Research

Research at the Chair of International Economics covers a rich variety of topics, ranging from the labor market effects of globalization to trade, development, and international migration.

In the area of “globalization and labor markets”, our most recent research investigates the employment and wage effects of international trade, and whether traditional labor market institutions, such as unions, can still play a role within firms operating in a globalized world.

Our projects on “trade and development” are centered around two main research questions: the role of China in the world economy, and the link between trade and inequality in developing and emerging markets. The quality of institutions (e.g. financial markets, governmental institutions) is deemed crucial to understand both firms’ export behavior and the inequality effects of trade in developing countries.

Finally, we also carry out research in the field of international migration and the brain drain. Inspired by the current debate on skill-shortages in many industrialized countries, in a recent project we have analyzed to what extent the mutual recognition of immigrants’ qualifications may foster intra-EU high-skill migration.