Archiv Veranstaltungen 2023

Krisen bringen Veränderung. Die Covid-19-Pandemie hat Sicherheiten in Frage gestellt, Spannungen sichtbar gemacht und die Frage nach gesellschaftlichem Wandel aufgeworfen. Inzwischen ist vieles wieder „beim Alten“ – doch was heißt das in Zeiten von Klimakrise und Krieg überhaupt? Wie arbeiten wir und wie lassen sich Arbeit und Leben besser vereinbaren, welche Folgen hat der technische Wandel, welche Rolle kommt dem Staat zu und wohin soll es gehen in Anbetracht sich zuspitzender Krisen?

Many Muslim states have adopted a mixed legal system that combines an essentially Western structure with elements of Sharia in constitutions and legal statutes, implicitly or explicitly. The inclusion of Islamic law and principles in the legal system has at times extended to the West, notably with the establishment of “sharia courts”, or with the judicial use of the cultural argument to accommodate norms as supposedly derived from Islam.

Contact and conflict theory famously predict opposite effects of inter-ethnic exposure on anti-minority discrimination. Contact theory predicts that inter-ethnic contact reduces prejudice; whereas conflict theory predicts that inter-ethnic contact leads to more discrimination. The scope conditions for both theories, however, are vague; prior evidence is mostly correlational; and supportive field experiments have largely accrued in rarified settings.

Existing research in Germany based on survey reports suggest that patients with low income and non-German names are discriminated against both in access to health care and in treatment by specialists. However, because this research is mostly based on interviews with affected individuals, the findings are prone to bias. Field experiments can provide robust evidence of discrimination due to ethnic and socioeconomic background.

Content moderation is key to operations of social media platforms and a large part of this work is outsourced to the global economy. While allowing for cost efficiency and accessing local labor skills and knowledge, outsourcing is generally characterized by indeterminacies in the production process. Moreover, it is complicated by the dynamic character of social media platforms with continuous changes in user activities and moderation policies.

The Platform Governance Research Network brings together researchers interested in ‘platform governance’, broadly defined. From online labor markets and locally-tethered service delivery platforms, to social networks and cloud providers, our conference highlights cutting-edge conceptual and empirical work that engages with the politics and policy of the 21st century ‘platformized’ internet.

Homosexuality constitutes an entrenched taboo in many Muslim countries and communities. LGBT people of Muslim origin are often treated as out-groups and they face severe discrimination and mistreatment, either as a result of harsh laws or due to the homophobic attitude of their families and communities. What are the causes of this problem? Our guest panelists will discuss whether it stems from Islam or rather from other elements, such as culture, colonial heritage, or an incorrect interpretation of the sacred texts.

Discussants

This talk looks at platform governance and platform power through the lens of deplatforming sex, and deplatforming of sex through the lens of concentration of norm and infrastructure power. Based on a meta-analysis of ethnographic, interview and social media data associated with cases of deplatforming and replatforming sex on social media, the talk offers suggestions for reimagining platform governance and articulates a hope for a more sex-positive platform governance research agenda.

Soziale Ungleichheit ist mehr als nur die Frage nach wenig oder viel Geld. Auch die Berichterstattung darüber sollte deshalb mehr umfassen als nur Zahlen oder Einzelschicksale. Es geht um ein System und Strukturen, die nicht immer ausreichend beleuchtet werden. Wie können Medien besser über Ungleichheit recherchieren und berichten? Auf der Fachkonferenz diskutieren Journalist*innen gemeinsam mit Expert*innen, wie der Blick auf das Thema soziale Ungleicheit geweitet und geschärft werden kann.

Conservative political parties occupy a precarious position in liberal democracies. On the one hand, economic elites who tend to be protective of the status quo are a core constituency of most conservative parties. On the other hand, conservative parties must compete in democratic elections where majorities matter.

Over the last several decades, two seemingly contradictory trends have emerged: a rise in democracy assistance and a decline in democracy. What explains this disconnect? Although existing work provides some insight about democracy promotion’s mixed effects, more work is needed to understand the impact of additional, often understudied forms of assistance. I explore this puzzle on a panel of 136 nations from 1981-2015 by assessing how two types of democracy promotion – democracy promoting international nongovernmental organizations (DINGOs) and democracy aid – impact governance.

Deutschland hatte 2022 den Vorsitz der G7 inne. Wenn die G7-Präsidentschaft eines Landes endet, ist selten ein Resümee vorgesehen. Für die Arbeit des Beirats für Gleichstellungsfragen der G7 (Gender Equality Advisory Council GEAC) möchten wir das aber tun, damit die Erkenntnisse einer breiteren Öffentlichkeit bekannt gemacht werden.

Are Islam and liberal democracy compatible? Ahmet Kuru's keynote speech will address this complex question from a theoretical, historical and geopolitical perspective, in dialogue with WZB director Ruud Koopmans. After presenting the definition and historical formation of the two concepts, Kuru will examine the political attitudes of Islamists and secularists in various Muslim-majority countries. Focusing in particular on Islamists’ sharia-based state projects, he will show their incompatibility with liberal democracy.

Das europäische Asylsystem ist zum Lotteriespiel geworden: Geografische Lage, Geld, Fitness und Glück auf dem gefährlichen Land- und Seeweg bestimmen, wer es bis zur Grenze schafft, Asyl beantragen und einwandern kann. Wer es nicht schafft, hat das Nachsehen. Europa tut sich mit diesem System aber auch selbst keinen Gefallen.

Are teachers biased in their grading against certain demographic groups? Using data on more than 1 million Danish 9th grade students, we find evidence for small pro-girl and pro-migrant-background biases. We also document large variance in bias across teachers and a negative (“compensatory”) relationship between teacher bias and relative performance of the student group on standardized tests.

China’s Social Credit System is the most ambitious human metric in history, using technology to govern society and create the “perfect citizen.” I trace the historical roots of “governance-by-numbers” systems and show that the metrification of social and personal life also exists in Western societies. I point out the rise of a new governance system, shifting from the rule of law (“nomocracy”) to a system governed by numbers (“numerocracy”), and discuss the consequences for liberal democracies in terms of governance, citizenship, human rights, law & morality.

Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Huber liest aus seinem Buch „Menschen, Götter und Maschinen – Eine Ethik der Digitalisierung“ und diskutiert mit Benjamin Minack.