ROCKWOOL Foundation Berlin
@rfberlin.bsky.social
We conduct independent research into significant challenges to the economy, society and the welfare state in a global world. Find more information on rfberlin.com.
๐ง Does economic espionage pay off? Research by Glitz, Lerche & Mergele uses Cold War-era East Germany to examine whether secretly acquired technological knowledge translates into economic gains. Their estimate: espionage raised East German GDP by 7.4% by the end of the 1980s. ๐ buff.ly/Tp6iFpM
What shapes a child's mental health, and what can economics tell us about it? Janet Currie (Yale University) takes on the question in this year's RFBerlin Annual Public Lecture on 20th October. ๐ Free admission | ๐๏ธ Register now: buff.ly/2EWWVcT
RFBerlin Annual Public Lecture 2026
4 November 2025
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Congratulations to our Director, Christian Dustmann, elected a Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences @acadsocsciences.bsky.social The honour recognises his work across migration and labour markets, and the research institutions he's built, RFBerlin among them. ๐ buff.ly/43B5Ltu
Today kicks off our 2-day Masterclass with Christopher Stanton and Guido Friebel on "๐ฃ๐ฒ๐ผ๐ฝ๐น๐ฒ, ๐ฃ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐๐ถ๐ฐ๐ฒ๐, ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ฃ๐ฟ๐ผ๐ฑ๐๐ฐ๐๐ถ๐๐ถ๐๐: ๐ ๐ฅ๐ฒ๐๐ถ๐ฒ๐ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐ก๐ฒ๐ ๐๐ฑ๐๐ฎ๐ป๐ฐ๐ฒ๐ ๐ถ๐ป ๐ฃ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐๐ผ๐ป๐ป๐ฒ๐น ๐๐ฐ๐ผ๐ป๐ผ๐บ๐ถ๐ฐ๐"! ๐ We look forward to two days of engaging discussions, academic exchange and connecting!
๐ง ๐ฅ๐ฒ๐๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฐ๐ต ๐๐ป๐๐ถ๐ด๐ต๐ Can AI-powered mental health apps improve well-being? Angelucci, Fabregas & Vazquez evaluate an AI-powered mental health app among 1,964 women with psychological distress. After 6 months, mental health and daily functioning improved. Read more: ๐ buff.ly/A3Lj4Es
https://www.rfberlin.com/research-insights/can-ai-powered-mental-health-apps-improve-well-being/
rfberlin.com
Weโre delighted to congratulate our Senior Research Officer, Pietro Campa, on receiving the NOeG Young Economist Award in Vienna for his outstanding work on social interactions and intergenerational mobility! We warmly thank the award committee and organizers for honoring his contribution!
๐ง ๐ฅ๐ฒ๐๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฐ๐ต ๐๐ป๐๐ถ๐ด๐ต๐ Who gains when restaurants adopt digital delivery platforms? Research by Pascuel Plotkin using Brazilian data finds that delivery platforms donโt simply create new work: they reorganize who performs it and who receives the income. Read here: buff.ly/ANqvBiH
RFBerlin Director Christian Dustmann's research was mentioned in a Bloomberg article on how the UK's exceptional success at schooling immigrant children is confusing experts. Click the link below to get the insight! buff.ly/Kk1Fs3A
The UKโs Standout Success at Schooling Immigrant Kids Baffles Experts
In the UK, children from immigrant families tend to perform better than their peers, making the country a rare bright spot in the latest global education rankings. The issue for policymakers is thatโฆ
bloomberg.com
Working on trade, global value chains, or how supply-chain shifts impact workers and firms? If that's what your research is about - Submissions are open, come and share it with us. ๐ข Submit now: buff.ly/3ZgfgCv #EconSky #Trade #CallForPapers
Oxford Abstracts
app.oxfordabstracts.com
๐ง ๐ฅ๐ฒ๐๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฐ๐ต ๐๐ป๐๐ถ๐ด๐ต๐ Can salary caps save public money without driving away talent? Research on Italyโs public-sector salary cap finds affected managers were 5pp more likely to leave for the private sector, while average managerial quality fell 2%. Read more about it here: buff.ly/sWRlyPa
๐ Weโre proud to share that our very own Senior Research Officer Izabela Wnuk-Soares received the Best Poster Award at the #EALE2026 Conference in Barcelona! Her winning poster explored โThe Supply-Side Effects of Immigration on Prices: Evidence from Nursing Homesโ. ๐ฅณ
๐ง ๐ฅ๐ฒ๐๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฐ๐ต ๐๐ป๐๐ถ๐ด๐ต๐ Can public childcare shape outcomes across generations? Research by Mikko Silliman and Juuso Mรคkinen finds that the countryโs first public childcare program not only increased parentsโ employment but also improved childrenโs outcomes later in life. ๐ Read more: buff.ly/LPcm3Up
At the #EALE2026 Conference, we were excited to sponsor the Job Market Lunch! ๐๏ธ 41 candidates had the opportunity to discuss their work and exchange ideas with established researchers, helping them prepare for the job market. A valuable space for feedback, connections, and academic exchange!
