The Institute for Applied Economic Research, located in Tübingen, Germany, is an independent research institute at the University of Tübingen. The IAW’s objective is
to apply economic and social research to issues relating to the private and public economy. Its scientific work contributes to the empirical basis for economic policymaking.
In the following, you will receive an overview of the individual subjects. For more information please click on the topic of interest.
In this field of research, IAW mainly focuses on impact analyses and process-accompanying evaluations of various labor market policies. Another research topic are the effects of legal regulations on the labor market.
Demographic change, the shortage of skilled workers and the increasing inequality of market incomes are central challenges for the social security system. Our research focuses on poverty and wealth, social mobility, rehabilitation and retirement, and working conditions in care.
Research on education issues is an important field of research at the IAW. The focus is on the transition between school and work, on the development of training and further education, on digitization processes in the education sector and on the returns to education.
The IAW feels closely connected to the state of Baden-Württemberg and its economic and social development. In many research projects, we examine current challenges, opportunities and risks of companies and employees in different industries and regions of Baden-Württemberg.
We investigate the significance of international trade and migration for incomes and employment in the state of Baden-Württemberg and the German economy. The focus of our research lies in trade agreements as well as European Integration on goods and factor markets.
Due to demographic change, the topics of migration and integration will gain in importance in the future. Quantitative questions becoming increasingly important for the national economy, e.g. forms of managing immigration and the attractiveness for potential migrants, while qualitative questions may treat about criteria for successful integration.
The economy in Baden-Württemberg could return to moderate growth despite high geopolitical risks. For the second quarter, the latest nowcast from the Institute for Applied Economic Research (IAW) and from the University of Hohenheim predicts real growth in gross domestic product (GDP) of 0.5%. Positive growth of a similar magnitude is also forecast for the two subsequent quarters.
A recent IAW study commissioned by the Gesamtverband der Personaldienstleister e.V. (GVP) examines wage differences between employees in and outside of temporary work based on the 2023 earnings structure survey. This initially shows unadjusted wage gaps at the expense of temporary work - both in monthly earnings and in hourly pay. However, if a comparison is made between similar employees in and outside temporary employment, the difference in monthly wages is significantly smaller. In the case of hourly wages, there is no longer a wage gap when taking into account the different characteristics of employees in and outside temporary employment if the statistical twin method (matching) is used. When regression models are used, there is even an inverse wage gap in payment per hour in favor of temporary work.
The Deutsche Bundesbank, Head Office Stuttgart, and the Institute for Applied Economic Research e.V. (IAW) cordially invite you to the 10th Bundesbank-IAW Lecture at the University of Tübingen on Wednesday, July 9, 2025 at 2:15 p.m. in the New Auditorium (Neue Aula) of the University.
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Target achieved, but challenges still remain – monetary policy since the 2021 strategy review.
Dr. Joachim Nagel, President of the Deutsche Bundesbank.
See invitation for further information. Registration is not required.
Just under 100 days into US President Donald Trump's second term in office, the impact of his decisions on the global economy is becoming increasingly clear. These include the imposition of tariffs on US imports from other countries. In his latest article for IAW Impulse, IAW Research Fellow Prof. Dr. Benjamin Jung examines the extent to which this measure comes close to the declared goal of reducing the United States' trade deficits with other countries (in German).
