In recent years, access to German research data on labour markets and social insurances has improved substantially. Never-theless, reforms are urgently needed to catch up with other countries. Among the most important measures, the German governmentshould legalise the merging of information from...

Regional disparities are pronounced and persistent. Regional data of high quality are needed to improve the understanding of the origins and consequences of regional disparities and the effectiveness of regional policies through empirical analysis. Against the background of existing problems...