News

INSIGHTS Summit – Communicating Economics

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Dorothea Kübler, Peter Haan, Nicola Fuchs-Schündeln
Bernhard Ludewig

To mark the conclusion of the INSIGHTS project for science transfer, we invite you to the INSIGHTS Summit on June 18 with panels on topics such as gender, macroeconomics, and climate policy. The summit brings together science, politics, and communication under one roof and is organized in collaboration with WZB, DIW, and the Berlin School of Economics. Dorothea Kübler (WZB and Head of INSIGHTS), Peter Haan (DIW and Head of INSIGHTS) and Nicola Fuchs-Schündeln (President of the WZB) will speak at the Summit.

Perception of Security Influences Elections

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Porträt Jehun Alizade
Sameer Khan

When talking about migration, many citizens invoke the terms security and crime – often associated with fears and the suggestion that the increasing number of migrants is exacerbating crime. How does this perception influence voting preferences? What differences are there between voters and parties on the right, conservative and left of the political spectrum? A recent study by WZB researcher Jeyhun Alizade illustrates how strongly issues such as security and migration shape different political camps. 

10 Years of Visual Society Program

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VISOP-Schriftzug auf gelbem Untergrund

On June 4, we will celebrate our 10-year collaboration with the University of the Arts in the Visual Society Program, which brings together researchers and aspiring designers. Together, they develop innovative approaches to visualizing social science findings. To mark this anniversary, we want to reflect on the connection between social research and design, share experiences from the program, and outline future perspectives.

The Hidden Gender Gap in China’s Gender-Blind University Admissions

Why do equally qualified female students apply to elite universities less often than males — even in a gender-blind admission system? A new study co-authored by WZB researchers reveals that although China’s university admissions are based solely on exam scores, social factors such as parental expectations and gender stereotypes continue to influence students’ choices, resulting in a hidden gender gap. Addressing these deep-rooted sociocultural influences is crucial for achieving genuine gender equality in higher education.

Active Remembrance Motivates

Many memorial sites rely on participatory formats to keep the memory of Nazi crimes alive. A new study has now shown that such formats increase engagement in memorial work.

Education in Illiberal Times

In the current WZB-Mitteilungen, WZB researcher Minju Choi asks what the declining importance of liberal norms means for the role and authority of academic knowledge.

Welcome, Moses Shayo!

We welcome Moses Shayo (Hebrew University of Jerusalem),  K.W. Deutsch Visiting Professor at the WZB for 2025. The guest professorship is awarded annually by the WZB in memory of the renowned political and social scientist Karl W. Deutsch, WZB director from 1975 to 1987.

Call for Papers: "The Future of Democracy?"

The WZB is dedicating its first annual interdisciplinary conference from 9 to 10 October 2025 to “The Future of Democracy?”. We invite submissions that analyze the obstacles facing liberal democracies and explore potential solutions for safeguarding and strengthening democratic institutions. Our aim is to create a forum for interdisciplinary discussions. Submission deadline: 30 April 2025

Does the Firewall Hold?

How often do established parties cooperate with the AfD at the local level? WZB researchers have analyzed this question comprehensively for the first time and found that the political firewall in Eastern and Western Germany is similarly stable.

A New Dataset of Legislative Documents

An innovative new dataset has been released: ParlLawSpeech (PLS) offers machine-readable full texts of legislative documents from eight European parliaments, including 43,582 bills, 28,124 laws, and 3,092,431 plenary speeches. The three document types are linked by a common identifier, allowing researchers to analyze the entire lawmaking process. ParlLawSpeech has been created by a team including WZB researcher Christian Rauh, under the auspices of the OPTED Horizon 2020 project and supported by the WZB, GESIS and poltextLAB.

Conspiracy beliefs fuel xenophobia

Conspiracy narratives have a demonstrably negative impact on social relations. People exposed to such narratives develop more negative attitudes towards outgroups.