Research areas
 |
International Trade, Competitiveness and FDI |
| Details
Main research focus
Many issues arising in our core regions are essentially global in nature. We have thus expanded our comparative analysis to gain a broader global perspective on selected issues of international trade, competitiveness and global investment flows.
New directions
Research in this area is focused on issues of international integration with a particular emphasis on the integration CEE, SEE and CIS countries in both regional and global contexts, but research in this area also comprises world-wide patterns of trade, foreign direct investment flows and migration. Research topics are the explanation of patterns and dynamics of trade specialisation, determinants and effects of factor flows, patterns of foreign direct investment and of international business organisation as well as analyses of technology upgrading, spillovers and international patterns of innovation and research and development. The institute has also been involved in building up capacity in the area of global and regional modelling of trade policy issues and of patterns of international integration.
Methods
Research is based on large-scale international datasets which allow in-depth descriptive analysis as well as the application of state-of-the art econometric methods and modelling techniques.
|
|
|
Macroeconomic Analysis and Policy |
| Details
Main research focus
One of our core research areas is the analysis of macroeconomic developments in the CEE, SEE and CIS countries we regularly cover. As the process of transformation is about to be completed in most of the new member states of the EU and well under way in most candidate countries, issues of integration into the European Union, long-term growth, patterns of specialization, etc. gain increasing relevance. Likewise, the choice of exchange rate regimes and the path towards EMU integration play an important role. New directions
One of the key issues for the coming years, on which we currently focus, will be the policies necessary to overcome the current economic crisis and to return to a stable growth path.
The crisis has revealed serious imbalances in some economies and within the European Union itself and wiiw will actively participate in the cross-European discussion regarding necessary reformulations of national and cross-European policy agendas.
Methods
In our approach we combine qualitative and quantitative methods. Our long-term experience in country analysis is of crucial importance to the reliability of our analysis and forecasts.
For analysis we draw on our own databases as well as external sources of data. |
|
|
Labour, Migration and Income Distribution |
| Details
Main research focus
Transition and restructuring had and still have profound effects on the labour markets of CEE, SEE and CIS countries. We focus on ongoing developments and the effects of restructuring processes in labour markets where we have also expanded our research to analyse labour market developments, of changing skill structures, of job characteristics, etc. across the EU-27 in a comparative manner.
New directions
We analyze the extent of migration and its effects on sending and receiving countries alike and work on the size and the characteristics of the informal sector (this analysis includes candidate and prospective candidate countries in Southeast Europe). The development and composition of income distribution, as well as other social issues have received increasing attention in our work.
Methods
Analysis is based on international data-sets in combination with data from national sources.
Research is primarily focused on detailed descriptive analysis in combination with statistical and econometric analysis. |
|
|
Sectoral studies |
| Details
Main research focus
In our work we pay considerable attention to the detailed studies of specific sectors of the economy, their characteristics and the role of structural change within these sectors and in their linkages to the rest of the economy. We focus on industries in the CEE, SEE and CIS countries but often take a comparative perspective, both at the overall European and, at times, global levels.
New directions
Our work is based on the use of industry-level statistics which is increasingly complemented with firm-level information. We complement at times officially available statistics with specific surveys or specific information collected at the national level or in combination with our network of local experts.
Methods
We also model industry developments in terms of future trends (e.g. in technology, changing patterns of demand, etc.), the impact upon other industries and the overall economy, and analyse the impact of changing global patterns of competition, of integration and of trade policy environments upon industrial developments in CEE, SEE and CIS economies.
A particular focus of recent research has been on issues of energy supply and energy security as well as restructuring of the energy sector and the role of services in national and global inter-industry linkages. |
|
|
Regional Development |
| Details
Main research focus
Strong regional disparities are a characteristic feature of many countries and are also predominant in the CEE, SEE and CIS countries. In our research we focus on the causes, the extent and the effects of such regional disparities, on possible paths of convergence and on policies necessary to achieve regional growth and development. The focus is on the developments in CEE and SEE countries in a comparative perspective with regional developments in the EU-27 as a whole.
Methods
We use large up-to-date regional datasets collected from official sources comprising both in-depth comparative analysis and advanced econometric techniques. This is complemented by detailed case studies for particular regions. We have been involved in a range of cross-country research networks focussing on the analysis of such data-sets and also in the analysis of regional policy agendas.
|
|
|
Other |
| Details
|
