Organisation profile

In research and teaching, the Institute of Economics deals with economic issues covering a wide range of topics.
The Institute's thematic focuses include applied microeconomics, macroeconomics, empirical economic research, economic policy, economic theory and financial markets. The following pages provide a detailed insight into the research and teaching activities of the institute.

Main research areas

The main research areas of the Institute of Economics are:

  • Microeconometric studies on international firm activity, firm demography and workplace dynamics, and industrial relations
  • Economic analyses of regulation and deregulation
  • Economic analyses of insurance markets
  • Applied microeconomics with empirical focus (e.g. labour, health, education).
  • Macroeconomic research questions in areas such as labour market research, inequality research, monetary policy, fiscal policy, foreign trade theory and growth theory.
  1. Published

    Big Data Analytics and Exports—Evidence for Manufacturing Firms from 27 EU Countries

    Wagner, J., 07.2025, In: Open Economies Review. 36, 3, p. 825-834 10 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  2. Published

    Exports and Firm Survival in Times of COVID-19 - Evidence from Eight European Countries

    Wagner, J., 01.04.2024, In: Review of Economics. 75, 1, p. 63-70 8 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  3. Published

    Organized labor, labor market imperfections, and employer wage premia

    Dobbelaere, S., Hirsch, B., Müller, S. & Neuschäffer, G., 05.2024, In: Industrial and Labor Relations Review. 77, 3, p. 396-427 32 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  4. Published

    A family member's death increases religious activity: Evidence from Germany

    Friehe, T. & Pfeifer, C., 05.2024, In: Kyklos. 77, 2, p. 458-468 11 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  5. Published

    15 years of degrowth research: A systematic review

    Engler, J. O., Kretschmer, M. F., Rathgens, J., Ament, J. A., Huth, T. & von Wehrden, H., 01.04.2024, In: Ecological Economics. 218, 14 p., 108101.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  6. Published

    Unions as insurance: Workplace unionization and workers' outcomes during COVID-19

    Braakmann, N. & Hirsch, B., 04.2024, In: Industrial Relations. 63, 2, p. 152-171 20 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  7. Published

    Unemployment’s Life-Satisfaction Cost and Loneliness

    Friehe, T. & Pfeifer, C., 08.2025, In: Journal of Happiness Studies. 26, 6, 27 p., 102.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  8. Accepted/In press

    Risk tolerance and altruism: evidence on their relationship from Germany

    Friehe, T. & Pfeifer, C., 2025, (Accepted/In press) In: Applied Economics Letters. 5 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  9. Published

    Second job holding in Germany – a persistent feature?

    Lentge, P., 11.2022, Lüneburg: Institut für Volkswirtschaftslehre der Universität Lüneburg, 42 p. (University of Lüneburg Working Paper Series in Economics; vol. 416).

    Research output: Working paperWorking papers

  10. Published

    The transition from School to Post-Secondary Education – What factors affect educational decisions?

    Seidel, K., 03.2021, Lüneburg: Institut für Volkswirtschaftslehre der Universität Lüneburg, 29 p. (Working Paper Series in Economics; vol. 398).

    Research output: Working paperWorking papers