The NewHoRRIzon project published its first policy brief, coordinated and written by Robert Braun of IHS and co-authored by Michael Bernstein of Genok with contributions from the NewHoRRIzon team. The policy brief aims at offering evidence based policy recommendations, informed by the first inputs of NewHoRRIzon research efforts across 19 social labs. The early research highlight steps that the EU has already initiated to advance RRI in H2020 programming. However, findings also point to numerous challenges for widespread and sustained implementation across H2020 programming and projects. First results indicate a range of policies that could be pursued to build capacity of the European R&I enterprise to realize RRI. The recommendations include a focus on capacity building and training of programme officers, evaluators, researchers, innovators, and stakeholders to learn more about ways that science and technology are embedded in society.

Read the full policy brief (in English)

IHS Director Martin Kocher contributed to a policy report by the European Network for Economic and Fiscal Policy Research (EconPol) about the potential role for a European minister of economy and finance in a European fiscal union (EMEF). The report lays out the main challenges along the current institutional settings and analyses proposed institutional changes, especially regarding the introduction of the European Monetary Fund (EMF). The EMEF, the report concludes, should take on several responsibilities in the ongoing reform process of the European Fiscal Union. 

Read the full report (in English)

Thomas Czypionka will give a keynote speech at a discussion about innovation in medicine at the Karl-Franzens-University in Graz on June 6^th. The health system is characterized by a special dynamic, fueld by rapid technological developments and the changing needs of patients. In his keynote speech Thomas Czypionka will talk about medical innovations from an economic viewpoint. 

Detailed program (German)

FocusEconomics has analysed economic forecasters for more than 80 countries worldwide, awarding the top forecasters for main macroeconomic indicators of each country. We´re happy and proud that the IHS team with Helmut Hofer came in first place. 

Best Economic Forecaster Awards (English)
Article in Kurier (German)

Rudolf Winter-Ebmer wrote (with Sylvia Frühwirth-Schnatter, Andrea Weber and Stefan Pittner) an article “Analysing plant closure effects using time-varying mixture-of-experts Markov chain clustering” in the top Statistics journal “Annals of Applied Statistics”.
Article in the IHS Repository (pdf)

The past months Facebook has been heavily criticized for multiple data violation issues regarding the unlimited and unsupervised collection of data. Maximilian Kasy writes about the consequences of Facebooks business model and the questionable use of data by big IT-companies in a comment on derstandard.at. 

How fair is the Zuckerberg-machine? (in German)

IHS-economist Benjamin Bittschi talks in the Ö1-Mittagsjournal about the open issues of the Italian government program. Even as Italy’s exit out of the Eurozone is off the table for now, it seems that the already highly indebted country will continue to make debts.

Listen to the program on the Ö1-Website (German only)

The Institute for Advanced Studies (IHS) and Kommunalkredit Public Consulting conducted a study regarding the economic effects of investments in the areas of electric mobility, energy and water/sewage on behalf of the Austrian government. The aim was to determine the requirement for infrastructure in the mentioned areas by the year 2030 and estimate the economic effects on the value added, the rate of employment and the levying of taxes that would result from a correspondent creation of that infrastructure. The study was carried out by the IHS research group Companies, Industry, Regions.

Link to the study in the IHS repository (German)

IHS-economist Klaus Weyerstrass is being cited on the signs of an economic productivity-turnaround in an article by the Austrian newspaper “Der Standard”. The reason for the turnaround, he argues, is the economic recovery since the end of 2016 and the increased investments in production processes.

The long lull is over: We are getting innovative again (German)

On July 1^st 2018, Austria will take over the presidency of the European Council. The Institute for Advanced Studies (IHS) is the Austrian TEPSA member and will therefore organize the next TEPSA Pre-Presidency Conference. The Conference will take place on 7^th and 8^th of June 2018 at the IHS. TEPSA is a research network that focuses on the field of European affairs. It consists of 39 members - leading research institutes and universities throughout Europe. The Pre-Presidency Conference is TEPSA’s flagship activity, taking place twice a year in the capital of the country holding the Presidency of the Council of the EU prior to the beginning of its mandate. The main aim of the Conference is to bring together academics and researchers from the broad TEPSA network as well as policy-makers, media and civil society in order to discuss the agenda and challenges of the upcoming Council Presidencies. The TEPSA Pre-Presidency conference constitutes a major platform for communication and exchange between policy-makers and academia.

