Until two years ago, she was the President of our institute, and she had a significant influence on it: the sociologist and education researcher Jutta Allmendinger. Yet her voice was, and still is, heard far beyond the WZB. Our thanks and congratulations on her milestone birthday on 26 September 2026 are written by Heike Solga, Director of the WZB’s Department of Skill Formation and Labor Markets.
Dissent and compromise are essential to democracy. Political parties must debate and fight over the future direction of policy and the best solutions to societal issues. But they must also be able to reach compromises in parliament and within a coalition: on shared policies, on new laws or on amendments to existing legislation. ‘Representation & Compromise. Bringing Voters’ Preferences to the Floor’ is the title of Pola Lehmann’s new book.
In 2023, WZB researchers surveyed nearly 3,400 people in Germany about their political views. What made this survey unique was that it asked not only about their attitudes toward democracy, but also how they personally defined it.
The International Order Under Pressure—Ideas for a New Direction
Impressions from the public dialogue and opening of the 2nd Annual Interdisciplinary WZB Conference 2026 at the Akademie der Künste on Pariser Platz, Berlin.
Today, the 2nd Annual Interdisciplinary WZB Conference 2026 opens its doors. Here you find the program for the conference, titled “Challenges to International Orders: Causes and Consequences”.
Congratulations, Robert Gorwa! The WZB researcher has been awarded a grant from the European Research Council (ERC) for his research project “ALIGNING AI.” This is the second consecutive Starting Grant awarded to WZB research.
International Order Under Pressure – Is It Time for Readjustment?
Today, the public dialogue between Odile Renaud-Basso, Norbert Röttgen and Katherine Tai on changing global power dynamics takes place at the Akademie der Künste. The discussion marks the start of the 2nd Annual Interdisciplinary WZB Conference 2026.
Democracy enjoys broad support in surveys. However, as a new study shows, support for democratic rights and procedures becomes unstable in times of crisis.
The Kohli Foundation for Sociology is accepting applications for the 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟳 𝗞𝗼𝗵𝗹𝗶 𝗙𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘄𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 at the WZB. The fellowship supports researchers who have completed their dissertation with excellent success and provides a two-year research stay at the WZB. This time should be used to engage in a new research project, to advance publications, and to develop research collaborations. The application deadline is September 20, 2026.
We are delighted that Kai Barron, Research Fellow at the WZB, was awarded the 2026 ESA Young Scholar Prize. The award recognizes his significant methodological contributions to experimental economics.
