Science Center Berlin for Social Research

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Science Center Berlin
for Social Research
(WZB)
logo
legal form profit company
founding 1969
Seat Berlin , Germany
main emphasis Developments, problems and innovation opportunities in modern societies
method Problem-oriented basic research
Action space International comparison
people Jutta Allmendinger (President since 2007)
sales 23.3 million euros (2017)
Employees 383 (2017)
Website www.wzb.eu

The Science Center Berlin for Social Research ( WZB ; English WZB Berlin Social Science Center ) in Berlin is a non-university research institution in the field of social sciences . The institute, founded in 1969, is a member of the Leibniz Association .

Science Center Berlin for Social Research
Memorial plaque for the INNO tree on the grounds of the science center

organization

The WZB was founded in 1969 on the initiative of members of the Bundestag of the SPD and the Union and was named International Institute of Management - Wissenschaftszentrum Berlin during the first few years . Around 140 German and foreign sociologists, political scientists, economists, historians, statisticians, computer scientists and lawyers work together in the WZB. Problem-oriented basic research on selected social and political topics is carried out at the WZB . The focus of interest is on western societies, Central and Eastern Europe and China. Questions of globalization are of particular importance.

The WZB is divided into seven main research areas:

  1. Dynamics of Social Inequalities
  2. Market and decision
  3. Society and economic dynamism
  4. International politics and law
  5. Change of Political Systems
  6. Migration and Diversity
  7. Political Economy of Development

The legal form of the WZB is a non-profit company with limited liability , 75% of the sponsorship is shared by the Federal Republic of Germany and 25% by the State of Berlin .

As a non-university institution, the WZB cooperates closely with the Berlin universities. Many scientists are also university professors there or have lectureships. There are also diverse collaborations with research institutions abroad.

The WZB is responsible for coordinating the Weizenbaum Institute, founded in 2017, for the networked society .

Sociologist Jutta Allmendinger has been President of the WZB since April 1, 2007 .

On February 17, 2009, the WZB celebrated its 40th anniversary in Berlin's Red City Hall . After the founding 40 years ago was controversial, the WZB has now established itself as a recognized social research institution.

The WZB publishes the WZB-Mitteilungen magazine every quarter .

Well-known scientists and visiting scholars

  • Lars-Hendrik Röller - economist, head of the Competitiveness and Industrial Change department from 1994 to 2007
  • Howard Aldrich - Sociologist: Visiting Scholar Summer 1975 and 1980
  • Ralf Dahrendorf - sociologist, politician and publicist: 2005 to 2009
  • Karl W. Deutsch - Director at the WZB from 1977 to 1987
  • Meinolf Dierkes - Sociologist: President from 1980 to 1987
  • Gøsta Esping-Andersen - Sociologist, Political Scientist: Research Director 1985 to 1986
  • William H. Starbuck - physicist, mathematician and organizational researcher: 1971 to 1974

building

The building complex is a design by the British architect James Stirling from 1979–1988 in the style of postmodern architecture. It lies on the Reichpietschufer the Landwehr Canal in the district Tiergarten of the district center . The only building in this area that survived the Second World War was integrated into the Uferstraße : the Reich Insurance Office, built in 1894 in the neo-renaissance style .

A.SK Social Science Award

The WZB presents the A.SK Social Science Award, endowed with 100,000 euros, every two years. On the website of the WZB it says: “The award recognizes scientists who make a contribution to social and political reforms in their work. The British economist Anthony Atkinson was the first recipient of the A.SK Social Science Award in 2007 for his research on social inequality. In 2009 the American philosopher Martha C. Nussbaum received the A.SK Social Science Award for her research on the conditions of human coexistence and social justice. In 2011, Transparency International was awarded to an institution for the first time. In 2013 the award was given to Paul Collier ( Oxford University ) for his research on 'The Bottom Billion' of the world's population. In 2015, the French-American development economist Esther Duflo ( Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab in Cambridge ) received the award for her experimental research methods in the field of poverty reduction. In 2017 the Austrian-American political scientist John G. Ruggie received the award. In addition, a fellowship for postdocs is financed from the proceeds of the foundation's capital. It gives younger social scientists the opportunity to work for a year - and in exceptional cases longer - on a project that contributes to the development of social and political reforms. The award winners and scholarship holders are selected by an international commission. "

Former presidents of the WZB

See also

literature

  • Gerhard Jahn: It was about Berlin. Review of the creation of the WZB. In: Burckhard Wiebe (Red.): Type and place of research. 25 years of WZB. Edited by the Science Center for Social Research. WZB, Berlin 1994, DNB 941324869 (other title: 25 years WZB. Type and place of research. OCLC 680520304 ), pp. 11-22.

Web links

Commons : Social Science Research Center Berlin  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ WZB - Berlin Science Center for Social Research: Report 2017. Ed. By Jutta Allmendinger. Berlin [2018], ISSN  0935-574X , p. 149 ( PDF; 2.9 MB [PDF-p. 151; accessed on February 1, 2019]).
  2. ↑ Ariane Berthoin Antal, Jürgen Kocka : History of the WZB. Always one step ahead. In: Der Tagesspiegel . March 8, 2009, accessed February 1, 2019.
  3. ↑ The WZB. In: wzb.eu, accessed on December 23, 2018.
  4. ↑ German Internet Institute: Berlin-Brandenburg consortium awarded the contract. Federal Ministry of Education and Research decides in a nationwide competition for Berlin as a location. Press release. In: wzb.eu, May 23, 2017, accessed on December 23, 2018.
  5. ↑ Torsten Harmsen : Once feuded, today internationally recognized: The Berlin Science Center is forty years old. In the beginning stink bombs flew. In: Berliner Zeitung . February 14, 2009, accessed June 3, 2018.
  6. ^ WZB publications: Mitteilungen ( Memento from October 12, 2010 in the Internet Archive ). In: wzb.eu, accessed on July 5, 2018.
  7. ↑ Prof. Lars-Hendrik Röller, Ph.D. | WZB. Retrieved July 9, 2017 .
  8. ^ Howard E. Aldrich - Curriculum Vitae ( Memento August 8, 2014 in the Internet Archive ). In: sociology.unc.edu, The Department of Sociology at UNC Chapel Hill , accessed July 5, 2018.
  9. ^ Gøsta Esping-Andersen - Curriculum Vitae ( Memento from May 14, 2014 in the Internet Archive ). In: dcpis.upf.edu, Pompeu Fabra University , accessed on July 5, 2018 (English).
  10. ^ William H. Starbuck: Autobiography. In: stern.nyu.edu, accessed on June 3, 2018 (English).
  11. ^ A.SK Social Science Award. In: wzb.eu. WZB, accessed July 9, 2016 .

Coordinates: 52 ° 30 '23 "  N , 13 ° 21' 57"  E