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In the past decade, a new approach to political economy has deepened our understanding of how political institutions shape economic outcomes and how economic forces feed back on political processes. Concurrently, there have been fruitful developments on the effect of social and cultural institutions on economic behavior. In an effort to generate insights spanning the two areas, this workshop will explore the interaction of social and political factors, with a particular focus on religion and politics, by bringing together scholars in both economics and economic history.

The recent meltdown of the financial markets and the lack of progress on announced financial reforms at the international level have stimulated debates about power in the field of finance. What role do financial institutions have in influencing the regulatory process? What has been achieved since the financial crisis? These questions will be addressed by experts from academia, NGOs, and think tanks in this roundtable discussion.

Politische Entscheidungen sind heute ohne Berufung auf Expertise kaum noch denkbar. Dies lässt sich auch anhand der Vervielfältigung von Expertennetzwerken, Rating-Agenturen und Wissenschaftsbehörden auf inter- und transnationaler Ebene ablesen. Zugleich zeigt sich angesichts grenzüberschreitender Probleme – von der Kernenergie über BSE bis hin zum Klimawandel – dass Expertise gerade dort auf öffentliche Skepsis trifft, wo sie am stärksten nachgefragt wird.