Link:

Trans European Policy Studies Association

The Research Group Health Economics and Health Policy collaborated with the research group Companies, Industries, Regions on a study for the Austrian Chamber of Commerce on “Health Economics Austria – A Health Satellite Account for Austria”.
Links:
Study in the IHS Repository (in German)

On April 29, 2018 Thomas Czypionka was discussant in the show "Im Zentrum". Claudia Reiterer debated with experts on the government bill on the reform of the health insurance funds. Thomas Czypionka, "There is too much discussion about structure, and the reform must first be thought of as a task and realized as a process."
Link:
"Im Zentrum" of April 29, 2018 on ORF TVThek (in German)

Beate Littig will give a talk on “Sustainable Work? A Socio-ecological and Feminist Perspective” on May 16, 2018 at a research group meeting organized by the Department Socioeconomics, WU Vienna, in cooperation with the AG Sozial-ökologische Arbeits- und Zeitforschung der Vereinigung für ökologische Wirtschaftsforschung (VÖW), Berlin.
Links:
Program (pdf in German)

The research group Health Economics and Health Policy recently published the first annual issue of Health System Watch: Issue I 2018, “Applying Behavioral Economics to the Health Sector”, authored by Thomas Czypionka and Sophie Fößleitner, is available for download at the IHS Repository (in German).

The research report “Quality control in Doctor’s Offices” by Thomas Czypionka, Sophie Fößleitner and Eva Six, commissioned by the Main Association of Austrian Social Security Institutions, is also available for download at the IHS Repository (in German).
Links:
Health System Watch I/2018 (pdf in German)
Research Report “Quality control in Doctor’s Offices"  (pdf in German)

On April 22, 2018 Martin Kocher was invited to the ORF Pressestunde. The following topics (among others) were discussed: the federal budget, development of the business location Austria, reforms in the health sector, labor market, pensions.
Links:
Pressestunde on ORF TVThek (April 22, 2018) (in German)

German Economy Booming – But Air is Getting Thinner

The German economy continues to boom, but the air is getting thinner. The upturn in the world economy will continue to stimulate exports; and the domestic economy is also expected to remain buoyant thanks to the exceptionally favorable situation in the labor market. The fiscal measures outlined by Germany’s new government can be expected to stimulate demand. Annual average economic output can be expected to rise by 2.2 percent this year and by 2.0 percent in 2019. Employment will continue to see clear growth, but will be weakened by labor market shortages. The inflation rate will also rise gradually from 1.7 percent this year to 1.9 percent in 2019.
Links:
Press information of April 19, 2018 (pdf)

Egbert Dierker wrote an article published in the Economic Theory Bulletin: "Initial shares can cause Pareto improvements when markets are incomplete".
Links:
Publication in the IHS Repository

On April 26, 2018 Beate Littig will give a lecture entitled "Gerechtigkeit, Ökologie und Gleichberechtigung - oder: Gute Arbeit für alle" in Berlin as part of the series "Transformation unserer Welt - Frieden und nachhaltige Entwicklung im 21. Jahrhundert".
Links:
Organizer's website (in German)

On 9 April, the newly constituted Scientific Advisory Board met for the first time. Points of discussion concerned the recent development of the institute and its agenda until 2020. In the picture: members of the Board with the heads of Research Groups after having enjoyed lunch together.

Link:
Scientific Advisory Board

A new study by Stefan Vogtenhuber finds that social origin effects on education are lower in coordinated economies, and labor market outcomes are more based on merit, than in less regulated liberal systems.
Link:
Free download on Stefan's personal page
Publication in the IHS Repository

On March 6 and 7, 2018 the findings of a large-scale, EU funded, international research project with IHS participation were presented in Brussels to experts and the public. The project developed and tested indicators for European monitoring of Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI) in research performing and research funding organizations. The empirical program included large-scale survey based data collection among European research performing and research funding organizations and researchers as well as an extensive set of case-studies addressing the benefits of RRI for society, economy, science and democracy.
Link:
MoRRI website (reports and presentations)

A decline in revenues due to a mandatory ban on smoking in restaurants seems rather unlikely, states a recent research conducted by the IHS for the NÖ GKK.
Link:
Press release (pdf in German)

