The Institute for Socio-Economics

Welcome to the pages of the Institute of Socio-Economics!

The Institut für Sozioökonomie / Institute for Socio-Economics is part of the Faculty of Social Sciences at the University of Duisburg-Essen. Four professorships with the following focal points are located at the Institute:

The institute stands for a socio-economic approach in dealing with economic phenomena. Economic issues are pursued from an interdisciplinary and pluralistic perspective at the interface of economics and social sciences.

Pluralism in terms of theoretical approaches uses the wealth of different economic traditions of thought to apply the appropriate explanatory models and methodological approaches to socially relevant issues in different social, political and historical contexts. Thus, the socio-economic approach offers a contemporary answer to the pressing economic questions of our time, raised by major economic historical events and global trends such as the world economic crisis and the euro crisis, the growing (socio-)economic inequality, and recent political challenges to liberal democracy under the conditions of an increasingly globalized economy.

The Institute of Socioeconomics has been offering the Master's program in Socio-Economics since the winter semester 2019/20. In addition, the Institute contributes to other courses of the faculty through teaching, for example with a course offering in socioeconomics with 33 CP in the BA Political Science. Furthermore, the Institute of Socioeconomics participates in the social science teacher training, which is characterized by an integrated social science approach. From the winter semester 2024/25, we will be launching the new interdisciplinary BA degree programme in Philosophy, Politics and Socio-Economics (PPE).

From 2017 to 2021, Prof. Dr. Till van Treeck led the institute as founding director. Since June 2021, Prof. Dr. Jakob Kapeller is the new managing director of the Institute of Socio-Economics.

Institute Report 2019

In December 2019, we presented our institute report (available in German language only). In it, we look back on the start-up phase of the Institute for Socio-Economics at the University of Duisburg-Essen and present initial activities in the areas of teaching, research, and knowledge transfer.

Table of Contents:

  1. Brief profile & self-image of the institute
  2. The history of the institute since its foundation
  3. Persons at the Institute of Socio-Economics
  4. Teaching at the Institute of Socio-Economics
  5. Research at the Institute for Socio-Economics
  6. Knowledge Transfer at the Institute for Socio-Economics
  7. Prizes, awards and press coverage

The entire report can be read and downloaded here (in German only).

Read the institute report