A.SK Selection Committee

Every two years, an international committee under the direction of economic and social historian Werner Abelshauser selects the prize recipient.

Prof. Dr. Werner Abelshauser is department chair of economic and social history at Bielefeld University. He was previously professor of European history at the European University Institute in Florence (1988–91) and was director of the Institute for Social Movements at Bochum University (1983–88). He is a founding member of the Institute for World Society Studies and copublisher of the magazine “Geschichte und Gesellschaft. Zeitschrift für historische Sozialwissenschaften”. He is chairman of the A.SK selection committee.

Prof. Jutta Allmendinger Ph.D. is president of the WZB since April 2007 and professor of educational sociology and  market labor research at the Humboldt Universität zu Berlin. She was previously the director of the Institute for Employment Research (IAB) in Nuremburg (2003–07).

Prof. Dr. Kurt Biedenkopf was a member of parliament (1976–1980) and minister president of Saxony (1990–2002). Among other positions, he was founding president of the Dresden International University and is chairman of the Hertie School of Governance board of trustees.

Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Merkel is director of the WZB research unit “Democracy: Structures, Performance, Challenges” since 2004. Since then he also teaches political science at the Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin. Prof. Merkel is a member of the Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences, among other institutions.

Prof. Dr. Shalini Randeria has been professor of social and cultural anthropology at the University of Zurich since 2003. Beginning with the autumn term in 2012 she will be professor at the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies, Geneva, where she will chair and build up the new Anthropology and Sociology Department.