This article examines the recent downturn in Germany's housing construction sector, marked by a significant drop in business climate indicators. Key factors include material shortages, order cancellations, financing constraints, and a lack of new orders, which have worsened since the COVID-19...

In the monthly ifo Business Survey, around 9000 companies answer questions about their current business situation, expectations, and plans for the near future as well as on other business variables. Beyond the regular questions, ifo has also the possibility to include supplementary questions...

High-quality company data is crucial for state-of-the-art empirical research and competition, as well as for evidence-based policy advice, reliable forecasts and policy evaluations. In Germany, however, there are striking deficits in the availability of and access to company data compared to...

Der zeitnahe Zugang zu qualitativ hochwertigen Unternehmensdaten ist für Wirtschaftsforscher*innen von entscheidender Bedeutung für empirische Spitzenforschung und dem Wettbewerb um die besten Köpfe sowie für evidenzbasierte Politikberatung, zuverlässige Prognosen und...

In this paper, we investigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on German household income using a micro-level approach. We combine a microsimulation model with labour market transition techniques to simulate the COVID-19 shock on the German labour market. We find the consequences of the...

In this paper, we investigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on German household income using a micro-level approach. We combine a microsimulation model with labour market transition techniques to simulate the COVID-19 shock on the German labour market. We find the consequences of the...

Living costs in Germany have surged since Russia’s attack on Ukraine. In this article, we discuss pros and cons of different government policies to protect affected citizens. There is a vast domain of possible relief options, each coming with its own trade-offs and design pitfalls. Information...

We provide a comprehensive analysis of income inequality and income dynamics for Germany over the last two decades. Combining personal income tax and social security data allows us-for the first time-to offer a complete picture of the distribution of annual earnings in Germany. We find that...