Thomas Czypionka was interviewed by ORF TV on the economic effects of the repeal of the general ban on smoking in restaurants.
Links:
ORF Konkret of March 13, 2018 (in German)

Anna Durnová will give an invited talk on "Understanding emotions in post-factual politics" at Charles University Prague on March 15, 2018. She will present the results of her project "Negotiating Truth: Semmelweis, Discourse on Hand Hygiene and the Politics of Emotions" that is funded by the Hertha Firnberg Programme.
Links:
Invitation (in Czech)
Project website

The project's second PLATO PhD school will be staged at the IHS from 12 to 16 March 2018. Three days will be dedicated to research design, and two days to academic writing.
Link:
Project website

At the annual presentation of last year’s results of the Research Promotion Agency Austria (FFG), Martin Kocher emphasized relevance of research and development for Austria’s continued prosperity.
Link:
Press release (in German)

In ZIB 24 of March 7, 2018 Martin Kocher explains EU responses to US President Trump's tariffs and who would be hit hardest.
Link:
ZIB 24 of March 7, 2018 (in German)

Michael Jonas wrote the book contribution ‘Moralisierung der Marktsphäre? – Verantwortungszuschreibung in der Inszenierung von Fairtrade‘ in ‘Reflexive Responsibilisierung – Verantwortung für nachhaltige Entwicklung‘ (edited by Anna Henkel et al., transcript).
Links:
Publication in the IHS Repository (in German)
Publication on publisher‘s website (in German)

Beate Littig gave a talk on ‘Lebensführung revisited. Zur Aktualisierung eines Konzepts im Kontext der sozial-ökologischen Transformationsforschung‘ at the conference ‘Transformationen alltäglicher Lebensführung – Konzeptionelle und zeitdiagnostische Fragen‘ on March 1-2, 2018 at Deutsches Jugendinstitut in Munich.
Links:
Conference Program (pdf in German)
Slides (pdf in German)

"In the tourism sector the funding will be increased, on the other hand the government wants to cut funding - this is a contradiction" says Benjamin Bittschi in an interview about budgetary plans of the government.
Link:
Ö1 Morgenjournal (Feb 27, 2018) (in German)

Organized by Martin Wagner and Robert Kunst the 1^st Vienna Workshop on Economic Forecasting took place on February 15-16, 2018. The workshop featured four keynote speakers, Gianni Amisano (Federal Reserve Board), Tommaso Proietti (University of Rome Tor Vergata), Lucrezia Reichlin (London Business School) and David Turner (OECD), and attracted more than 90 researchers for a lively exchange of ideas on economic forecasting.

Workshop Summary

Beate Littig is a co-organizer of the session 'Transformative indicators and the transformation of work' which takes place at the Future Earth Summit on February 8-9, 2018 in Berlin.

Links:

3rd German Future Earth Summit

IHS researcher Beate Littig contributed to the article "Sustainable Labor - Promoting the Social-Ecological Transformation of the Labor Economy" that has been published in the journal GAIA. The article discusses the development of a concept of socio-ecological transformation towards a sustainable labor economy. It furthermore tackles the issue that labor still has an underrated role in the discourse about sustainability. The article therefore reevaluates the work of Karl Polanyi to get to a broader concept of labor that can be integrated in the discussion about sustainability.

Curator Melissa Lumbroso invites artists at irregular intervals to create and present artworks in and for the spaces at Palais Strozzi. The second event of the series Kunst@IHS took place on June 4, 2018, presenting artworks by Payer Gabriel at IHS.
From left to right: Martin Gabriel, Micha Payer, Melissa Lumbroso, Martin Kocher.

IHS competence center Insight Austria has published a study that evaluates measurements against tobacco consumption among youth from a behavioral economic point of view. The findings support the call for a collective approach on a state level. Counseling and information can be an additional offer complementary to preventive measures. 

Rauchen bei Jugendlichen (in German)

The IHS TSST research group is running a series of one day consensus conferences in four European cities - Aarhus, Athens, Vienna and Vilnus - in the framework of the ENERI project on research ethics and integrity funded by the EU. The theme of the consensus conferences is "Expertise in ethics" to inform the European digital database of research ethics and integrity experts. The first of the consensus conferences is taking place in Vienna on 5 June, 2018. The methodology was developed by and the meetings are facilitated by Robert Braun and Elisabeth Frankus.

