Gender and Religion: A Survey
Sascha O. Becker, Jeanet Sinding Bentzen, and Chun Chee Kok
Why do women tend to be more religious than men? How does religion impact gender-related economic and social outcomes, such as gender norms, education, labor market participation, fertility, health, legal institutions and reforms, as well as discrimination? This paper summarizes findings from several studies attempting to answer these questions. Overall, the studies suggest that religious teachings and participation reinforce gender roles, while secular reforms or religious movements have altered these outcomes. However, the scarcity of empirical studies calls for further research in this field.
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Interviews
Elliott Ash, Soumitra Shukla, and Jason Sockin
The Economics of Climate Innovation: Technology, Climate Policy, and the Clean Energy Transition
Eugenie Dugoua and Jacob Moscona
Division of Labor in the Global Economy
Sascha O. Becker, Hartmut Egger, Michael Koch, and Marc-Andreas Muendler
How Global Are Local Value Chains?
Alessandro Borin, Francesco Paolo Conteduca, Fabrizio Leone, Michele Mancini, and Patrick Zoi
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Pessimism Marks the End of 2025
German business sentiment has worsened again in December, as the ifo Business Climate Index fell to 87.6 points down from 88.0 in November. Companies are more pessimistic about early 2026, with expectations declining in manufacturing, services, and trade, accompanied by fewer new orders and planned production cuts. The restaurant sector was a notable exception. The year ended without optimism.
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Area Conference on Public Economics 2026
CESifo, Munich | 15 – 17 April 2026
Scientific organizers: Claus Thustrup Kreiner (University of Copenhagen).
Keynote speaker: Joel Slemrod (University of Michigan).
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Highlights from Past Events
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CES Munich Lectures in Economics 2025: “Expertise, Artificial Intelligence, and Work of the Future” by David Autor
LMU Munich | 18 November 2025
The rapid development of artificial intelligence (AI) is raising concerns about its potential impact on the job market. The prevailing fear is that AI will replace humans for a variety of tasks and jobs. But is this really the case? In his lecture, Professor David Autor explains why it is important to think of automation as an enhancement of human work rather than a mere replacement, and why our beliefs about the future of AI are really about human choices: How we will use this powerful tool is ultimately up to us.
Video recordings of the lecture are available here.
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Munich Economic Debate: “Short-Lived Boom or Sustainable Growth – Can Germany’s Economy Achieve a Turnaround in 2026?” by Clemens Fuest
Chamber of Industry and Commerce for Munich and Upper Bavaria, Munich | 8 December 2025
In the closing lecture of the Munich Economic Debates 2025, ifo President Clemens Fuest analyzed the state of the German economy. Gross domestic product is stagnating at its 2019 level, while private investment has returned to 2015 levels. Although substantial federal funds from the €500 billion special loan program will provide a short-term boost to the economy, prospects for sustained growth in the coming years will largely depend on the implementation of fundamental economic policy reforms.
Watch the entire lecture here.
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Workshop on Skills, Tasks and Technologies in the AI Era
CESifo, Munich | 19 – 20 November 2025
Held in conjunction with the CES Munich Lectures in Economics, the workshop was a great two days featuring numerous prominent speakers and providing plenty of opportunities to see excellent research in a field that shows no signs of slowing down.
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CESifo-TransforM Workshop on the Economic and Societal Impacts of AI
CESifo, Munich | 5 – 6 December 2025
In a warm, pre-Christmas atmosphere, the two-day workshop, hosted by Oliver Falck, brought together researchers presenting more than 20 papers exploring AI from a wide range of perspectives. Tania Babina (University of Maryland) and Christina Gathmann (LISER) delivered the keynote lectures.
The 2026 edition of the workshop is planned for 3 – 4 December 2026, so be sure you don't miss it!
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Policy Brief 79: The Economic Consequences of Tariffs and Trade Policy Uncertainty
The direct impact of tariffs has been widely discussed. Quantifying the toll of trade uncertainty on the European economy is more challenging. On average, respondents to the 2025 Q2 and Q3 Economic Experts Survey anticipate a cost of uncertainty on economic growth of 0.59 percentage points and a decline in firm investment of 4.7 percent over the next five years. Restoring predictability in global trade is key to the bloc's economic prosperity. Although much will depend on US trade policy, the EU has some trump cards to play. Future EconPol publications will explore their potential.
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Opinion: “What Does the New US National Security Strategy Mean for Europe?” by Clemens Fuest
The US National Security Strategy, published in December 2025, contains passages on freedom of expression and democratic institutions which EU institutions and governments have considered to be interference in their internal affairs. However, as Clemens Fuest points out, the document contains important economic and political statements that deserve discussion. One above all: Europe's economic weight in the global economy has declined dramatically since 1990. To regain ground, Fuest says, we need more EU, not less. In this respect, however, the document suggests exactly the opposite.
