ROCKWOOL Foundation Berlin

banner for an RFBerlin Masterclass titled “Skills and human capital in the labor market,” taking place in Berlin in April 2026. The design features a teal background with the event title on the left and a button reading “Applications open.” On the right is a portrait of invited speaker Mikko Silliman, with text noting his affiliation with Aalto University and Helsinki GSE, and the RFBerlin logo at the top.

Apply now to join the masterclass by Mikko Silliman, based on a chapter co-authored with David Deming.

👉 Apply here: form.typeform.com/to/hQpXQYkc
🔗 Event details: www.rfberlin.com/event/rfberl...

Deepen your understanding of higher-order capacities such as social and decision-making skills.

In 2025, the RFBerlin Network grew to 30+ countries across four continents, producing insights that incorporated data from 80+ nations into research that shapes policy worldwide. #GlobalFamily 🌍

Read more about the RFBerlin network here: rfberlin.com/fellows/

Our 2025 event highlights:
✨ Annual Public Lecture by Nobel Laureate Claudia Goldin
📊 Annual Labour Economics Symposium with CEPR
🌍 Migration Forum 2025
📈 Workshop in Italy with CReAM
💼 Conference on Worker Co-Determination

Thanks to everyone involved! See our 2026 events: www.rfberlin.com/events/

New RFBerlin Discussion Paper!
@jamesfeigenbaum.bsky.social, @YiJuHung1, Marco Tabellini & Monia Tomasella study the 1920s US Quota Acts restricting immigration. Learn more about implications for natives’ social mobility!
🔗 www.rfberlin.com/wp-content/u...

New RFBerlin Discussion Paper!
Ahmet Gulekk shows that child penalties vary sharply across occupations in the US. Why does parenthood affect some careers more than others?
🔗 www.rfberlin.com/wp-content/u...

New RFBerlin Discussion Paper!
Ozkan Eren, @profhjalmarsson.bsky.social & @orgulozturk.bsky.social examine how judge–defendant gender match affects juvenile sanctions and long-run outcomes. Find out more:
🔗 www.rfberlin.com/wp-content/u...

New RFBerlin Discussion Paper!
Xin Liu, Xin Meng, Guangqian Pan & Guochang Zhao study China’s Double Reduction policy aimed at reducing students’ workload. What are the long-run and intergenerational costs of education reform?
🔗 www.rfberlin.com/wp-content/u...

2025 in numbers: RFBerlin edition
Our year as a dataset:

📚 167 Discussion Papers
🎓 11 Masterclasses
💬 14 Applied Econ Seminars
🌍 2 Nobel laureates visiting
📄 49 Visiting Researchers

Top research themes: Equity & Inclusion, Technology & Trade, Migration.

Thanks for a great 2025!💪
rfberlin.com

What topics inspired our research in 2025?

💼 Remote work reshaping cities
🌍 Migration policies that work
👶 Childcare & life trajectories
💰 Persistent wage gaps
🎓 Education & opportunity

167 Discussion Papers.
One commitment: evidence-based research.
www.rfberlin.com/discussion-p...

New RFBerlin Discussion Paper!
@BelotMichele & Rustam Hakimov show workplace bonding boosts productivity in a field experiment. Which connections at work matter most?
🔗 www.rfberlin.com/wp-content/u...

New RFBerlin Discussion Paper!
@hasagerlinea.bsky.social & Mia Jørgensen find poor neighborhoods can have lasting effects on health. Place-based inequality leaves a lifelong mark.
🔗 www.rfberlin.com/wp-content/u...

New RFBerlin Discussion Paper!
Marguerite Obolensky, Marco Tabellini & Charles A. Taylor show climate mismatch shapes migrant outcomes. How does climate affect integration and success?
🔗 www.rfberlin.com/wp-content/u...

The left-behind economy and what to do about it New insights into regional inequality

📰 RFBerlin research featured in @financialtimes.com's Free Lunch on technology & regional inequality! Read it here:
www.ft.com/content/91de...

4/4 The takeaway: effective family policy isn’t just about generosity, but about long-run structure and targeting. Important insights for demographic policy debates.

3/4 Using a dynamic framework, @hannawang.bsky.social shows that timing and design matter: policies can shift when and whether families have children.

