Welcome to EWF-Research

EWF (Empirische WirtschaftsForschung = Applied Economic Research) is a teaching and research unit directed by Klaus W. Schüler at the Carl von Ossietzky Universität of Oldenburg / Germany.

The members of EWF persue a distinct style of research based on a  commitment to the methodology of the natural sciences, similar to that of SEMECON Munich (C. Hillinger). The essence of this methodology is a two step procedure. The first step involves a carefull quantitative determination of relevant stylized facts independently of any explanatory model. The second step involves the construction of explanatory, structural dynamic models. After econometric parameter estimation, the models are tested by checking if the model output exhibits the same stylized facts as the data. In addition to substantive results, the research has also produced novel macro-econometric models.

The EWF work on economic growth differs from both the neoclassical and the Keynesian approaches. It is more closely related to earlier schools using vintage-structures as those of e.g. Schumpeter, Barone, the Learning by Doing approach of Arrow, Kaldor a.o. and in Germany the approaches of H.-J. Rüstow at IFO, Munich.