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Upcoming Publication & Event
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ifo / EconPol Breakfast Discussion: “Paving the Way for Tech Disruption – How to Rethink EU Industrial Policy”
fancyrosi studio, Munich | 13 February 2026 09:30 – 11:30
How can Europe unlock the potential of its innovation ecosystem? And how can dual-use technology address national security needs while boosting civilian innovation? In a breakfast discussion hosted by EconPol Europe during the 2026 Munich Security Conference, an expert panel will identify priorities and appropriate tools for a forward-looking European industrial policy in the tech domain.
Key topics include:
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- Industrial policy as a global geopolitical lever: drivers, objectives, and shortcomings
- European strategies for digital sovereignty: how Europe compares with global peers
- Digital ecosystems and dual-use innovation: Balancing security and growth
- European industrial policy in the chip sector: comparative advantages and R&D potential
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Panel speakers include Simon Evenett (IMD Business School), Svenja Falk (Accenture), Clemens Fuest (ifo Institute), Daniel Gros (Institute for European Policymaking at Bocconi University), and Fiona Murray (MIT Sloan). Oliver Falck (ifo Institute & LMU) will introduce the discussion. More details about the program can be found on our EconPol’s website.
Please contact EconPol Director Andrea Balestracci if you wish to participate.
The January 2026 issue of EconPol Forum, released on January 29 and presented during the event, will address these challenges and feature contributions from some of the attending speakers.
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Christoph Boehm, University of Texas, is visiting CES 11 Aug 2025 - 31 Jul 2026
Nitya Pandalai-Nayar, University of Texas, is visiting CES 11 Aug 2025 - 31 Jul 2026
Andreas Irmen, University of Luxembourg, is visiting CES 7 Jan - 27 Feb 2026
Christopher Roth, University of Cologne, is visiting CES 10 - 14 Jan 2026
Juan S. Morales, Lazaridis School of Business and Economics, is visiting CESifo 19 – 31 Jan 2026
Felix König, Carnegie Mellon, Pittsburgh, is visiting CES 2 - 27 Feb 2026
Michael Kogler, German Council of Economic Experts, is visiting CESifo 16 – 20 Feb 2026
Oliver Krebs, ETH Zurich, is visiting CESifo 16 – 20 Feb 2026
Victor Klockmann, University of Würzburg, is visiting CESifo 23 – 27 Feb 2026
Alicia von Schenk, University of Würzburg, is visiting CESifo 23 – 27 Feb 2026
Lucas Bretschger, ETH Zurich, is visiting CESifo 23 – 28 Feb 2026
Nikita Melnikov, Nova School of Business and Economics, is visiting CESifo 1 Mar – 6 Mar 2026
Oliver Ruhnau, University of Cologne, is visiting CESifo 2 – 6 Mar 2026
Camille Landais, LSE - London School of Economics, is visiting CES 2 - 6 Mar 2026
Ulrich J. Wagner, University of Mannheim, is visiting CESifo 8 – 14 Mar 2026
Lavinia Kinne, German Institute for Economic Research (DIW Berlin), is visiting CESifo 8 – 14 Mar 2026
Ning Zhang, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, is visiting CESifo 16 – 20 Mar 2026
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The Bulletin Board is where CESifo network members can post news and messages regarding conferences, workshops and journals that are of interest to the research community and to all CESifo Newsletter readers. If you have anything you would like to share, please feel free to contact us at services@cesifo.de.
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82nd Annual Congress of the International Institute of Public Finance: “Public Finance in Turmoil”
Lisbon, Portugal | 24 – 26 August 2026
Scientific organizers: António Afonso, José Borges Alves, and João Pereira dos Santos (ISEG Lisbon). The Scientific Committee is chaired by professors Naomi Feldman (Hebrew University of Jerusalem) and Dirk Foremny (University of Barcelona).
Keynotes and panels include: Kimberley Clausing (UCLA), Thiemo Fetzer (Warwick), Helen Miller (IFS), Clemens Fuest (ifo/LMU), and Joaquim Miranda Sarmento (Portuguese Minister of Finance).
Submit your paper by February 15, 2026.
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Privacy Policy and Data Protection
We place great importance on your privacy and would like to inform you of our privacy policy. We treat your information confidentially in accordance with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).
In order to provide you with more transparent and clear information on how we process your personal information, we have divided our privacy policy into various chapters. In this description you will find information on the basis on which the data is stored and how we use the data. You can also find out more about your rights, such as how to access your information and how to restrict the use of your information. Our privacy policy can be found on our website.
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Provider
CESifo GmbH
Poschingerstr. 5
81679 Munich, Germany
Registered with the Munich District Court (Amtsgericht München) under HRB 125257
Managing Director
Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. Clemens Fuest
VAT ID: DE218182755
Editor
Andrea Balestracci
The reprint of excerpts from this newsletter is permitted only with written permission and provided that the source is acknowledged.
© 2026 CESifo GmbH
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