Can a temporary hiring subsidy have lasting effects after it ends? New research by Mimosa Distefano, Lorenzo Incoronato and Anna Raute studies Italyโs โBonus Donne.โ
Documenting inequality is one thing. Identifying what drives it is much harder. Join the RFBerlin Masterclass to connect the literature, examine competing mechanisms and identify open questions. ๐ Apply now: buff.ly/UzlwDwX #Econ #Masterclass
RFBerlin Masterclass Series
Application Form
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๐ฆ๐น๐ผ๐๐ฎ๐ธ๐ถ๐ฎ ๐ถ๐ป ๐ป๐๐บ๐ฏ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐! In 2025, 1 in 24 people living in Slovakia were born abroad. Most came from elsewhere in Europe: 67% were born in another EU country, while 27% were born in a European country outside the EU. Explore more in the Migration Data Explorer: www.rfberlin.com/migration-da...
Today we'd like to welcome Jiwon Lee to the RFBerlin family!
We are at the EALE Conference in Barcelona! ๐๏ธ Our researchers are joining the conference this week. If you're attending too, come by our info stand. Learn more about our work, ask us any questions, or simply say hi.๐ See you there!
Back in Berlin, we look back on a wonderful weekend in Nizza Monferrato! โ๏ธ Our annual RFBerlin Nizza Workshop brought two days of engaging presentations, academic exchange, great conversations, and, of course, fantastic Italian food and wine. Thanks to everyone who made it a success! ๐
After a fantastic dinner at our favourite spot Bun Ben Bon last night, we closed out our Nizza Monferrato Workshop 2026! So much fantastic research shared, ideas discussed and experiences shared! Until next year!
And to close out the day, we enjoyed a nice dinner and wine-tasting at Azienda Agricola Sergio Gozzelino. See you tomorrow for DAY 2!
...that's it for Day 2! We had talks on topics such as "Matching and Causal Inference" (Jakob Wegmann), "Education, Networks and Careers" (Carlo Schwarz) and "Family and Early Childhood" (Hanna Wang). With that we wrap up the day: we thank everyone involved and look back on a fantastic workshop! ๐
Welcome to Day 2 of the RFBerlin Nizza Workshop 2026! The weather is amazing, and we're ready for another day of compelling presentations. We open with talks on Unions and Market Power (Aiko Schmeisser) and Local Markets and Housing (Rasmus Landersรธ).
Thatโs a wrap for Day 1 presentations! Among others we had talks on Layoffs (Felix Fuchs), Migration (Izabela Wnuk-Soares), Health (Courtney Brell), and a flash talk by RFBerlinโs PhD students on Refugees, Migrants and Jobs (Gregor Lauth, Gรผney Gรผngรถr, Paulina Schrรถder). See you tomorrow!
Today marks the start of our legendary RFBerlin Nizza Monferrato Workshop in Piemonte! ๐In the coming days we immerse ourselves in presentations, good food and discussions.
๐ง Research Insight Can competitive classmates shape career choices? Research by Lรผthi, Schilter & Wolter finds Swiss students with more competitive classmates choose higher-paying, more academically demanding occupations and enter the labor market earlier. Read here: www.rfberlin.com/research-ins...
(1/3)๐๏ธ ๐ฅ๐๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐น๐ถ๐ป ๐ฅ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฑ๐! We all know research involves a lot of reading. But what books do our researchers recommend? And what do they read outside of economics? RFBerlin's Project Leader Prof. Sascha O. Becker shares with us what he's been reading lately:
