Ökonometrische Methoden für wirtschaftliche Prognosen und Simulationen
Der Forschungsschwerpunkt der Forschungsgruppe liegt in der Entwicklung ökonometrischer Methoden für Kurzfristprognosen (Reduzierte-Form-Modelle), für Regionalisierung und für Langfristprojektionen sowie für strukturelle Prognose- und Simulationsmodelle (DSGE-Modelle). Ferner erstellt sie ökonometrische Hintergrundanalysen für die Prognosetätigkeit der Forschungsgruppe Makroökonomische Analysen und Prognosen. Im Rahmen von Drittmittelprojekten wurden verschiedene makroökonomische Modelle, bspw. für die Volkswagen Financial Services AG oder im Rahmen von GIZ-Projekten für die Wirtschaftsministerien in Kirgistan und Tadschikistan sowie das Institut für makroökonomische Prognosen und Forschung (IFMR) in Usbekistan entwickelt.
IWH-Datenprojekt: IWH Real-time Database
Forschungscluster
Wirtschaftliche Dynamik und StabilitätIhr Kontakt

- Abteilung Makroökonomik
PROJEKTE
07.2022 ‐ 12.2026
Evaluierung des InvKG und des Bundesprogrammes STARK
Bundesministerium für Wirtschaft und Klimaschutz (BMWK)
Im Auftrag des Bundesministeriums für Wirtschaft und Klimaschutz evaluieren das IWH und das RWI die Verwendung der rund 40 Milliarden Euro, mit denen der Bund die Kohleausstiegsregionen unterstützt.
12.2024 ‐ 02.2026
Macroeconomic Modelling for Energy Investments in Vietnam
Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH
08.2024 ‐ 03.2025
Strengthening Public Financial Management in Vietnam
Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH
01.2023 ‐ 12.2023
Frühzeitige Ermittlung stabiler Ergebnisse zum Bruttoinlandsprodukt bzw. realen Wirtschaftswachstum und der Bruttowertschöpfung auf Länderebene
Landesbetrieb Information und Technik Nordrhein-Westfalen
Das Projekt prüft, ob die Genauigkeit der ersten Schätzung der Bruttowertschöpfung und des Bruttoinlandsprodukts für die Bundesländer erhöht und damit das Ausmaß der nachfolgenden Revisionen reduziert werden kann.
01.2018 ‐ 12.2023
EuropeAid (EU-Rahmenvertrag)
Europäische Kommission
05.2020 ‐ 09.2023
ENTRANCES: Energy Transitions from Coal and Carbon: Effects on Societies
Europäische Kommission
Ziel von ENTRANCES ist es, die Folgen des Kohleausstiegs in Europa zu untersuchen. Wie verändert der Kohleausstieg die Gesellschaft – und wie kann Politik darauf reagieren?
This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 883947.
10.2019 ‐ 01.2023
An Klimawandel angepasste Wirtschaftsentwicklung
Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH
Der Klimawandel wirkt sich stark auf das Wirtschaftswachstum und die Entwicklung eines Landes aus. Das erhöht den Bedarf an verlässlichen und realisierbaren Ansätzen, mit denen die Auswirkungen von Klimarisiken und potenzielle Anpassungsszenarien bewertet werden können. Die politischen Entscheidungsträger*innen in den Planungs- und Wirtschaftsministerien benötigen fundierte Prognosen, um entsprechende wirtschaftspolitische Instrumente zu konzipieren, zu finanzieren und aktiv gegenzusteuern. In den Pilotländern Kasachstan, Vietnam und Georgien werden Klimarisiken bei der makroökonomischen Modellierung berücksichtigt. Die Ergebnisse werden so in den Politikprozess integriert, dass angepasste Wirtschaftsplanungen entstehen können. Das IWH-Team ist verantwortlich für die makroökonomische Modellierung in Vietnam.
07.2016 ‐ 12.2018
Klimaschutz und Kohleausstieg: Politische Strategien und Maßnahmen bis 2030 und darüber hinaus
Umweltbundesamt (UBA)
01.2017 ‐ 12.2017
Unterstützung einer nachhaltigen Wirtschaftsentwicklung in ausgewählten Regionen Usbekistans
Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH
01.2017 ‐ 12.2017
Short-term Macroeconomic Forecasting Model in Ministry of Economic Development and Trade of Ukraine
Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH
01.2016 ‐ 12.2017
Entwicklung eines analytischen Tools basierend auf einer Input-Output-Tabelle
Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH
Das Ziel des Projektes war die Entwicklung eines Exceltools zur Wirkungsanalyse von Politikmaßnahmen in Tadschikistan basierend auf dem statischen Input-Output-Ansatz.
11.2015 ‐ 12.2016
Beschäftigung und Entwicklung in der Republik Usbekistan
Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH
Förderung einer nachhaltigen wirtschaftlichen Entwicklung in ausgewählten Regionen Usbekistans
05.2016 ‐ 05.2016
Rahmenbedingungen und Finanzierungsmöglichkeiten für die Entwicklung des Privatsektors in Tadschikistan
Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH
02.2016 ‐ 04.2016
Makroökonomische Reformen und umwelt- und sozialverträgliches Wachstum in Vietnam
Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH
10.2015 ‐ 03.2016
Improved Evidence-based Policy Making - GIZ Tadschikistan
Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH
Referierte Publikationen

