Research at ZEW

ZEW conducts evidence-based economic policy research on a range of high-visibility topics, including the digital transformation, European integration, and the energy transition.

These are tackled by ZEW’s research units.

Current Publications

Expertises // forthcoming

Analyse und Bewertung des Systems der Umsatzsteuersätze unter Berücksichtigung von Wettbewerbs- und Abgrenzungsaspekten - Zwischenbericht
Refereed Journal // forthcoming

Politicians' Social Welfare Criteria: An Experiment with German Legislators
Refereed Journal // forthcoming

Invitation Messages for Business Surveys: A Multi-Armed Bandit Experiment

Current projects

Laufende Projekte

  1. Project // 01.01.2026 – 30.11.2027

    Free to Roam, Hard to Tax? Assessing the Tax Implications of Digital Nomad Visas in the EU

    Digitalization and the rise of remote work are increasing the mobility of workers worldwide, with far-reaching consequences for labour markets, businesses, and the allocation of taxing rights. In response to this…

    01.01.2026 – 30.11.2027
    Corporate Taxation and Public Finance
  2. Project // 01.01.2026 – 28.02.2027

    Monitoring of Research and Innovation in Switzerland 2026 - Comparing Switzerland with selected regions

    The aim of this project is to compare Switzerland's research and innovation (R&I) performance with that of selected regions in other countries for the ongoing R&I monitoring of Switzerland. This regional…

    01.01.2026 – 28.02.2027
    Economics of Innovation and Industrial...
  3. Project // 01.12.2025 – 28.02.2027

    Innovation Survey 2026 for Berlin

    The aim of this research is to collect data on innovation activities of the business enterprise sector in the State of Berlin in the years 2023 to 2025 as well as the planned innovation activities in 2026 and…

    01.12.2025 – 28.02.2027
    Economics of Innovation and Industrial...
  4. Project // 01.09.2025 – 31.08.2028

    Tax Reform Narratives in German Municipal Tax Decisions

     

    This project studies how municipal tax reforms affect the local economy and how different reform motives influence both the implementation and the impact of these reforms. It is based on new narrative data from…

    01.09.2025 – 31.08.2028
    Corporate Taxation and Public Finance
  5. Project // 01.09.2025 – 30.06.2026

    Expert information providers in the Heating Transition

    Households invest less in energy efficiency than would be rational from an economic and ecological perspective. Research on the energy efficiency gap shows that information deficits, incentives, and social…

    01.09.2025 – 30.06.2026
    Environmental and Climate Economics
  6. Project // 01.09.2025 – 30.09.2026

    Calculation of the federal government’s digital budget 2025 in Germany

    The project “Calculation of the federal government’s digital budget 2025 in Germany” builds on the preceding project Calculation of the federal government's digital budget. The previous project represented the…

    01.09.2025 – 30.09.2026
    Digital Economy