We conduct independent research into significant challenges to the economy, society and the welfare state in a global world.

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Research

Fact of the day

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
Migration & Global Collaboration
Migration & Global Collaboration
Technology, Trade & Human Capital
Technology, Trade & Human Capital

Discussion papers

No. 36/26 - January 2026

Occupational Heterogeneity of Child Penalty in the United States

Ahmet Gulek

No. 35/26 - January 2026

Judicial Gender Match in Juvenile Courts: In-Court Sanctions and Long-Run Socioeconomic Consequences

Ozkan Eren, Randi Hjalmarsson, Orgul Ozturk

No. 34/26 - January 2026

Unintended Consequences of China’s Double Reduction Policy: Its Immediate and Intergenerational Impacts

Xin Liu, Xin Meng, Guangqian Pan, Guochang Zhao

No. 33/26 - January 2026

The Value of Bonding at Work: Evidence from a Field Experiment

Michele Belot, Rustam Hakimov

Research Insights

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

News

RFBerlin research and researchers are regularly featured in the press.

Press

3 Nov 2025 • La Repubblica

Izabela Wnuk-Soares on Poland’s Economic Growth and EU Integration
View article
Press

3 Nov 2025 • Mitteldeutscher Rundfunk (MDR)

Sascha Becker on Luther’s Influence from Wittenberg to the Digital Age
View article
Press release

30 Oct 2025

Luther’s network of relationships was crucial to the early spread of the Reformation
View article
Research Insights

28 Oct 2025

The Long-Term Effects of Air Pollution on Health and Labor Market Outcomes: Evidence from Socialist East Germany
View article

Tweets by @RF_Berlin

🧠New RFBerlin Research Insight!
👥 @luo_qinyue, @LiaoliangZ & Xinhan Zhang

Using a unique setting in China where age caps in job ads are legal, this study reveals how explicit age requirements shape who applies, and who doesn’t.

One of the surprising findings? Even younger

New RFBerlin Discussion Paper!
@VirginiaMinni, Kieu-Trang Nguyen, Heather Sarsons & @CarlaSrebot show how managers transmit gender norms at work. Who sets the norms inside firms?
🔗 https://www.rfberlin.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/26040.pdf

New RFBerlin Discussion Paper!
@FenellaCarpena & Simon Galle study how technical change affects workers across occupations. The mechanisms behind adjustment matter.
🔗 https://www.rfberlin.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/26039.pdf

New RFBerlin Discussion Paper!
Jim Albrecht, Per-Anders Edin, Raquel Fernandez, Jiwon Lee, Peter Skogman Thoursie & Susan Vroman analyze how parental leave shapes norms. Can policy change culture as well as behavior?
🔗 https://www.rfberlin.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/26038.pdf

Upcoming events

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

RFBerlin Applied Economics Seminar

28 April 2026

Sabrina Di Addario (Bank of Italy)

TBA

RFBerlin Masterclass

7 May – 8 May 2026

“Labor Force Transitions” by Markus Poschke and Fabian Lange

RFBerlin Applied Economics Seminar

14 May 2026

Torben Nielsen (University of Copenhagen)

TBA

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.

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