Dr. Steffen Mueller
Professor of Economics | Structural Change, Labor Markets, and Firm Dynamics
Professor of Economics | Structural Change, Labor Markets, and Firm Dynamics
Research on job displacement, corporate insolvencies, wage setting, and the long-run economic transformation of East Germany.
I am Professor of Economics at Magdeburg University and Head of the Department Structural Change and Productivity at the Halle Institute for Economic Research (IWH).
My research lies at the intersection of labor economics and firm dynamics, with a particular focus on job displacement, corporate insolvencies, wage setting, and persistent East–West differences in productivity and wages.
A central objective of my work is to understand how structural and technological change shapes labor market outcomes, firm behavior, and regional disparities in advanced economies. My research combines applied econometric analysis with rich administrative and firm-level data and is closely linked to policy-relevant questions.
My research examines how workers and firms adjust to economic change. Key areas include job displacement and wage losses after firm exits, rent sharing and institutional wage setting, structural change in local labor markets, and the long-run economic transformation of East Germany.
I have published in leading international journals in labor economics and applied microeconomics, including the Economic Journal, Journal of Public Economics, Journal of the European Economic Association, Journal of Labor Economics, and ILR Review.
My policy-related work builds on real-time economic monitoring and empirical research. I lead the IWH Bankruptcy Research Unit, which produces the monthly IWH Bankruptcy Trend, an early indicator of corporate insolvencies in Germany. This work informs public debate and policy analysis on labor market adjustment, structural change, and wage dynamics.
A core pillar of my research analyzes the persistent economic gap between East and West Germany more than three decades after reunification. I study productivity differences, wage setting, firm dynamics, and the role of institutions in shaping long-run regional disparities. This work contributes to broader international debates on economic transformation, regional inequality, and adjustment processes in advanced economies.
Main Affiliation
Halle Institute for Economic Research (IWH), Member of the Leibniz Association