Research Groups

Martin Höpner
Heterogeneity within the European Union has increased with each round of enlargement. The EU is made up of countries with widely differing welfare levels, welfare states, industrial relations arrangements, and corporate governance regimes. The extent to which the European economies rely on internal demand and exports varies, too. The research group analyzes how the heterogeneity of European varieties of capitalism shapes European integration. [more]

Leon Wansleben
Public finances assume a critical role in capitalist democracies. The strength of democracy partly depends on whether citizens believe that tax burdens are fairly distributed and used effectively to provide public goods. Public finances are equally important for the viability and stability of capitalist economies. Over the past twenty years Western states have gradually stepped back from their roles in mitigating inequality via fair taxation and public spending. What explains this reduced capacity of states in using public finances for the general public good? The research group addresses this question from a comparative perspective. [more]

Isabell Stamm
The research group "Business, Ownership, and Family Wealth" investigates the changing constitution of family capitalism in Germany with a decided focus on social inequality. It is assumed that private property is a constitutive feature of capitalism per se and that family capitalism is characterized by a dominating influence of families on the capitalist mode of production and economy. [more]