The Hugo Sinzheimer Institute for Labour and Social Security Law (HSI) is an independent academic institute within the Hans Böckler Foundation. Its fields of work cover the entire field of labour law, with a special focus on collective and international labour law, as well as related social security law. It does not only want to pursue fundamental questions and conduct research, but also to deal with topics of current and practical importance for employees, trade unions and works councils in general.

The I.M.U. is an independent academic institute within the Hans Böckler Foundation. Its mission is to help employees having a say in good corporate governance. It is the foundation's vehicle for perpetuating the codetermination success story into the future, bringing to fruition a key policy aim of the DGB and its member trade unions.

The Macroeconomic Policy Institute (IMK) is an independent academic institute within the Hans Böckler Foundation. Its aim is to strengthen the macroeconomic perspective both in economic research and in the economic policy debate. It analyses business cycle developments and conducts economic policy research, notably on fiscal and monetary policy, labour markets, income distribution and financial markets.

The Institute of Economic and Social Research (WSI) is an independent academic institute within the Hans Böckler Foundation. It focuses on the improvement of life chances, on social justice and fair working and living conditions. Economists, sociologists and political scientists work on social, economic and labour market policy issues. On the basis of their analyses, researchers elaborate policy proposals aimed at overcoming labour market restrictions and social problems to the benefit of employees.