The ongoing transformations in the labor market are fundamentally reshaping the German economy. Universities play a central role in this process by creating the foundation for a sustainable economy through tailored educational programs and innovative research, while also enabling participation of previously underrepresented social groups in these transformations by shaping institutional frameworks.

The junior research group “CAM4transfo” examines, from an economics of education perspective, how study content, university access, and mobility influence study choices and career entry. In three work packages, the group investigates issues related to the comprehensibility of program descriptions, access to higher education for students from non-academic family backgrounds, and the determinants of student mobility.

The aim is to gain a deep understanding of the interplay between young adults’ decision-making processes and the institutional framework of the higher education system. Drawing on register data, textual data, survey data, and intervention studies, the junior research group develops evidence-based approaches to reducing social and regional inequalities in Germany.