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

publication_icon

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

wiiw Policy Notes and Reports read more

publication_icon

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

wiiw Working Papers read more

publication_icon

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

read more

Projects in Focus

Nearshoring and decarbonisation in the Western Balkans

Client: DIHK - Deutscher Industrie- und Handelskammertag
Duration: January 2024 - September 2024 read more

Study on value-added exposure estimates to assess spillovers and competitiveness

Client: European Commission, DG Economic and Financial Affairs
Duration: August 2024 - November 2025 read more

Advice on intra-EU mobility and social security coordination (Lot 2: Statistics and data collection)

Client: European Commission, DG Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion
Duration: December 2021 - November 2025 read more

Tobacco taxation in Eastern Europe

Client: Bloomberg Philanthropies
Duration: October 2023 - December 2024 read more

EU Recovery Watch

Client: Foundation for European Progressive Studies (FEPS)
Duration: April 2022 - July 2023 read more

Asian Economic Integration: Using the ADB’s Multi-Region Input Output Tables (MRIOTs) for the Analysis of Tariffs and Protectionism

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

Toward innovation-driven growth: innovation systems and policies in EU member states of Central Eastern Europe

Client: Friedrich Ebert Stiftung
Duration: September 2023 - March 2024 read more

Labour market integration of Ukrainian refugees in Austria (FIMAS Ukraine)

Client: International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD)
Duration: October 2025 - December 2025 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

Export bonus: Significance and performance of Austrian exporters

Client: Austrian Ministry for Digital and Economic Affairs
Duration: October 2021 - April 2022 read more


top