Current News

Sanctions are useless, always hit the wrong people and are only a means for the strong countries to subjugate the small ones. This is one view of sanctions on the left. The other sees sanctions as a pacifist alternative to military attacks, as a way to avoid war. We explore this controversy in our new episode and debunk some of the myths surrounding sanctions. In the Rosa Luxemburg Foundation's peace podcast "dis:arm" with Linda Peikert and Jan van Aken, Prof. Dr. Gerald Schneider comments on…

Jun.-Prof. Dr. Jan Vogler gave a guest lecture on "Pandemics and Political Development: The Electoral Legacy of the Black Death in Germany" at the Danish Institute for Advanced Study. You can watch the lecture here. The academic article can be accessed here.

We're excited to announce that registration is officially open for the Konstanz Methods Excellence Workshops (komex), brought to you by the University of Konstanz in collaboration with the Methods Excellence Network (MethodsNET). You can explore our course offerings and secure your spot by visiting our registration page here.

The Workshop stars on February 22, 2024 (short courses) and February 26, 2024 (main courses) at the University of Konstanz, Germany (for in-person courses) and online.

W…

Jun.-Prof. Dr. Jan Vogler has been appointed co-organiser of the Virtual Workshop in Historical Political Economy (VWHPE). The first special session of the VWHPE will take place on 21 September at 5 p.m. on "The State and Future of Historical Political Economy". Those interested can register here. Further information on the workshop can be found here. 

In a survey, the Chamber of Industry and Commerce (IHK) Hochrhein-Bodensee found out that for young people leisure time plays a major role in their lives while professional career is rather less important for many. Prof. Florian Kunze puts these results into context in SWR Aktuell and notes that older generations would also emphasise the importance of work-life balance in current surveys. You can find the entire article in German here.

The newspaper Computerwoche reports the results of Benjamin Kormann's study. The study investigated the effects of better treatment by managers on employees. You can find the whole article in German here.

The University of Konstanz wants to improve the working conditions for doctoral students and academic staff. It wants to guarantee doctoral students a 3-year employment contract. Among others, Adrian Bidlingmaier was interviewed on Deutschlandfunk about the conditions at the University of Konstanz. You can listen the entire report in German here. 

Prof. Sven Jochem explains in the Swedish daily Dagens Nyheter the current discussions in the CDU about the "firewall" proclaimed by Friedrich Merz against the AfD. He explains the different positions in the regional associations on the CDU's cooperation with the AfD. You can read the article in Swedish here.

In an essay by Nils Wischmeyer, the Süddeutsche Zeitung reports on the results of the Inequality Barometer by Marius R. Busemeyer, Nanna Lauritz Schönhage, Sharon Baute, Luna Bellani and Guido Schwerdt of the Cluster of Excellence "The Politics of Inequality". It shows that most people consider themselves to be part of the middle class even though they do not belong to it. It also explains why rich people underestimate how well off they are. You can read the essay in German here.