The programme of the research group ‘Inequality, Social Mobility and Growth’ deals with the macroeconomic analysis of questions of distribution and the development of inequality cross-sectionally as well as over time. Both inequality and social mobility have an impact on growth, which depends on whether people can utilise their talents fruitfully, and are in turn influenced by growth and technological change. Of particular interest are the effects of norms and preferences on the one hand and economic incentives on the other, as well as their interplay on economic behaviour.

Methodologically, the research group works with quantitative macroeconomic models and empirical methods from microeconomics. Four specific topics will guide the joint research in the coming years: equitable growth, intergenerational mobility, endogeneity of preferences and gender equality.

The BMBF-funded project ‘Women and Work in the 21st Century’ has started in autumn 2024. It investigates the reasons for the different labour market success of women and men,  with regard to the different labour supply behaviour of women as well as to the conditions on the labour market, which lead to differences in the result even with the same behaviour. In addition to analysing possible reasons, the effectiveness of measures tackling these obstacles is also examined.