The Austrian Government presented their reform of the Health Insurance Funds that is about to be implemented by fall this year. According to plan the 21 different fund will be merged into four big funds. IHS-Health Economist Thomas Czypionka analyses the keystones of the reform on several media channels. 

ZIB 2 (in German)

Ö1-Morgenjournal (in German)

Der Standard (in German)

ATV Aktuell (in German)

Servus TV (in German)

The European Commission published insights from the MoRRI project that was monitoring the evolution and benefits of responsible research and innovation in Europe over the past three and a half years. IHS-researchers Erich Griessler and Milena Wuketich took part in carrying out the study that anaylsed 25 indicators for eleven RRI-relevant dimensions. 

Download: Insights from the MoRRI project (English)

Beate Littig wrote an article “Good Work? Sustainable work and sustainable development: a critical gender perspective from the Global North” published in the “Special Issue of Globalizations: Labour in the Web of Life”.
Article in the IHS Repository

Michael Jonas and Simeon Hassemer wrote the book contribution „Möglichkeiten und Grenzen einer Verbraucherforschung in Österreich“ in „Multiperspektivische Verbraucherforschung – Ansätze und Perspektiven“. The book discusses dimensions, subjects and approaches of consumer research from different perspectives.

Buchlink: Multiperspektivische Verbraucherforschung (German)

The IHS research group for Techno-Science and Societal Transformation (TSST) participated in Roskilde, Denmark in the kick-off of their project “RiConfigure”. The project deals with Quadruple Helix innovation, RRI and governance challenges. IHS TSST is leading one of the social labs, the main methodological platform of the research, that looks at public service initiated quadruple helix innovation processes together with ÖBB and BMWF. The group is also leading the policy platform design and management work in the project as well as being a lead partner in the methodology development utilizing their experience in social labs via the NewHoRRIzon project. The project team is led by Elisabeth Frankus and Robert Braun.

Project “RiConfigure”

Project NewHoRRIzon

The “Young Research” series (DiePresse) features an article by Alice Grancy about  Anna Durnová and her research focus.
Links:
Press article
Anna Durnová

Chronic respiratory diseases are a burden not only for the patient suffering from them, but for society as a whole through the cost they create. The research group Health Economics and Health Policy conducted a study commissioned by GlaxoSmithKline to assess the economic costs of chronic respiratory diseases in Austria.
Links:
Study in the IHS Repository
Press release (in German)

Magdalena Wicher will be co-organizing two sessions on RRI at the “17th Annual STS Conference Graz 2018 - Critical Issues in Science, Technology and Society Studies” that will take place from the 7th to 8th of May 2018. In the first session on Understanding, monitoring, evaluating and assessing the impacts of RRI she will also present her work from the JERRI project about “Evaluating and monitoring RRI in research technology organizations - experiences and challenges from the EU project JERRI”. The second session on Innovative support structures for the implementation of RRI in practice will be organized in collaboration with other representatives of the RRI platform Austria. Both sessions will be held in an interactive, workshop-oriented way.
Links:
Conference website
Program
RRI Plattform Österreich

Juliane Nagiller's contribution of the series "Dimensionen" of April 30, 2018 entitled "Studying is good, a job even better" deals with academics on the job market. Gerlinde Titelbach comments on changes in labor market requirements in the context of digitization on the labor market.
Links:
Dimensionen of April 30, 2018 (article in German)
Dimensionen of April 30, 2018 (audio in German)

New Working Paper in the Economics Series by Martin Kocher et al.: More Opportunity, More Cooperation? The Behavioral Effects of Birthright Citizenship on Immigrant Youth.
Links:
Working Paper in the IHS Repository
IHS Economics Series

The paper "On the Political Feasibility of Increasing the Legal Retirement Age" by Benjamin Bittschi and Berthold Wigger (KIT Karlsruhe) was presented at the CESifo Area Conference on Employment and Social Protectionat the ifo Institute, Munich on April 20.
Link:
CESifo Area Conference Program

