Regional Economic Disparities in the Aftermath of the COVID-19 Outbreak: The Role of Digitalization and Working-from-Home
Regional Economic Disparities in the Aftermath of the COVID-19 Outbreak: The Role of Digitalization and Working-from-Home
The project analyses how the COVID-19 crisis affects labour market disparities within and between German regions. We aim to quantify the short and medium-term employment effects and the contribution of firm dynamics to these changes. To explore determinants of the regional employment effects, we will study how digitalization, working-from-home arrangements, and exposure to international trade have shaped the regional economic responses. The project will allow us to assess how different factors influenced regional resilience during the COVID-19 pandemic, and thus provide novel insights into the determinants of resilience to crises. Moreover, our analysis of regional disparities in wake of the crisis will inform policy makers willing to reduce intra and interregional economic disparities. The project is conducted by an inter-disciplinary research team in collaboration with Rolf Sternberg, professor of Economic Geography at the University of Hannover.