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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. 28/26 - January 2026

Gender Gaps Under Comparable Tasks: Evidence from Quasi-Random Assignment

Petter Lundborg, Johan Vikström, Negar Khaliliaraghi

No. 27/26 - January 2026

Migration for Marriage

Shadi Farahzadi

No. 26/26 - January 2026

In Their Own Words: What Workers Like and Dislike about their Jobs

Michele Belot, Xiaoying Liu, Vaios Triantafyllou

No. 25/26 - January 2026

Emotional stability and firm productivity. Evidence from German matched employer-employee data

Giorgio Brunello, Caroline Neuber-Pohl

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 release

3 Oct 2025

Number of refugees in Germany rises to record high – RFBerlin Director Dustmann welcomes planned relaxation of work ban
View article
CReAM at RFBerlin

3 Oct 2025

CReAM Report: From Syria to Ukraine: Refugee Inflows and Trends in the European Union
Read Report
Articles

30 Sep 2025

35 years after reunification: How effective was the Treuhand?
View article
Press release

29 Sep 2025

Former colleagues enabled East Germans to find new job opportunities in West Germany
Read now

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 Event

11 Jun – 12 Jun 2026

RFBerlin-CEPR Annual Symposium in Labour Economics 2026

RFBerlin Applied Economics Seminar

16 June 2026

Anders Humlum (University of Chicago)

TBA

RFBerlin Applied Economics Seminar

23 June 2026

Antonio Cabrales (Charles III University of Madrid)

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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