Press Releases

Recycling, recovering, reusing – the European Commission wants member countries to accumulate less waste, and thus plans to tighten its recycling targets. This move would have repercussions for all member states – including the European champion of recycling, Germany – according to a study carried out by the Cologne Institute for Economic Research (IW Köln). After all, no EU country would meet the proposed target right off.

Adriana Neligan IW

For students, in the past five years the cost of accommodation has increased throughout Germany. This is reflected in the new student accommodation price index of the Cologne Institute for Economic Research (Institut der Deutschen Wirtschaft Köln – IW) and Deutsche Real Estate Funds (DREF) in cooperation with ImmobilienScout24. In Munich, Frankfurt and Hamburg, students pay the most for an apartment – and state-funded student residences are particularly scarce in Frankfurt and Hamburg.

Apartments for students IW

Die deutsche Wirtschaft befand sich im Frühjahr 2015 auf einem guten Kurs. Das zeigt die neue Konjunkturampel des Instituts der deutschen Wirtschaft Köln (IW), die künftig regelmäßig erscheinen wird. Die Ampelskala schafft es, konjunkturelle Dynamiken im internationalen Vergleich einerseits übersichtlich, andererseits differenziert darzustellen.

Michael Grömling IW

Both at home and abroad, Germany has been accused in many quarters of what is commonly referred to in Germany as “wage dumping”, or paying excessively low wages. However, a look at the manufacturing industry – which is at the heart of international exchange and competition – shows no evidence that wages have been kept at an excessively low level.

Comparison of labour costs and unit labour costs IW