How Does the Economy Work? High School Students from Memmingen Visit ZEW

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High school students from Memmingen visit ZEW and talk about economic research.

A group of 15 high school students from Bernhard Strigel Gymnasium in Memmingen visited ZEW on 30 January 2019. During the visit, the student group gained both an overview of the structure and objectives of the economic research institute as well as practical insights into the daily work.

How do economists conduct research? What distinguishes ZEW from other economic research institutes? Why do we need economic research? Dr. Daniela Heimberger, head of the Service Department “International Cooperation and Public Relations”, gave an overview of the work and the research areas of ZEW and explained how scientific findings can be made available to the public. After that the students had the opportunity to take a closer look at one of ZEW’s research areas: Professor Friedrich Heinemann, head of the ZEW Research Department “Corporate Taxation and Public Finance”, provided insights into his day-to-day work at the institute and discussed current challenges facing the EU in the electoral year of the European Parliament 2019.

The doctoral students Annika Havlik und Theresa Bührle, whose research focus lies on political economy and employee taxation, gave an introduction into the academic disciplines of economics and business administration. They drew on examples from their own study experiences and shed light on the professional perspective of young economists, showing that economics and business administration are not only exciting but also rewarding choices of study. The students agreed: the visit to ZEW was worth the travel from Memmingen!