May 7, 2026: 11th Bundesbank-IAW Lecture at the University of Tübingen.
The Deutsche Bundesbank’s headquarters in Baden-Württemberg and the Institute for Applied Economic Research (IAW) invite you to the “Bundesbank-IAW Lecture” on Thursday, May 7, 2026, at 4:15 p.m. in the Neue Aula at the University of Tübingen.
We are very pleased to welcome Prof. Dr. mult. Dr. h.c. Ulrike Malmendier from the University of California, Berkeley. Her lecture is titled:
Human Finance – Incorporating Insights from the Life Sciences into Finance, with an Application to German Capital Markets and Pension Reform.
Please refer to the invitation for further information. Registration to attend the lecture is not required.
How should Europe position itself to address the increasingly pressing challenges posed by global economic upheavals, geopolitical tensions, and potential crises in the international financial system? Prof. Dr. Christoph Trebesch, Vice President of the Kiel Institute for the World Economy and a world-renowned expert in the field of geoeconomics, addressed this question at this year’s lecture event hosted by the IAW and the headquarters of the Deutsche Bundesbank in Baden-Württemberg on March 26, 2026.
The event also featured the presentation of the 2026 Norbert Kloten Prize for the best theses in the field of applied economic research at the Universities of Hohenheim, Stuttgart, and Tübingen. This year’s prizes went to Judith Lehner from the University of Tübingen and Ricardo Acevedo Arias from the University of Hohenheim.
More women in employment – structural barriers remain.
The IAW today presented a new report (in German) on gender-specific employment trends in the state, commissioned by the Baden-Württemberg Ministry of Economic Affairs, Labour and Tourism (title: “Employment trends and recruitment practices in Baden-Württemberg. A gender-specific analysis based on the IAB Establishment Panel"). The report shows that female employment in Baden-Württemberg has developed positively in recent years. At the same time, structural differences between women and men persist in the labour market.
Most unemployed people who receive basic income support benefits are generally satisfied with the job centers and their staff. This is shown by a study conducted by the IAW and the SOKO Institute on behalf of the Bertelsmann Foundation, based on a survey of approximately 1,000 benefit recipients aged 25 to 50 who have been receiving basic income support for at least one year. However, the results also show that two out of five respondents consider the support provided by job centers to be insufficient.
In in-depth interviews with 20 benefit recipients, the study examines the causes and consequences of these attitudes. It shows that satisfaction with the job center’s services is shaped by experiences in the job center’s counseling and placement process – for example, through active participation in the counseling process or the provision of appropriate training, or negatively by the experience of benefit cuts. At the same time, satisfaction is a key lever for integration into the labor market.
The study recommends greater consideration of benefit recipients who are distant from the labor market and increased efficiency in placement processes, particularly through digital administrative procedures.
On his 100th birthday, the Executive Board of IAW e.V. commemorates its long-standing Chairman (1979–2003) and Honorary Chairman (2003–2006). Norbert Kloten, president of the Landeszentralbank in Baden-Württemberg since 1976, took over as chairman of the board of the Gesellschaft für Angewandte Wirtschaftsforschung (GAW e.V.), the institute's supporting association, as successor to Prof. Dr. Otto Pfleiderer (also a former LZB president). Despite his many other commitments, he was an extremely active advisor, supporter, and shaper of the institute during these years. With the merger of the GAW and the IAW, new statutes, and a new committee structure in 2003, he shaped the platform for the future development of the institute. He also handed over the role of chairman to the next generation that same year, but remained loyal to the board not only as a member who embodied continuity and advice, but also as someone who remained involved in the details until his death in 2006.
“Legally equal – practically disadvantaged?” Under this title, the IAW, together with the Research Institute for Vocational Education and Training (fbb) and the SOKO Institute, analyzed the situation of EU immigrants in Germany.
The study (in German) was commissioned by the Federal Government Commissioner for Migration, Refugees, and Integration. It examines the reasons for the migration and emigration of EU citizens, analyzes key obstacles in everyday and working life despite formal equality, and derives starting points for better participation and fair working conditions.
The results of the study were presented on March 3, 2026, in the presence of Minister of State Natalie Pawlik at the EU Commission's representation in Berlin.
The shadow economy in Germany will continue its long-term upward trend in 2026. The main causes are weak growth in the official economy and rising unemployment.
According to the latest findings of a forecast by Professor Friedrich Schneider (University of Linz) and the Institute for Applied Economic Research (IAW), the shadow economy will grow to a nominal value of €538 billion. This represents an increase of 5.5 percent over the previous year. Adjusted for inflation, the increase is 2.8 percent. The ratio of the forecast shadow economy to measured gross domestic product (GDP) will increase slightly from 11.4 to 11.6 percent.
