Vienna Institute for International Economic Studies

Vienna Institute for International Economic Studies ; (wiiw)
purpose	Economic research
Chair:	Hannes Swoboda (President), Mario Holzner (Managing Director), Robert Stehrer (Scientific Director)
Establishment date:	12/28/1972
Seat :	Rahlgasse 3, Vienna 6 , Austria
Website:	www.wiiw.ac.at

The Vienna Institute for International Economic Studies (wiiw) is an Austrian economic research institute organized as an association with a special focus on Eastern Europe.

Goals and tasks

According to the association's statutes, the wiiw conducts theoretical and empirical economic research and makes the results available to its members, public institutions and the public. The focus of the activity lies in the analysis of the economies of Central, Eastern and Southeastern European countries, the economic relations of Austria to these countries, the European integration process , the development of the European neighborhood regions , European economic and economic policy issues as well as selected global economic developments.

Through his work

wiiw provides public institutions in Austria and Europe with well-founded and independent economic theory and economic policy expertise and thus contributes to an evidence-based economic policy ;
the wiiw company provides easily accessible information at home and abroad and to the general public in general, thus making it easier for wiiw to make an objective and up-to-date assessment of economic activity;
makes a contribution to the further development of economic research.

Organization and structure

The wiiw is an independent, non-university research institute and is supported by subsidies and its own income. a. financed through membership fees and contract research (e.g. EU Commission , World Bank or UNIDO ). The main subsidy providers include the Federal Ministry of Finance , the Oesterreichische Nationalbank , the City of Vienna and the Vienna Chamber of Labor .

There are currently 44 employees (including 25 in research). Annual budget: 3.8 million euros

Quotation from the scientific director Robert Stehrer: "I reject an ideological orientation. There is no institute opinion". An example of this is a study which comes to the conclusion that free trade agreements like CETA and TTIP have negative consequences, contrary to the widespread opinion of economists , the Freedom Accords promote prosperity and growth.

History of the institute

The Vienna- based institute was founded in 1973 and in the first few years under the leadership of Kazimierz Łaski and Friedrich Levcik, it was primarily oriented towards the analysis of developments in the COMECON states and was staffed accordingly.

At the turn of 1989 there was an expansion here. The research focus of the wiiw then lay in the analysis and prognosis of economic tendencies in the reforming countries of Central, Eastern and Southeastern Europe as well as in China .

Over the years, the institute has expanded both its range of topics and regional coverage in the direction of European integration, neighboring countries of the EU and selected topics of the world economy.

In 2017, the institute was ranked fourth on the Global Go To Think Tank Index in the 'Top International Economics Think Tanks' category.

Research at the wiiw

The main research focus is traditionally on the analysis and prognosis of economic development in the reforming countries of Central, Eastern and Southeastern Europe. The institute also deals with Turkey , Russia , the Caucasus and the MENA region .

The institute has three regionally defined research areas:

Economic developments in the enlarged European Union , especially the integration processes of the new EU members
Development dynamics in the "wider Europe" and the EU neighborhood - with a focus on the next enlargement processes as well as on economic relations with Europe's periphery and the neighborhoods of the EU ( CIS , Caucasus, MENA region)
Global economic developments and international economic relations

as well as four thematic areas: