Heike Link

Heike Link serves as a Researcher and heads the Transport Economics research department at the German Institute for Economic Research (DIW Berlin), operating within the Department of Energy, Transport and Environment. With continuous affiliation since 1992, she holds a doctorate in Mathematical Methods in Economics focused on dynamic input-output models.

Her academic expertise centers on Transport Economics, Infrastructure Economics, and advanced Econometrics, with specialized investigations into transport infrastructure cost structures, pricing mechanisms, economic impacts of investments, and regulatory frameworks in rail transport. She employs rigorous empirical analysis to evaluate policy interventions, particularly examining public reactions to pricing measures and competition dynamics in transportation markets.

Recent publications demonstrate a concentrated research trajectory on German public transport policy innovations, including detailed analyses of the Deutschlandticket and 9-Euro-Ticket programs. Her work combines tracking data with survey methodologies to quantify behavioral shifts, mode choice inertia, and price elasticity effects, while parallel research examines spatial competition in fuel markets and the macroeconomic significance of rail infrastructure investments through input-output modeling.

Dr. Link has directed extensive research initiatives for German federal ministries, European governmental bodies, the European Commission, the OECD, and industry associations. These projects translate empirical findings into policy recommendations, with outputs including discussion papers, journal articles, and authoritative monographs such as the annual Verkehr in Zahlen (Transport in Numbers) series. The Transport Economics department she leads functions as DIW Berlin's specialized unit for evidence-based transportation policy analysis, emphasizing data-driven approaches to infrastructure planning and regulatory design.