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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. 189/26 - July 2026

Gender Differences in Self-Promotion and Career Advice

Rigissa Megalokonomou, Juliana Silva-Goncalves, Roel van Veldhuizen

No. 188/26 - July 2026

Industrial clusters in the long run: Evidence from Million-Rouble plants in China

Stephan Heblich, Marlon Seror, Hao Xu, Yanos Zylberberg

No. 187/26 - July 2026

Collective Bargaining in Germany: Trends and Challenges

Lutz Bellmann, Christian Dustmann, Bernd Fitzenberger

No. 186/26 - July 2026

Child Disability and Effects on Sibling Mental Health

Janet Currie, N. Meltem Daysal, Mette GΓΈrtz, Jonas Hirani

Research Insights

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

No. 18/26 - May 2026

Religion and Economic Growth: What We Know and Why It Matters

Why are some countries rich and others poor? Economists have long pointed to investment, education, and technology. But one factor has been largely overlooked: religion.

Learn more

No. 17/26 - May 2026

Paying for Peers? How Swiss Parents Value School Quality and Composition

Where you live is where your child learns. In Switzerland, residential address determines school assignment, leaving parents with a stark choice: pay for private education or move.

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No. 16/26 - May 2026

WhenΒ Checklists Backfire: Too Much Control Can Harm Workers and SalesΒ 

The quality of management practices is crucial for both productivity of firms and the wellbeing of workers. Many firms use checklists as a management practice. Top managers often believe in the benefits of checklists as a mechanism to assure product and service quality. But what about workers?

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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.

No. 1/25 - April 2025

The Immigrant Population in the European Union

The EU’s foreign-born population reached over 63 million in 2024 (14.1%), driven by non-EU inflows and post-2022 surges. Germany remains the main destination, with most immigrants of working age and uneven distribution across countries.

View report

News

RFBerlin research and researchers are regularly featured in the press.

Press

29 Jun 2026

RFBerlin Director Christian Dustmann on the Influence of Colleagues on Careers
View article
Press

26 Jun 2026

Research Insight on Coworkers and Careers Mentioned in German Media
View article
Announcement Call for paper

22 Jun 2026

Asian and Australasian Society of Labour Economics Conterence 2026 β€” Final Call
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Press

22 Jun 2026

CReAM Report on Refugee Population in Europe in 2025 Gains Global Media Attention
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Tweets by @RF_Berlin

⚠️ Three days left to apply for the RFBerlin Masterclass this September.
Spend two days with Christopher Stanton (Harvard Business School) and Guido Friebel (Goethe University Frankfurt) on the frontiers of personnel economics.
Apply: https://form.typeform.com/to/Nlv1lJ3i
Learn more:

πŸŽ‰ This Friday marks the 100th RFBerlin Brown Bag Seminar!

This time, we’re delighted to welcome David Berger (@DukeEcon) for a talk on 𝘈 π˜‹π˜’π˜―π˜ͺ𝘴𝘩 𝘍π˜ͺ𝘹 𝘰𝘧 𝘜.𝘚. π˜”π˜°π˜³π˜΅π˜¨π˜’π˜¨π˜¦ π˜“π˜°π˜€π˜¬-π˜ͺ𝘯?

100 seminars, countless ideas, and many lively lunchtime discussions;

πŸ“° Our latest CReAM@RFBerlin report on immigrant employment in the EU has been featured by international media including @Reuters, @tagesschau, @FR, @Internazionale, @EconomicTimes and more.

Read the report by Christian Dustmann, Tommaso Frattini & Camilla Piovesan:
➑️

Employment is at its highest level since 2017, but Europe is still leaving talent untapped.

Better recognition of foreign qualifications, improved job matching, and stronger support for non-EU immigrant women could help unlock underused talent and ease labour shortages across

Upcoming events

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

RFBerlin Applied Economics Seminar

17 November 2026

Evan K. Rose (University of Chicago)

TBA

RFBerlin Applied Economics Seminar

24 November 2026

Tatiana Mocanu (Columbia University)

TBA

RFBerlin Applied Economics Seminar

1 December 2026

Oskar NordstrΓΆm Skans (Uppsala University)

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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