More than half of German adults are overweight. Those most often affected include the elderly, poor, and individuals with poor education. Yet is overweight an issue that economists should address? Poor nutrition and lack of exercise play a major role in widespread diseases. One third of total...

Executive and supervisory boards of large companies in Germany are still dominated by men - to an extraordinary degree. Only 2.5% of all executive board members in the200 largest companies (not including the financial sector) are women, and only 10% of all seats on supervisory boards are...

Partnerships between immigrants and native-born citizens are commonly viewed as the product of successful social integration, as well as a possible driving force of economic success. Thus, immigrants living in inter-ethnic partnerships have on average a higher level of education, better...

The German mechanical engineering industry, dominated by medium-sized companies, is greatly successful - both on the domestic and on the international market. A first analysis conducted by DIW Berlin reveals that this success cannot be attributed to a better exploitation of potential...

German exports suffered a sharp decline during the international economic and financial crisis. But recently a strong turnaround has taken place. Macroeconomic stimulus measures in numerous countries have likely contributed to this export recovery. Germany's manufacturers are at the forefront of...

Marking the 20th anniversary of the Human Development Index (HDI), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has published a revised measure that also accounts for inequality (IHDI). Countries subject to severe social disparities, particularly Central and South American countries, perform...

When foreign companies acquire German firms as part of an acquisition or merger, government representatives and unions often fear production relocation as well as a loss of influence and rising unemployment. The discussion concerning the planned acquisition of the Hochtief Group by a Spanish...

In tandem with the growth of microloans and microsavings, insurance policies geared towards low-income households have also become increasingly widespread over the past decade in developing and emerging countries. There is hope that microinsurance will allow large segments of the population who...

Migrants of non-Western origin often live among themselves. This residential segregation is, however, not necessarily caused by a lacking will to integrate. It rather seems to a large part explainable with the socio-economic differences between population groups. The key to successful...

China's growing trade surplus with the USA has triggered a discussion whether the Yuan is fundamentally undervalued in relation to the US Dollar. So far, China has resisted the demand to drastically revalue its currency. This creates tension as the US economy is only slowly recovering and...