In his contribution to the LSE EUROPP blog Robert Braun argues, "Instead of asking whether we need self-driving vehicles, why not ask whether we need cars at all?" He suggests that the development of autonomous mobility hands us the opportunity to rethink our overall mobility strategies.
Link:
Contribution on the LSE EUROPP blog

Following the talk of Kate Raworth (Doughnut Economics) on April 23, 2018 a panel discussion will take place. Beate Littig, Ika Darnhofer and Sigrid Stagl are invited to speak at the panel.
Links:
Zentrum für Globalen Wandel & Nachhaltigkeit (BOKU)

On occasion of the Second Heinrich Neisser Lecture, Dennis Snower presented theses on the future of labor and labor market policy in the digital era. Gerlinde Titelbach, Johannes Kopf (Chairman, AMS) and Erich Foglar (President, ÖGB) joined the lively discussion.
Link:
2nd Heinrich Neisser Lecture

Katrin Auel and Resul Umit wrote an article in the British Journal of Politics and International Relations: ‘Explaining MPs’ communication to their constituents: Evidence from the UK House of Commons‘.
Links:
Publication in the IHS Repository
Publication on publisher‘s website

On March 16, Monika Riedel presented the results of a report on demographic challenges commissioned by the WKO Austria. She also participated in the following panel discussion.
Links:
Summary and pictures of the event (Website WKO - in German)
Research Report in the IHS Repository (in German)

Economic cycle hits its peak

Driven by the broad-based global economic boom, the domestic economy should continue its vigorous expansion. In 2018 and 2019, the Austrian economy is expected to grow by 2.8% and 1.9%, respectively. While the investment cycle slows noticeably, exports and private consumption are supporting the upswing. It is recommended that the current period of high growth is used to achieve a sustainable budgetary stance and to implement urgently needed structural reforms.
Links:
Press information of March 16, 2018 (pdf - long version in German only)
Press information (pdf - short version in English)
Presentation (pdf - in German only)
Economic Forecast

“Yes” with pension reforms, finds a new IHS research financed by a EU Horizon 2020 Grant.
Links:
Summary in a Policy Brief
Details in a Working Paper

On March 16, 2018 Monika Riedel will present the results of a report on demographic challenges commissioned by the WKO Austria. She will also participate in the following panel discussion on the chances that the demographic development offers for the Austrian economy.
Link:
More information on the WKO website (in German)

Beate Littig was part of the scientific advisory staff of Werner Boote's new documentary "The green lie".
Cinema release in Austria is on March 9, 2018.
Links:
Staff list of the movie
Trailer on Youtube
Press material (in German)

Stefan Vogtenhuber, David Baumegger and Lorenz Lassnigg examine supply-demand relationships on the Austrian labor market between 1994 and 2015. Due to educational expansion and structural shifts in employment, highly qualified labor market entrants are increasingly allocated to occupational groups that previously had required less education. As a result, the incidence of formal overqualification has increased, with women being disproportionately affected by job mismatches.
Link:
Publication in the IHS Repository (in German)

Daniela Grozea-Helmenstein and Iain Paterson co-authored a study on macroregional strategies and their links with cohesion policy contracted by the European Commission Directorate-General for Regional and Urban Policy and conducted by a consortium led by COWI company. The study investigates the main features of each macro-region (Baltic, Danube, Adriatic and Ionian, and Alpine) through benchmarking analyses of macroeconomic, competitiveness, integration and governance indicators.
Links:
Publications in the IHS Repository (Final Report, Report on EU Strategy for the Adriatic and Ionian Region, Alpine Region, Baltic Sea Region, Danube Sea Region)

Daniela Grozea-Helmenstein wrote a book contribution together with Günther Grohall and Christian Helmenstein about ‘Convergence and Structural Change in Romanian Regions’ published in 'Rumäniens „Rückkehr“ nach Europa' (edited by Barbu, Daniel and Richter, Julia and Schippel, Larisa, nap new academic press).
Links:
Publication on Editor's website
Publication in the IHS Repository

On 22th and 23th January, 2018 Michael Jonas participated at the methodological workshop „Zugänge schaffen“ that was organised by JProf. Sabine Nover, Philosophisch-Theologische Hochschule Vallendar (Germany). Here he participated at a plenary discussion, chaired a session and gave a lecture on „Care: praxeologisch”.
Links:
Philosophisch-Theologische Hochschule Vallendar