Macrofinance

The research group Macrofinance investigates the interdependencies of macroeconomic core variables, as well as their causes and impact on social trends and phenomena. It focuses in particular on the origins and consequences of financial instability, geo-economic challenges, the development of income and wealth inequality and questions of political economy. In addition to state-of-the-art empirical and theoretical approaches, it uses methods and data from economic history. An important part of the research agenda is related to current issues of financial (in)stability. For example, central bank interventions in times of crisis, or the role of particularly large banks in banking crises are analyzed. Geoeconomic developments and their effects on the macroeconomy and the long-term growth of national economies are another line of research. In addition, the research group analyses current challenges of the German housing market, in particular the connections between rising prices for residential property, rents and the inequality of disposable income and wealth. Particularly noteworthy here is the GREIX real estate price database, which contains detailed data sets on housing markets in various German cities. Related to political economy. questions a current focus is the reciprocal relationship between macroeconomic measures and populist movements.