ZEW at the VfS Annual Conference 2023 in Regensburg

More than 800 scholars gathered from 24 to 27 September 2023 to exchange ideas at the annual conference of the Verein für Socialpolitik (VfS), which took place at the University of Regensburg. In celebration of its 150th anniversary, the largest economists’ association in the German-speaking world has chosen the theme “Growth and the Social Question” for this year’s gathering. ZEW Mannheim was once again actively participating with numerous contributions and had an information stand on site.

During the academic sessions, ZEW researchers delved into topics such as the effect of taxes on CEO performance, the impact of refugee immigration on native workers, and the relationship between local networks and business start-ups. Additionally, ZEW was present with an information stand where VfS attendees could inquire about ZEW’s research, publications, events, and career opportunities.

The core conference theme for 2023 was the social question. In their keynotes, Dietrich Vollrath from the University of Houston, Charlotte Bartels from DIW Berlin, and Albrecht Ritschl from the London School of Economics shed light on this topic within the context of economic growth since the association’s inception.

Furthermore, the association celebrated its 150th founding anniversary with a ceremonial event. During this event, Federal Minister of Finance Christian Lindner delivered a speech on “Financial Policy in Times of Transformation”. Other guests included Austria’s Minister of Labour, Martin Kocher, Jörg Rocholl from ESMT Berlin, Monika Schnitzer, chairwoman of the German Council of Economic Experts, and Jakob von Weizsäcker, State Minister of Finance and Science of the Saarland, who jointly discussed the role of science in policy advising.

Next year, the VfS Annual Conference will take place from 15 to 19 September at the Technical University of Berlin on the theme of “Upcoming Labour Market Challenges”, featuring a panel organised by ZEW. Currently, the VfS has approximately 4,000 individual and corporate members, making it one of the largest economic associations in Europe.