News

The German Real Estate Financing Index (DIFI) of ZEW Mannheim and JLL continues to improve in the fourth quarter of 2020. The sentiment indicator climbed 12.5 points to minus 23.5 points, thus almost returning to the level of the first quarter of 2020 (minus 18.5 points). In particular, the assessment of the financing situation of the past six months has resulted in the index almost reaching pre-pandemic levels.

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During the coronavirus pandemic, German economic policymakers must not lose sight of two developments: On the one hand, the growth of powerful internet giants through digitalisation, and on the other hand the economic success of China, which rests on the influence of large state-owned corporations. Taking up these developments, Social Sciences Academic Press has now published the book “Digital Prosperity for All” by ZEW President Achim Wambach, PhD and Handelsblatt journalist Hans Christian Müller in Chinese.

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The awards of the ZEW Sponsors’ Association for Science and Practice are an integral part of the academic year at the institute. The award is granted to honour outstanding scientific performances and economic policy advising projects. The prizes each come with an endowment of 5,000 euros.

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Why do company workers publish in scientific journals? What motivates firms to publish papers, what prevents them from doing so? Which role do corporate publications play for the innovation system and innovation policy? These are some of the questions addressed at an online workshop, which was jointly organised by ZEW Mannheim and the Fraunhofer Institute for Systems and Innovation Research (ISI). The workshop, which took place on 24 November 2020, was supported by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research.

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The work of the ZEW Media Design Team was again honoured at the eleventh International Creative Media Awards (ICMA): The designers won bronze for the ZEW Annual Report 2019 in the category “Typography, Layout”. This year saw 387 international submissions.

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From 14 till 18 December 2020, ZEW Mannheim will be on site at the European Job Market (EJM) of the European Economic Association (EEA). For the third time, doctoral students and researchers in general will have the opportunity to explore the academic labour market in the field of economics and get in touch with universities and research institutions from all over Europe. Various ZEW research units will be conducting job interviews this week and are looking forward to meeting interesting candidates.

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In the spring semester of 2020, ZEW once again offered five summer courses for young researchers, which took place entirely online this year. Over 80 young researchers from ZEW and the University of Mannheim participated in the courses dedicated to current economic issues. The ZEW Summer Courses, financially supported by the state of Baden-Württemberg, are part of a close cooperation with the University of Mannheim as part of the PhD track of the Center for Doctoral Studies in Economics (CDSE).

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The coronavirus pandemic has brought on the worst recession in Germany since the Second World War. Many companies have managed to stay afloat during the COVID-19 pandemic thanks to government aid. The pandemic is hitting young, less established companies, such as startups, particularly hard.

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The significance of the People’s Republic of China has risen significantly over the past years. China’s engagement in global policy issues – ranging from the international economic system and the economic development of African economies to the challenges associated with environmental and climate protection – plays a crucial role for Germany and Europe. In the #ZEWPodcast “Wirtschaft • Forschung • Debatten”/“Economy • Research • Debates”, ZEW President Professor Achim Wambach provides insight into the influence of the Chinese economic model on the European economy. He sheds light on how competition with Chinese companies impacts on European firms and the role Chinese state capitalism plays in this context, and offers suggestions on how to regulate trade relations and business activities between Chinese and European firms. While this edition was published in German, there are plans to produce English editions of the podcast as well.

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The COVID-19 pandemic requires joint action from the EU Member States – for both health protection and to respond to the crisis with appropriate economic policy measures. The “Next Generation EU” recovery fund and the “Pandemic Emergency Purchase Programme” (PEPP) of the ECB are at the heart of the joint efforts to stabilise the European economy. At the #ZEWlive event on 10 November 2020, Dr. Sylvie Goulard, deputy governor of the Banque de France, and ZEW expert Professor Friedrich Heinemann discussed whether these programmes can help overcome the crisis. The discussion revealed that while these support programmes are effective in the short term, they are not sufficiently well-targeted to address the long-term causes of weak growth and the lack of resilience. The event was supported by the Brigitte Strube Stiftung.

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