On November 5, Yale economist Pinelopi “Penny” Koujianou Goldberg was awarded the A. SK Social Science Award during an inspiring ceremony in the large conference hall of the WZB. The prize recognizes her research on the effects of global trade policy on prosperity and inequality. A follow-up report and pictures from the 10th A. SK Award Ceremony.
We are delighted to announce the call for applications for the Kohli Fellowship in Sociology 2026 at the WZB, which promotes researchers who have finished their dissertation with excellent success. The deadline for applications is November 16, 2025.
Vanessa Boese-Schlosser has been awarded a Starting Grant from the European Research Council (ERC) for her work on regime types and socioeconomic interactions. The ERC announced this. With a budget of €1.5 million for a period of up to five years, the ERC Starting Grant is the most highly endowed and prestigious individual grant for early-career researchers in Europe.
Cultural representations of the Holocaust lower Holocaust fatigue and improve feelings toward Jews and refugees. Some even increase the engagement in collective action. This shows a new study by WZB researcher Berenike Firestone and her co-authors.
What contribution do mainstream parties in Western democracies make to the normalization of far-right ideas and issues? A significant one, as the latest study by WZB researchers Teresa Völker and Daniel Saldivia Gonzatti shows.
Review of the 1st Annual Interdisciplinary WZB Conference
“The Future of Democracy?” was the topic of the 1st Annual Interdisciplinary WZB Conference at the WZB. The exchange showed that communication across disciplines is important.
Rethinking Growth: The Schumpeterian Perspective - that was the title of the distinguished lecture by Philippe Aghion at the WZB a couple of years ago. We obviously have a good nose for Nobel Laureates! We congratulate Joel Mokyr, Philippe Aghion, and Peter Howitt on winning the Nobel Prize in Economics 2025.
Is the EU recognized by other countries as an important global player? WZB researcher Christian Rauh has examined this question in a study that has now been published.
Factual claims are increasingly disputed along political lines. In an online experiment, Kai Barron, Anna Becker and Steffen Huck show how this type of polarization arises.
A.SK Award 2025 for Penny Goldberg and Vicente Valentim
Economist Pinelopi “Penny” Koujianou Goldberg receives the A.SK Social Science Award 2025. With this award, the WZB honors her research on global trade linkages and their impact on global inequality. Vicente Valentim receives the A.SK Bright Mind Award for his work on how social norms influence behavior.
The Future of Democracy? – Annual Interdisciplinary Conference
Second and last day of our 1st Annual Interdisciplinary WZB Conference. We are delighted that more than 100 international researchers are attending - and discussing vividly.
