News & Opinions

New Study: Same job, different skills – why migrants fall behind at work - 13 Mar 2026

Migrants in Europe perform fewer complex tasks than native workers in the same jobs due to cognitive skill gaps rather than discriminatory task allocation. Language training and skill development are key read more

New study: Regime change in Iran could boost EU economy - 02 Mar 2026

GDP gains of up to 0.7% for the EU; Austria would benefit particularly; dampening effects on inflation; Iran could reach the economic level of Turkey or South Korea in the medium term read more

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has fundamentally changed Central, East and Southeast Europe - 24 Feb 2026

The war has ended the region’s three-decade growth model and replaced it with one defined by security and capital intensity read more

Reorientation of Ukraine’s economy towards the EU - 24 Feb 2026

EU now Ukraine’s most important trading partner; high dependence on China for drones; critical raw materials, defence and renewables are opportunities for Europe; robust agriculture, greater role for the government read more

New study: fiscal consolidation dampens growth and increases inequality - 18 Feb 2026

Study shows: dampening effects of fiscal consolidation are significantly stronger in a recession than in an upturn; negative impact in Austria limited so far; ensure socially balanced consolidation read more

United Europe 2031: Widen, Deepen, Survive - 17 Feb 2026

Europe must grasp the nettle and use enlargement to force deep integration – before delay turns into decline read more

Winter forecast for Eastern Europe: Solid growth despite uncertainties - 04 Feb 2026

Structural change in Central and Eastern Europe is in full swing, while Trump, budget deficits and a dictated peace in Ukraine pose risks; Ukraine faces a difficult future, whereas Russia’s economy is stagnating read more

A dictated peace would be a disaster for Ukraine and Central Eastern Europe - 15 Jan 2026

Without credible security guarantees, Ukraine is likely to become a vassal state of Moscow and will continue to get poorer. The EU members of the region would face economic decline and protracted conflict with Russia read more

Recent Publications

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Crowding in or crowding out? Public and private investment in the Western Balkans

wiiw Policy Notes and Reports read more

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How firms respond to minimum wage increases: Evidence from North Macedonia

wiiw Working Papers read more

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Struktur und Dynamik von Firmen und Produkten im österreichischen Außenhandel

wiiw Research Reports in German Language read more

Upcoming Events

24  March 2026    2:15 pm CET

In cooperation with Research Centre International Economics (FIW).

Join Harald Fadinger as he reveals how restricting critical inputs can unintentionally fuel foreign innovation and expand downstream industries worldwide.

Trade and Industrial Policy in Supply Chains: Directed Technological Change in Rare Earths

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Projects in Focus

Monitoring and Assessing Labor Markets in the Western Balkans

Client: The World Bank
Duration: June 2022 - June 2025 read more

Welfare systems and labour market policies for economic and social resilience in Europe (WeLaR)

Client: European Commission, Horizon Europe
Duration: September 2022 - August 2025 read more

Fiscal consolidation, public investment and labour markets

Client: European Macro Policy Network (EMPN)
Duration: January 2026 - December 2027 read more

Expertise on intra-EU mobility, free movement of workers and social security coordination – Support on statistics and socio-economic analysis

Client: European Commission, DG Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion
Duration: December 2025 - November 2029 read more

Tobacco taxation in Eastern Europe 2025-2026

Client: Bloomberg Philanthropies
Duration: January 2025 - December 2026 read more

Revision and Update of the Study "Danube Region Monitor – People and Skills" and the Online Database

Client: Federal Minister of Labour and Economy & Austrian Agency for Education and Internationalisation (OeAD)
Duration: March 2025 - November 2028 read more

Modeling the Effects of Geopolitical Tensions on Trade and Global Value Chains

Client: Asian Development Bank (ADB)
Duration: October 2024 - December 2025 read more

A new growth model in EU-CEE

Client: Friedrich Ebert Stiftung
Duration: August 2020 - May 2021 read more

The use of Cohesion Policy funds to support refugees from Ukraine

Client: European Parliament
Duration: December 2022 - May 2023 read more

Analysis of the Fiscal and Health Impact of Increasing Tobacco Excise Taxes

Client: The World Bank
Duration: February 2024 - December 2024 read more


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