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Research Group

Trade Policy

The Research Group Trade Policy at the Kiel Institute works on economic policy and, in particular, trade policy issues of strategic and current relevance such as geoeconomic challenges (sanctions, trade wars, etc.) or international trade agreements and disruptions (e.g. Mercosur, Brexit). It draws on and further develops various quantitative (trade) models for scenario calculations when dealing with diverse topics. Furthermore, new data sources are developed, evaluated and published in studies and projects. The goal of the Trade Policy Research Group is to combine topical policy-relevant issues with rigorous academic work - and to communicate the results through media contributions and presentations.

Head

  • Prof. Dr. Julian Hinz
    Research Director

Contact

  • Project

    Cluster for Economic Research on Africa

    The Cluster for Economic Research on Africa focuses on enterprises and entrepreneurial potential in African markets, trade and investment policy, and…

  • Statement

    28.07.2025

    EU-US tariff deal jeopardizes rules-based global trade

    Prof. Dr. Julian Hinz, expert on international trade at the Kiel Institute, comments on the recently agreed trade deal between the EU and the US,…

  • News

    25.07.2025

    EU Treffen mit von der Leyen

    EU should lead a strategic coalition to counter US trade threats

    The United States has once again threatened sweeping new tariffs on imports from the European Union, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, and South Korea. A new…

  • News

    30.04.2025

    US President Donald Trump

    US-China trade war: serious consequences, mostly for the USA

    The current trade war between the US and China is likely to weigh heavily on the US economy in particular. Inflation is likely to rise by over 5…

  • 18 – 19 Dec

    2025

    Workshop

    Aarhus — Kiel Workshop 2025

  • 24 – 25 Feb

    2025

    Workshop

    Workshop on Economic Security and the Future of the Global Trading System

    Kiel Institut für Weltwirtschaft

  • 12 – 13 Dec

    2024

    Workshop

    Aarhus — Kiel Workshop 2024

Kiel Trade and Tariffs Monitor

The Kiel Trade and Tariffs Monitor offers in-depth analyses, simulations, and commentaries on the economic impacts of tariffs and trade conflicts. Utilizing the KITE model, the we evaluate scenarios such as the effects of U.S. tariffs on European goods, potential EU countermeasures, and the broader consequences of escalating trade tensions on global economies.

Kiel Trade and Tariffs Monitor

KTI - Kiel Trade Indicator

The Kiel Trade Indicator, a novel leading indicator for international trade based on real-time data. It estimates the expected imports and exports for 75 countries, the EU as well as the worldwide trade in goods in total. The calculation is based on movement data from container ships in several hundred ports and sea regions, which an algorithm programmed at the Kiel Institute evaluates using artificial intelligence.

Kiel Trade Indicator

KITE Model

The KITE model (Kiel Institute Trade Policy Evaluation) provides a tool for simulating and estimating various types of (trade) policy changes. The underlying model uses a computable general equilibrium (CGE) framework of the type that is commonly described as "New Quantitative Trade Model". The model is constantly updated to improve efficiency and/or extend the underlying framework. 

KITE Model

Team

  • Carsten Brockhaus
    Kiel Institute Researcher
  • Prof. Dr. Julian Hinz
    Research Director
  • Levke Jessen-Thiesen
    Kiel Institute Researcher
  • Prof. Dr. Rolf J. Langhammer
    Kiel Institute Researcher
  • Aaron Lohmann
    Kiel Institute Researcher
  • Dr. Hendrik Mahlkow
    Kiel Institute Researcher
  • Prof. Dr. Alexander Sandkamp
    Kiel Institute Researcher
  • Frauke Steglich
    Kiel Institute Researcher
  • Vasundhara Thakur
    Kiel Institute Researcher
  • Prof. Dr. Joschka Wanner
    Kiel Institute Researcher

Fellows

  • Dr. Sonali Chowdhry
    Kiel Institute Fellow
  • Prof. Dr. Inga Heiland
    Kiel Institute Fellow
  • Dr. Katrin Kamin
    Kiel Institute Fellow
  • Dr. Vincent Stamer
    Kiel Institute Fellow
  • Eileen Bian
    Kiel Institute Junior Fellow
  • Anna Jacobs
    Kiel Institute Junior Fellow
  • Abbas Musa
    Kiel Institute Junior Fellow