WZB - Berlin Social Science Center

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Two girls pose in superhero costumes.
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Peer Effects of Ambition

Anything you can do, I can do better: New research shows we aim higher when we observe our peers being ambitious. In the first ever laboratory experiment to investigate the peer effects of ambition, WZB researchers reveal how we adjust our own goals to match those of our peers, with important implications for educational outcomes and social mobility.

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The word secret is revealed by tearing a hole in blue paper.
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Who Guards the Guardians?

A new research project is investigating how democracies control intelligence services in their use of digital and transnational surveillance. GUARDINT is an international collaboration between the WZB, the Stiftung Neue Verantwortung (SNV), Sciences Po in Paris, King’s College London, and Lyon 3 University.

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Bunte Häuser im New Yorker Stadteil Williamsburg
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How to Fight Housing Discrimination

An ugly truth plagues the American housing market: Racial discrimination against nonwhites persists, and established antidiscrimination laws seem unable to uproot it. A new study uncovers high levels of rental discrimination in New York City, especially against Hispanics, and reveals mixed messages about the effectiveness of government communication strategies.

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Schreibmaschine
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Splitting Heirs

Why are some societies more unequal than others? For researchers Anselm Rink and Hanno Hilbig, the roots of the problem are buried deep in family history. Their new study reveals that fair inheritance customs act as a social leveler: driving equality, empowering women, and ultimately rewarding talent over status.

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Court Dismisses AfD Thuringia’s Claim against the WZB

On April 9, 2019, the Berlin Landgericht  dismissed a claim filed by the AfD fraction in the Thuringian state parliament against the WZB. The AfD fraction had attempted to force the WZB to abstain from making statements that the party viewed as contravening personality rights. The court reasoned that the study in question was a piece of academic research and thus could not infringe upon the fraction’s personality rights in any way.

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A small wooden figure stands on a platform in front of a crowd of similiar puppets, apparently making a speech to them.
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Authoritarian Politics and Nuclear Proliferation

Nuclear proliferation is a serious threat to global peace and security. New research by Alexandros Tokhi investigates the role of power dynamics in authoritarian regimes and how these affect the likelihood of non-proliferation treaty violation.

New publication

Winds of Change

Where do we not observe transformations? Political, social, and economic change is a complex and omnipresent phenomenon. By bringing together contributions from a wide range of researchers, the newly published Handbook of Political, Social, and Economic Transformation, co-edited by WZB director Wolfgang Merkel, sheds a fresh, multidisciplinary light on transformation research.

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Hungersnot in Äthiopien, Dürre, Klimawandel
picture alliance / Ricardo Herrgott
New study

Climate Change Refugees

A new study by Marc Helbling and Daniel Meierrieks shows that climate change refugees are accepted by the public in Germany at a far higher rate than economic refugees. 

Forthcoming study

Avoiding the Ask

Sidestepping charity fundraisers in the street, pretending not to be home when they come calling, ignoring online pleas for donations…people like to think of themselves in generous terms, but in reality, we often go out of our way to avoid being asked for money. A study by WZB researchers Maja Adena and Steffen Huck gets to the bottom of how preserving our self-image influences our charitable giving, and what strategies charities can use to maximize their chances of gaining donations.

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Datenreport 2018 - Titel

Growing up in Germany

The Datenreport 2018 paints a detailed picture of what life is like for the next generation growing up in Germany today. It presents the latest data on how children’s lives and perspectives are affected by economic, domestic, and educational factors.

New research

Parenting, Child Behavior & Educational Inequality

A new study by Till Kaiser, Jianghong Li, and Matthias Pollmann-Schult pins down the role of parenting styles as a missing link between parents’ socioeconomic status (SES) and their children’s school grades. Parents with lower SES are more likely to be inconsistent and harsh in dealing with children than parents with higher SES. This can exacerbate child behavioral issues and in turn drag down school grades.

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Research Unit Democracy and Democratization

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Administrative Geschäftsführung

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Research Unit Institutions and Political Inequality

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Events

27 - 28 May 2019
Tuesday, 28 May 2019
Wednesday, 29 May 2019

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Research

The WZB Berlin Social Science Center investigates fundamental societal issues. Our focus is on education and work, markets and choice, migration, democracy and autocracy, international politics and law. At the WZB researchers from various disciplines work together – mainly from sociology, political science, economics, law and psychology.

 

WZB in the media

Deutschlandfunk, 7 May
"Wir müssen uns auf der Straße den Platz neu aufteilen"
WDR 5, 6 May
Kevin Kühnert stößt wichtige Diskussion an
MDR/ARD, 3 May
"Studie: Europa ist der Jugend wichtig, die Europawahl eher weniger"

Media coverage