Coal Phase-out in Germany – Implications and Policies for Affected Regions
in: Energy, April 2020
Abstract
The present study examines the consequences of the planned coal phase-out in Germany according to various phase-out pathways that differ in the ordering of power plant closures. Soft-linking an energy system model with an input-output model and a regional macroeconomic model simulates the socio-economic effects of the phase-out in the lignite regions, as well as in the rest of Germany. The combination of two economic models offers the advantage of considering the phase-out from different perspectives and thus assessing the robustness of the results. The model results show that the lignite coal regions will exhibit losses in output, income and population, but a faster phase-out would lead to a quicker recovery. Migration to other areas in Germany and demographic changes will partially compensate for increasing unemployment, but support from federal policy is also necessary to support structural change in these regions.

Nowcasting East German GDP Growth: a MIDAS Approach
in: Empirical Economics, Nr. 1, 2020
Abstract
Economic forecasts are an important element of rational economic policy both on the federal and on the local or regional level. Solid budgetary plans for government expenditures and revenues rely on efficient macroeconomic projections. However, official data on quarterly regional GDP in Germany are not available, and hence, regional GDP forecasts do not play an important role in public budget planning. We provide a new quarterly time series for East German GDP and develop a forecasting approach for East German GDP that takes data availability in real time and regional economic indicators into account. Overall, we find that mixed-data sampling model forecasts for East German GDP in combination with model averaging outperform regional forecast models that only rely on aggregate national information.

Should Forecasters Use Real‐time Data to Evaluate Leading Indicator Models for GDP Prediction? German Evidence
in: German Economic Review, Nr. 4, 2019
Abstract
In this paper, we investigate whether differences exist among forecasts using real‐time or latest‐available data to predict gross domestic product (GDP). We employ mixed‐frequency models and real‐time data to reassess the role of surveys and financial data relative to industrial production and orders in Germany. Although we find evidence that forecast characteristics based on real‐time and final data releases differ, we also observe minimal impacts on the relative forecasting performance of indicator models. However, when obtaining the optimal combination of soft and hard data, the use of final release data may understate the role of survey information.

Expectation Formation, Financial Frictions, and Forecasting Performance of Dynamic Stochastic General Equilibrium Models
in: Historical Social Research, Nr. 2, Special Issue: Governing by Numbers 2019
Abstract
In this paper, we document the forecasting performance of estimated basic dynamic stochastic general equilibrium (DSGE) models and compare this to extended versions which consider alternative expectation formation assumptions and financial frictions. We also show how standard model features, such as price and wage rigidities, contribute to forecasting performance. It turns out that neither alternative expectation formation behaviour nor financial frictions can systematically increase the forecasting performance of basic DSGE models. Financial frictions improve forecasts only during periods of financial crises. However, traditional price and wage rigidities systematically help to increase the forecasting performance.

