VfS Annual Conference 2025 Focuses on Industrial Policy
Dates and NewsZEW President Professor Achim Wambach, PhD Hosts Core Conference
From 14 to 18 September, over 700 researchers gathered for the Annual Conference of the Verein für Socialpolitik (VfS). The core conference was organised by ZEW President Professor Achim Wambach, PhD, who put together a high-profile programme under the key theme “The Return to Industrial Policy.” In addition, ZEW was represented with numerous scientific contributions as well as its own information booth at the University of Cologne, where the largest economists’ association in the German-speaking world held its annual meeting this year.
In their scientific sessions, the participating ZEW researchers addressed, among other things, questions such as how the labour market is adapting to e-commerce, how competition between hospitals affects service provision and quality in maternity units, and what role founder personalities play in scaling decisions within companies.
Industrial policy in a geopolitical context
This year’s core conference was dedicated to the return to industrial policy and included a panel discussion on the future of European industrial policy, which was chaired by Achim Wambach. The panellists were Irene Bertschek, head of ZEW’s Research Unit “Digital Economy” and Chair of the federal government’s Commission of Experts for Research and Innovation (EFI), Kerstin Jorna, Director-General for the Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs (GROW) at the European Commission, as well as Ottmar Edenhofer of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research.
The focus of the debate was on industrial policy in the current geopolitical context, in particular on the USA and China using subsidies to promote their economies while the EU is restricting state aid. The experts discussed what form a future EU strategy could take and what measures should be adopted.
Another panel addressed the topic of “China Shock 2.0.” Here, Hanna Hottenrott, head of ZEW’s Research Unit “Economics of Innovation,” Sarah Schniewindt of Schniewindt GmbH in Neuenrade, Lukas Bertram from the ZOE Institute for Future-fit Economies and Jürgen Matthes from the German Economic Institute (IW) engaged in a discussion on how globalisation and transformation affect Germany’s industrial model.
Alongside the academic contributions, participants also had the opportunity to network and engage in specialist discussions, which were offered in the context of the conference.
About the VfS
The next VfS Annual Conference will take place from 13 to 16 September 2026 at the University of Innsbruck in Austria. The core conference will focus on behavioural economics. The VfS currently has around 4,000 personal and corporate members, making it one of the largest economic associations in Europe.