2/4 Germany faces low fertility and rising policy challenges. This paper asks how parental leave and family benefits shape fertility decisions across the life cycle. What policies increase fertility? And what are their welfare implications?

New RFBerlin Discussion Paper!
Our PLeader @hannawang.bsky.social studies how German family leave policies affect fertility choices over time. Can smarter policy shape demographic futures? A thread!
🔗 www.rfberlin.com/wp-content/u...

New RFBerlin Discussion Paper!
@profhjalmarsson.bsky.social & @matthewjlindq.bsky.social examine the effects of diagnosing ADHD in prison. The consequences extend far beyond the prison walls.
🔗 www.rfberlin.com/wp-content/u...

New RFBerlin Discussion Paper!
Negar Khaliliaraghi, Petter Lundborg & Johan Vikström find gender gaps persist even under comparable productivity within the same tasks. The roots of inequality may be deeper than we think.
🔗 www.rfberlin.com/wp-content/u...

New RFBerlin Discussion Paper!
Shadi Farahzadi shows how marriage shapes migration decisions and cross-border mobility. How much does family drive who moves where?
🔗 www.rfberlin.com/wp-content/u...

🆕 RFBerlin Discussion Paper! @michelebelot.bsky.social, Xiaoying Liu & Vaios Triantafyllou analyze worker survey responses and reveal what aspects of work matter most for satisfaction and motivation across sectors.
🔗 www.rfberlin.com/wp-content/u...

🆕 RFBerlin Discussion Paper! Giorgio Brunello & Caroline Neuber-Pohl show that workers’ emotional stability correlates with higher firm productivity, shedding light on the economic importance of personality traits in employer-employee outcomes.
🔗 www.rfberlin.com/wp-content/u...

🆕 RFBerlin Discussion Paper! Christopher Campos, Pablo Muñoz, Alonso Bucarey & Dante Contreras find that college major choices drive earnings differences and contribute to persistent gender pay gaps in the labor market.
🔗 www.rfberlin.com/wp-content/u...

🆕 RFBerlin Discussion Paper! Thomas Dohmen, Bart Golsteyn, @hansgronqvist.bsky.social, Edvin Hertegård & Gerard Pfann show that parenting styles significantly affect children’s education, skills, and earnings across the life cycle.
🔗 www.rfberlin.com/wp-content/u...

🆕 RFBerlin Discussion Paper! Rasmus Lentz, Jonas Maibom & Espen R. Moen present a tractable framework nesting direct and random search. They show important evidence in favour of Danish workers directing their job search towards specific jobs.
🔗 www.rfberlin.com/wp-content/u...

🆕 RFBerlin Discussion Paper! Lauren Falcao Bergquist, Danial Lashkari & @ericverhoogen.bsky.social analyze how microeconomic frictions and wedges distort resource allocation, with implications for productivity and economic efficiency.
🔗 www.rfberlin.com/wp-content/u...

🆕 RFBerlin Discussion Paper! Jeremias Klaeui, Daniel Kopp, @rlalive.bsky.social & Michael Siegenthaler show that firms play a central role in workers’ occupational transitions during scarce labor markets, mediating employment and skill adjustments.
🔗 www.rfberlin.com/wp-content/u...

🆕 RFBerlin Discussion Paper! @mettefoged.bsky.social, Karen-Inge Karstoft & Edith Zink study displaced Ukrainians and find that PTSD significantly reduces employment and earnings, showing how mental health shocks shape labor market integration.
🔗 www.rfberlin.com/wp-content/u...

🆕 RFBerlin Discussion Paper! Maria A. Cattaneo, Stefan Wolter & Thea Zöllner show that Swiss parents are willing to pay for both higher school quality and favorable peer composition, highlighting the role of social preferences in school choice.
🔗 www.rfberlin.com/wp-content/u...

🆕 RFBerlin Discussion Paper! Seema Jayachandran, Lea Nassal, Matthew J., @profnoto.bsky.social‬, Marie Paul, Heather Sarsons & @elinsundberg.bsky.social study couples' relocations and document how they typically involve a relative increase in male earnings.🔗 www.rfberlin.com/wp-content/u...