Ludger Woessmann

Professor of Economics, University of Munich

Director, ifo Center for the Economics of Education

Welcome to my website

In my applied economic research, I try to combine scientific rigor with societal relevance. I think it is important to build bridges from research to the public debate.

I am particularly interested in the determinants of long-term prosperity of mankind. My research focuses especially on the importance of education for economic prosperity and on the effects of school systems on educational achievement and equality of opportunity. 

My website offers two ways to access my research:

Latest News

Now Published in the Journal of Political Economy: Can Mentoring Alleviate Family Disadvantage in Adolescence?

Paper on Religion and Growth Accepted at the Journal of Economic Literature

"Testing" Paper Now Published in the Journal of Human Resources

Keynote Published: Evaluation of the Education System based on Current Achievement Studies

A World Unprepared: Missing Skills for Development

Visiting Melbourne

Finally out in Economic Policy: The Legacy of Covid-19 in Education

"The Pisa Crash Endangers our Prosperity": Commentary on merkur.de

The Education Crisis Is our Biggest Location Risk: Interview on wiwo.de

Is the PISA Shock Jeopardizing our Economic Prosperity? Interview on BR Television

Global Universal Basic Skills: Paper Published in the Journal of Development Economics

The Economic Importance of Education: TV Interview on tagesschau24

What Do Germans Think about Inequality of Opportunity in the Education System?

Vol. 7 of the Handbook of the Economics of Education is out (edited with Hanushek and Machin)

Religion and Growth: New Working Paper

VoxEU Column: Patience and the North-South Divide in Student Achievement in Italy and the US

Article on COVID-19 and Pupils’ Learning out in the Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Education

Can Patience Account for Subnational Differences in Student Achievement? New Working Paper

For the First Time: Regional Results of the ifo Education Survey

Proposals for Democracy Education: Report of the Hertie Commission Democracy and Education

Earnings Information and Public Support for Tuition: Paper Published in the Journal of Public Economics

CESifo Area Conference on the Economics of Education 2023 

ifo Education Survey 2023: What Germans Think about School Quality

Elected Member of Academia Europaea - The Academy of Europe

Catanzaro Keynote on "Patience and Student Achievement"

"A New PISA Shock Must Go through the Country": Guest Article 

Paper on Internet Surveys now out in the European Journal of Political Economy

Interview on Spiegel.de on the Importance of and Remedies against Declining School Achievement

Declining Performance Levels, High Inequality of Opportunity: Our Contribution in Wirtschaftsdienst

Education and Professional Sovereignty: New Report of the Expert Council of Education 

The Opportunity Monitor of ifo and “A Heart for Children”

Teacher Qualifications and Student Achievement: An Economic Impulse

Good Education is not Just a Question of Money: Interview on the German Education Summit at wiwo.de

The Legacy of Covid-19 in Education: Paper Accepted for Publication in Economic Policy

Podcast "The Week that Was in Europe" on Skills, Schools, and Economic Growth 

Handbook of the Economics of Education, Volume 6, is out

Interview on wiwo.de on the German Integration Debate

Interview in Der Spiegel on Learning under Covid Conditions

New WP: Global Universal Basic Skills: Current Deficits and Implications for World Development

Data Release: The ifo Education Survey 2014-2021, Described in JbNSt Article

Paper out in Education Finance and Policy

Interview in Die Welt: We Need a New PISA Shock

New survey: Germans support integration of Ukrainian refugees through education

Paper on Belief Elicitation now out in the Journal of Econometrics

ifo Education Survey 2022: Germans favor lifelong learning to keep pace with structural change

Economic Journal Paper Assigned to Issue

New Working Paper: Making Tuition Contingent on Future Income Raises Public Support

New Working Paper: Religious Education in School Affects Religiosity in Adulthood

"Testing" Paper to Be Published in the Journal of Human Resources

Paper on Covid-19 and Educational Inequality Published in the European Economic Review

Test Performance of German Students over Time: The Sad Smiley

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