Economics and Social Sciences

Developing New Focal Points

The promotion of economics and the social sciences is essential for the development of a comprehensive university. These disciplines are characterised by strong cross-links between economics, political science and sociology, which were further intensified with Excellence funding. The University was able to staff seven new professorships – among them two junior and one start-up professorship – with mainly young scientists in order to establish a research centre for "Political Economics" that is unparalleled in the German-speaking world. The new professorships reinforce a number of previously understaffed research fields that combine methods and theories of various subjects and stand out by their innovative research design. The University has also established and intensified research collaborations between the social sciences, law and theology, especially via the Centre for Social Investment.

Newly created professorships

Prof. Dr. Christoph Brunner (junior professorship)
Faculty of Economics and Social Sciences, Alfred Weber Institute for Economics (AWI)

Prof. Dr. Daniel Finke (junior professorship)
Faculty of Economics and Social Sciences, Institute for Political Science (IPW)

Prof. Dr. Stefan Geibel
Centre for Social Investment (CSI)

Prof. Dr. Thomas Kern
Faculty of Economics and Social Sciences, Max Weber Institute for Sociology

Prof. Dr. Christiane Schwieren (start-up professorship)
Faculty of Economics and Social Sciences, Alfred Weber Institute for Economics (AWI)

Prof. Dr. Johannes Voget
Faculty of Economics and Social Sciences, Alfred Weber Institute for Economics (AWI) (now appointed as interim Professor of General Business Administration by the University of Mannheim)

Prof. Dr. Stefanie Walter (junior professorship)
Faculty of Economics and Social Sciences, Institute for Political Science (IPW)