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The German Institute for Economic Research (DIW Berlin) is one of the leading economic research
institutions in Germany. Its core mandates are applied economic research and economic policy consulting as
well as provision of research infrastructure.The institute was founded in 1925 by the name of Institutfür
Konjunkturforschung (Institute for economic cycle research). Since 1982, the Research Infrastructure SOEP
(German Socio-Economic Panel Study), a long-term study, is affiliated to DIW Berlin.Thematically, the
scientific work of the Institute is divided into the following Research Departments: Macroeconomics;
Forecasting and Economic Policy; Energy, Transportation, Environment; Climate Policy; Innovation,
Manufacturing, Service; Competition and Consumers; Public Economics and Education Policy. Berlin
currently employs approximately 180 salaried researchers and non-researchers, in addition to research
directors and professors, research affiliates, doctoral students, graduate students, student assistants, and
interns.Macroeconomics and Forecasting: The research activities of the Department of Macroeconomics are
focused on the theoretical and empirical analyses of macroeconomic relationships and policies on the
national and international level. The leading current topics include macroeconomic imbalances and the debt
crisis in the euro area as well as fiscal and monetary crisis management. The Department of Forecasting and
Economic Policy uses modern macroeconomic methods to analyze current economic policy issues. The
focus is on regular economic forecasts, which are made available to policy institutions and the publicin the
form of comprehensive reports. These provide a detailed picture of the economic situation, the labor market,
and Germany‘s economic outlook. Industrial Economics: The Innovation, Manufacturing, Service
Department studies the behavior of market participants and the development of markets in a global
environment. Using a range of empirical methods, itanalyzes corporate strategies on developing and
launching new products, dealing with scarce resources, and choosing business locations.The Department of
Competition and Consumers is primarily focused on answering the question of which economic policy
instruments enhance market efficiency by studying corporate strategies as well as consumer behavior, and
analyzing possible state interventions. It uses methodologies ranging from theoretical modeling to
econometric and experimental research.Public Finances and Living Conditions: The Public Economics
Department examines how government action influences the economic situation as well as private
households and businesses. In its work on educationpolicy issues, the Education Policy Department focuses
on microeconomic perspectives. At DIW Berlin, staffin the Research Infrastructure SOEP are specialized in
research into living conditions.