For How Long Do IMF Forecasts of World Economic Growth Stay Up-to-date?
in: Applied Economics Letters, Nr. 3, 2019
Abstract
This study analyses the performance of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) World Economic Outlook output forecasts for the world and for both the advanced economies and the emerging and developing economies. With a focus on the forecast for the current year and the next year, we examine the durability of IMF forecasts, looking at how much time has to pass so that IMF forecasts can be improved by using leading indicators with monthly updates. Using a real-time data set for GDP and for indicators, we find that some simple single-indicator forecasts on the basis of data that are available at higher frequency can significantly outperform the IMF forecasts as soon as the publication of the IMF’s Outlook is only a few months old. In particular, there is an obvious gain using leading indicators from January to March for the forecast of the current year.
Arbeitspapiere

Is there an Information Channel of Monetary Policy?
in: IWH Discussion Papers, Nr. 17, 2020
Abstract
Exploiting the heteroscedasticity of the changes in short-term and long-term interest rates and exchange rates around the FOMC announcement, we identify three structural monetary policy shocks. We eliminate the predictable part of the shocks and study their effects on financial variables and macro variables. The first shock resembles a conventional monetary policy shock, and the second resembles an unconventional monetary shock. The third shock leads to an increase in interest rates, stock prices, industrial production, consumer prices, and commodity prices. At the same time, the excess bond premium and uncertainty decrease, and the U.S. dollar depreciates. Therefore, this third shock combines all the characteristics of a central bank information shock.

Integrated Assessment of Epidemic and Economic Dynamics
in: IWH Discussion Papers, Nr. 4, 2020
Abstract
In this paper, a simple integrated model for the joint assessment of epidemic and economic dynamics is developed. The model can be used to discuss mitigation policies like shutdown and testing. Since epidemics cause output losses due to a reduced labor force, temporarily reducing economic activity in order to prevent future losses can be welfare enhancing. Mitigation policies help to keep the number of people requiring intensive medical care below the capacity of the health system. The optimal policy is a mixture of temporary partial shutdown and intensive testing and isolation of infectious persons for an extended period of time.

How Forecast Accuracy Depends on Conditioning Assumptions
in: IWH Discussion Papers, Nr. 18, 2019
Abstract
This paper examines the extent to which errors in economic forecasts are driven by initial assumptions that prove to be incorrect ex post. Therefore, we construct a new data set comprising an unbalanced panel of annual forecasts from different institutions forecasting German GDP and the underlying assumptions. We explicitly control for different forecast horizons to proxy the information available at the release date. Over 75% of squared errors of the GDP forecast comove with the squared errors in their underlying assumptions. The root mean squared forecast error for GDP in our regression sample of 1.52% could be reduced to 1.13% by setting all assumption errors to zero. This implies that the accuracy of the assumptions is of great importance and that forecasters should reveal the framework of their assumptions in order to obtain useful policy recommendations based on economic forecasts.

Progressive Tax-like Effects of Inflation: Fact or Myth? The U.S. Post-war Experience
in: IWH Discussion Papers, Nr. 33, 2017
Abstract
Inflation and earnings growth can push some tax payers into higher brackets in the absence of inflation-indexed schedules. Moreover, inflation may affect the composition of individuals’ income sources. As a result, depending on the relative tax burden of labour and capital, inflation may decrease or increase the difference between before-tax and after-tax income. However, whether some and if so which percentiles of the income distribution net benefit from inflation via taxation is a widely unexplored question. We make use of a novel dataset on U.S. pre-tax and post-tax income distribution series provided by Pike ty et al. (2018) for the years 1962 to 2014 to answer this question. To this end, we estimate local projections to quantify dynamic effects. We find that inflation shocks increase progressivity of taxation not only contemporaneously but also with some repercussion of several years after the shock. While particularly the bottom two quintiles gain in share, it is not the top but the fourth quintile that lastingly loses.

Outperforming IMF Forecasts by the Use of Leading Indicators
in: IWH Discussion Papers, Nr. 4, 2014
Abstract
This study analyzes the performance of the IMF World Economic Outlook forecasts for world output and the aggregates of both the advanced economies and the emerging and developing economies. With a focus on the forecast for the current and the next year, we examine whether IMF forecasts can be improved by using leading indicators with monthly updates. Using a real-time dataset for GDP and for the indicators we find that some simple single-indicator forecasts on the basis of data that are available at higher frequency can significantly outperform the IMF forecasts if the publication of the Outlook is only a few months old.