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| In order to be able to optimally use the potentials of digitalisation for the economy and society, it is important to fully understand the application possibilities of digital technologies and their impact mechanisms, to make them measurable and to design appropriate framework conditions. ZEW’s research on digitalisation provides business and politics with an evidence-based framework that helps to make informed decisions. The ZEW Monthly December 2022 provides an insight into our recent work on the topic of “Digitalisation”. |
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RESEARCH ON DIGITALISATION
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ONE IN THREE FIRMS VIEWS REMOTE WORK MORE POSITIVELY THAN BEFORE THE PANDEMIC
| Due to the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, almost overnight employees and firms worldwide had no choice but to experiment with working from home. As a result, remote work is now much more common in Germany than it was before the pandemic. A recent survey conducted by ZEW Mannheim shows that firms expect the increased usage of working-from-home arrangements to continue after the pandemic. In addition, the survey provides representative results on how firms’ opinions on working from home have changed over the course of the pandemic and whether remote work impacts employee productivity.
↗ More about the ZEW study
| ELECTRICITY CONSUMPTION INCREASES WITH ADVANCING DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION
| The digital transformation raises hopes for ICT-based climate action measures and improved energy efficiency in production. However, information and communication technologies consume energy, which is why potential adverse effects on the environment are increasingly coming into focus. A recent analysis by ZEW Mannheim and the University of Göttingen of more than 28,700 German manufacturing companies provides new insights into the relationship between digital technologies and energy consumption.
↗ More about the ZEW study
| FIRMS PLAN TO WIDEN THEIR USE OF DATA IN THE FUTURE
| As the process of digitalisation advances, the amount of available data is growing at a fast pace. At the same time, the entrepreneurial potential to use data profitably for developing new products and services or improving existing ones, saving costs or creating new business models is also increasing. A recent ZEW study summarises the results of a representative business survey on the use of data by firms in Germany.
↗ More about the ZEW study |
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AT A GLANCE
| ↗ COOPERATION WITH DIGITAL START-UPS
| | In Germany, one in every three companies in the information economy and one in five in the manufacturing industry is currently collaborating with digital start-ups or has done so in the past. Over 95 per cent of the collaboration partners are located in Germany. Four fifths of all companies reach at least part of the goals they set themselves for the collaboration. These are the findings of a representative study conducted by ZEW Mannheim. On behalf of the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action, ZEW researchers surveyed more than 1,200 companies from the information economy and manufacturing industry. |
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CURRENT ZEW RESEARCH
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| ↗ PRIVATE MEASURES TO SAFEGUARD AGAINST THE EFFECTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE
After the devastating extreme weather events of the past few years, many people are looking to take structural measures to protect themselves against the effects of climate change, be it flooding or extreme heat. However these plans often fail to go beyond good intentions. How big is the gap between intention and actually taking action? Are there differences between the people who follow through on their plans and those who are only paying lip service? And what is the connection between the implementation of precautionary measures and life satisfaction? A recent study from ZEW Mannheim finds out.
↗ FEWER CRIMES DUE TO RELIGIOUS FASTING
There is a recurring discussion about whether religious practice positively influences people’s actions. In a study on behavioural changes during periods of intensive religious prayer and fasting, ZEW researchers were able to demonstrate such a positive effect. Using the example of the Islamic fasting month of Ramadan, it is shown that the practice of religion measurably improves social behaviour. |
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↗ GAS AND ELECTRICITY RELIEF: WHAT MAKES UNTARGETED POLICIES SO EXPENSIVE
| | The financial relief provided through caps on gas and electricity prices is kicking in. Opponents criticize that the support follows a “shotgun approach” by giving everyone an equal share of the aid. This criticism is not unjustified, as the costs are considerable, write Professor Holger Stichnoth and Professor Achim Wambach from ZEW Mannheim in their guest article. |
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EVENTS
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↗ CHAIR OF THE GERMAN COUNCIL OF ECONOMICS EXPERTS, MONIKA SCHNITZER, AT ZEW
“WE ARE FIGHTING A LOSING BATTLE IF WE ONLY THINK NATIONALLY”
| Businesses are fighting with increased costs of production. Households are faced with rising prices for consumer goods. And these are by no means the only challenges for the economy and society. This year’s annual report of the German Council of Economic Experts identifies the most pressing economic policy issues and names the goals and measures needed to overcome them. Professor Monika Schnitzer, chairwoman of the council, gave an in-depth insight into the report followed by a lively exchange with ZEW President Professor Achim Wambach on 8 December 2022, as part of the ZEW event series “First-Hand Information on Economic Policy” in Mannheim.
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| UPCOMING
↗ 21st ZEW CONFERENCE ON THE ECONOMICS OF INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGIES
| | ZEW Mannheim will hold its 21th Conference on the Economics of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) on 6 and 7 July 2023. The objective of the conference is to discuss recent scientific contributions to the economics of ICT and the economics of ICT industries. Theoretical, empirical and policy-oriented contributions are welcome. |
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→ CONTACT FOR QUESTIONS OR SUGGESTIONS ON THE CONTENT
| | Dr. Frank Herkenhoff | frank.herkenhoff@zew.de |
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