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Application-oriented - Pluralistic - Interdisciplinary

With the master‘s program in Socio-Economics, the University of Duisburg-Essen is responding to a growing necessity to investigate current societal key topics with interdisciplinary and pluralistic-oriented scientific approaches. Regarding its content, the program focuses on socio-economic questions and problems with high amounts of societal and economic policy relevance. For example:
 
  • economic inequality
  • future of European integration
  • political economy of globalization
  • welfare state reforms
  • inequality, growth and the environment
  • political effects of economic inequality
  • financial and economic crises
  • political consequences of socio-economic inequality
  • economic activity of the state and public debt

A particular focus is placed on the social, institutional and political conditions of economic dynamics and application-oriented methodological training.

In addition to interdisciplinarity, a central principle of the MA is a pluralism of perspectives, theories and models driven by the goal of making the controversies in economic policy debates apparent to the students.

The target group of the program are students of economics and social sciences as well as students of neighboring disciplines with career ambitions in the fields of

  • academia
  • politics and policy advice
  • administration
  • media
  • civil society / NGOs / associations
  • (Socio-)Economic and political civic education

 

Program Structure and Core Content

 

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The Planned Modules and Core Content

Macroeconomic Analysis

   • National accounting
   • Institutions of monetary, fiscal and wage policies
   • Social and ecological embeddedness of the economy
   • History of macroeconomics
   • Historical and current economic policy controversies and challenges
   • Macroeconomic and political-economic modelling
   • International macroeconomics
   • Varieties of capitalism and growth models

Economy – History – Philosophy

   • Fundamentals of European intellectual history and current economic policy discourses
   • History of economic thought
   • Economic paradigms
   • Comparative analysis of economic and philosophical theories and approaches
   • Multi-perspectival view on societal challenges
   • Modern economic history

Comparison of Economic and Social Systems

   • Comparison of different varieties of capitalism (Varieties of Capitalism, Growth Models)
   • Comparative analysis of welfare states, labor market regimes, industrial relations and occupational training systems
   • Socio-Economic processes of change (e. g. inequality, technological change, deindustrialization, financialization, globalization), their political causes and consequences
   • Socio-Economic dimension of political conflicts

Methods of Socio-Economic Research

   • Philosophy of science in economics
   • Social ontology
   • Methodological foundations of the social sciences
   • Fundamentals of data processing in the social sciences
   • Fundamentals of econometrics
   • Applied econometrics

State and Economy

   • Basic functions and challenges of government activity and public finances
   • Methods of public finance analysis
   • Institutional studies: government revenue and expenditure in the federal system of Germany and in Europe
   • Multiparadigmatic impact analysis of state activity and public finances, in particular their implications for distribution
   • International tax competition, tax evasion and tax avoidance

Inequality – Growth – Ecology

   • Inequality of income and wealth: measurement, causes, consequences and measures of distribution policy
   • Theories of growth and distribution
   • Relationship between distribution and growth
   • Ecological economics
   • Methods of inequality research

 

Occupational Fields & Possible Career Paths

Graduates of the MA in Socioeconomics have a wide range of career options. During their studies, students can focus on research-oriented seminars and prepare for an academic career. Alternatively, the strong focus on application in the program can also lead to numerous career options in the areas of politics and administration, public policy advice, journalism and media, as well as NGOs. Valuable connections in these respective fields can be made during the program. Cooperations with universities abroad enable an additional broadening of students’ horizons and provide additional contacts to international academics and students.

 

Application

Admission criteria: Successful completion of a BA or an equivalent program (180 ECTS) in the field of the social and economic sciences or a neighboring discipline with elements from the economic / social sciences in your studies.

Further information on the application procedure

Further information to be published soon. You can find information on the application procedure in German language here.

 

​ Your contact person at the Institute for Socio-Economics Dr. Daniela Strüngmann Managing Director at the Institute for Socio-Economics Tel.: +49 - (0) 203 - 379 - 1590 studium.ifso@uni-due.de

 

 

 

 

Language

The courses are held partly in German and partly in English. All exams can be held in both languages. Students can take additional language courses at the Foreign Language Center and receive further support if required.

 

Flyer

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Open / save the course flyer as a PDF file