ZEW President Achim Wambach to Debate with Leading Economists at the Leibniz Economic Summit “Digitalisation and the Labour Market”

On 17 January 2018, Professor Achim Wambach, president of the Centre for European Economic Research (ZEW), will be attending the annual Leibniz Economic Summit in Berlin, where he will debate the effects of digitalisation on the economy and the labour market with the heads of other German economic research institutions also belonging to the Leibniz Association.

Digital transformation is bringing far-reaching changes to our economy and society. Digital literacy is fast becoming an essential requirement for participating in both the labour market and social life. New digital platforms are connecting private individuals, consumers and companies all over the world, resulting in the creation of new, innovative business models. But how disruptive are these new business models and what kind of education or training is needed to prepare workers for this new digital society to ensure that nobody is left behind? Moreover, what infrastructure do we need to support these changes? These questions will be the focus of the discussion at this year’s Leibniz Economic Summit.

The discussion between the presidents of the six economic research institutions in the Leibniz Association will be preceded by introductory comments from the president of the Leibniz Association, Matthias Kleiner, as well as an opening statement from Sabina Jeschke, member of the Management Board for Digitalization and Technology at Deutsche Bahn. ZEW President Achim Wambach will be joined on the podium by

• Professor Marcel Fratzscher (DIW Berlin – the German Institute for Economic Research)
• Professor Clemens Fuest (ifo Institute – Leibniz Institute for Economic Research at the University of Munich)
• Professor Dennis J. Snower (Kiel Institute for the World Economy)
• Professor Reint Gropp (Halle Institute for Economic Research)
• Professor Christoph M. Schmidt (RWI – Leibniz Institute for Economic Research, Essen)

The discussion will be held at the Leibniz Association in Berlin and be moderated by the economics journalist Dr. Ursula Weidenfeld.