, first chapters are now available for preview, featuring insights from leading research in economics and labor.

Preview Chapters
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