Focussing research in four strategic research areas at the Faculty of Business, Economics and Social Sciences [28.02.17]
To strengthen the research efforts of the faculty’s scholars and to clear the scientific profile of the largest of three faculties at the University of Hohenheim, the faculty board sponsors four research areas from January 2017 on.
picture: Universität Hohenheim / Sven Cichowicz
Prof. Dr. Hachmeister, dean of the Faculty of Business, Economics and Social Sciences explains: „The four research areas have been selected in a bottom up process to strengthen existing research initiatives. Our aims are threefold: First, to increase our research output overall. Second, to make our research more visible – especially in measures like third-party funding and high-level publications. Third, to link high-level research activities with the faculty’s Ph.D.-programs and the education of bachelor and master students. We are very happy that our colleagues are eager to face that challenge.“
Research Area „INEPA“ (Inequality and Economic policy analysis)
Being one of the most relevant topics in the public discourse and current economic research, the causes and consequences of inequality call for a detailed analysis. The research area aims at developing new theoretical models and using state-of-the-art empirical methods to answer questions such as: Which are the mechanisms that drive economic inequality? What are the consequences of inequality for long-run economic growth and well-being? Which policies can efficiently tackle inequality and address its negative consequences, while not being detrimental to economic growth? The research area INEPA considers these questions from an inter-disciplinary perspective and integrates experts in areas such as economic growth theory, demography, health economics, economic history, innovation economics, international economics, labour economics, public economics, and econometrics.
Head of INEPA is Prof. Dr. Klaus Prettner - inepa@uni-hohenheim.de
Research Area „TKID“ (Transformation der Kommunikation - Integration und Desintegration)
The research area “transformation of communication and its role in integration and disintegration of individuals and society” combines current research interests of the six departments at the Institute of Communication. The focus is on intended and unintended results of the digital transformation of media and public communication. This transformation yields functional and dysfunctional phenomena both supporting and endangering our constitutional democracy. Examples include:
- the integration of individuals and societies (e.g. through agenda-setting, political knowledge) or their disintegration (e.g. through targeting, personalization, filter bubbles),
- the facilitation of consensus (e.g. through the public exchange of actors) or dissent (e.g. through polarization and radicalization) in society,
- legitimation and strengthening of established political structures (e.g. by fact-based discussions) or their weakening (e.g. through media scepticism, post-truth-society).
In the intermediate-term, the research area plans to establish third-party funding.
Head of TKID is Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Schweiger - tkid@uni-hohenheim.de
Research Area „NegoTrans“ (Negotiation Research – Transformation, Technology, Media, and Costs)
NegoTrans aims to investigate negotiations as business activities. It integrates different research groups which follow an interdisciplinary agenda. The research area will focus on how negotiation processes and outcomes are changed by information technology, digital media, and costs. To this end e.g. negotiation processes in software engineering will be analyzed comparing different media such as text-based communication, video chat, and many more. Besides its research goals, NegoTrans aims to create a large network of national and international researchers and practitioners to enable continuous discourse on this topic and provide structured support for young researchers in this area.
Head of NegoTrans is Prof. Dr. Mareike Schoop - negotrans@uni-hohenheim.de
Research Area „INEF“ (Innovation, Entrepreneurship and Finance)
The research area “Innovation, Entrepreneurship and Finance (INEF)” establishes research collaborations and research projects that deal with questions at the interface of innovation, entrepreneurship and finance. The goal of the research area is to understand the complex interrelationships between innovation policy, education, capital market regulation and venture capital, and how these affect entrepreneurial activities and industry creation processes. The international research partnerships that are part of the network, are funded by the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) as the “Thematic Network Innovation, Entrepreneurship and Finance (INEF)”. The network unites five renowned universities in Belgium, France, Italy, the United States and China under the lead management of the Faculty of Business, Economics and Social Sciences of the University of Hohenheim.
Head of INEF is Prof. Dr. Tereza Tykvová - inef@uni-hohenheim.de
