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Exploring the Social and Political Foundations of Modern Economies

The Max Planck Institute for the Study of Societies (MPIfG) conducts basic research on the governance of modern societies. It aims to develop an empirically based theory of the social and political foundations of modern economies by investigating the interrelation between economic, social, and political action.

Independent and Non-Profit

The MPIfG is one of the more than eighty institutes of the Max Planck Society (MPG). The MPG is an independent, non-profit, non-university research organization that is primarily financed with public funds. Max Planck Institutes are independent and autonomous in the choice and pursuit of their research interests.

International Cooperation

The MPIfG works closely with partners pursuing comparable research interests in the social sciences. Cooperation, interdisciplinary thinking, and worldwide networking between research institutions and researchers are prerequisites for excellent research and results.

News

Doctoral Positions in Economic Sociology and Political Economy

The Max Planck Research School on the Social and Political Constitution of the Economy (IMPRS-SPCE) is looking for doctoral researchers. Research at the School explores the social and political foundations of modern economies and examines the interrelation between economic and social action. The IMPRS-SPCE welcomes applications from researchers from Germany and abroad, with a master’s degree in sociology, political science, economics, or a related field. The application deadline is February 15, 2026.

people at a table with laptops, with text saying "MAX CPE Workshop series Comparative Political Economy"

Max Planck Online Workshop in Comparative Political Economy

Our online series on Comparative Political Economy (MAX CPE) is back, with monthly sessions on topics ranging from migration politics and financial nationalism to tax havens and geofinance. Join us February 11, 2026, for the next session by Franziska Cooiman, Humboldt University Berlin: “Asset Politics: The Making of a Green Venture Capital Fund.”

shipping containers with the flags of china, the USA and the EU.

Is globalization over? What tariffs tell us

In her first of three issues as editor of economic sociology. perspectives and conversations, Jeanne Lazarus has brought together scholars from diverse disciplines and continents to examine the nature of US economic policy and its global consequences. Featuring intellectual contributions that help interpret these developments as indicators of broader, long-term dynamics, this issue is less about tariffs than about contemporary capitalism and the political regimes that sustain it.

I capitalismi a confronto: L’economia politica comparata in venti lezioni

Dark blue book cover with abstract golden lines, title “The Game” by Hannah Pool, about migration from Afghanistan to Europe.

Book cover with yellow background and honeycomb pattern. Title: “Understanding Political Economy: Capitalism, Democracy and Inequality.” Authors: Bob Hancké, Toon Van Overbeke, Dustin Voss. Published by Elgar.

A burning globe is visible through the window. Two people are sitting on sofas, one reading while the other holds their cell phone.

Aerial view of a container ship in the canal, accompanied by tugboats. Book cover shows title “Taking Back Control? States and State Systems After Globalism” by Wolfgang Streeck.

Rotes Buchcover mit schwarzem Schriftzug: „Failure by Design”, darunter in Weiß: „The California Energy Crisis and the Limits of Market Planning” von Georg Rilinger.

Das Bild zeigt das Buchcover zu Jens Beckerts "Verkaufte Zukunft: Warum der Kampf gegen den Klimawandel zu scheitern droht".

Red book cover, editor Smail Rapic, title “Ways out of Capitalism?”, conversations with Colin Crouch, Nancy Fraser, Claus Offe, Wolfgang Streeck, Joseph Vogl, published by Nomos and Karl Alber.

Book cover with abstract black brush drawing, title: “Austerity From the Left” by Björn Bremer, Oxford University Press.

The Rise of Central Banks: State Power in Financial Capitalism

Book cover “Behördenconsulting” (Government Consulting) by Alina Marktanner. Topic: Management consultants in the administration of the Federal Republic of Germany, 1970s to 2000s. Publisher: De Gruyter Oldenbourg.

The book cover shows “Capital Claims: Power and Global Finance” with a polluted riverbank and London skyscrapers in the background.

The cover of Democracy at Work shows gears formed from a crowd of people, with authors Ruth Dukes and Wolfgang Streeck. The subtitle is Contract, Status, and Post-Industrial Justice.

A snail on stacked blocks symbolises slow growth; the book title ‘Diminishing Returns’ is visible.

MPIfG Discussion Papers

MPIfG Discussion Papers present results from ongoing research and contribute to current scholarly and public debate. They are subject to internal peer review and published open access.

MPIfG Journal Articles

Articles by MPIfG researchers that have previously been published in peer-reviewed journals are published online in the MPIfG Journal Articles series.

Crowley, Ned, Rebecca Elliott, Leon Wansleben

Fiscal Relations in Multilevel Climate Governance: How Conditional Project Grants Shape Local Climate Action. In: Environment and Planning C: Politics and Space, 2025.

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Marenco, Matteo

Welfare State and Platform Workers’ Protection: The Role of Government Ideology in France and Italy. In: Competition & Change, 2025.

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Bremer, Björn, Robin Hetzel

Political Alignment and the Distribution of Investment Subsidies: Quasi-Experimental Evidence from Germany. In: Public Choice, 2025.

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