Diplomacy & Defense Think Tank News

Die Abteilung Makroökonomie analysiert gesamtwirtschaftliche Zusammenhänge mit empirischen und theoretischen Methoden. Die Forschungsarbeiten der Abteilung ordnen sich den drei Themenbereichen Konjunkturpolitik der europäischen Währungsunion, Makroökonomie und Verteilung und Makroökonomische Aspekte des Klimawandels zu. In den Forschungsarbeiten werden Modelle entwickelt und Datensätze generiert. Die Forschungsergebnisse bilden die Grundlage für die Infrastruktur der Prognose und Politikberatung. So fließen die Ergebnisse direkt in die Prognosen des DIW Berlin und die Gemeinschaftsdiagnose ein.

Zum nächstmöglichen Zeitpunkt suchen wir für ein Projekt im Bereich „Konjunkturprognose“ eine*n Wissenschaftliche*n Mitarbeiter*in (w/m/div) (für den Zeitraum 1. Januar 2026 bis 30. Juni 2026, Teilzeit mit 75% der regulären Arbeitszeit).

Along the southern coast of India, hard protective infrastructure has become the default response to increasingly frequent cyclones and severe coastal erosion. However, such interventions not only intensify erosion by disrupting sand movement, but also obscure its root causes, which are often contested through diverging narratives and knowledge claims about the sand and the sea. Making use of the burgeoning literature on ‘geosociality’ and ‘situated knowledges’, this paper interrogates how knowledge about coastal dynamics is produced, legitimised and contested in shaping these protective measures. Drawing on multi-sited ethnographic fieldwork, including interviews and participant observation among ocean engineers, policymakers and artisanal fishers, we unravel the diverging and oftentimes contested epistemologies that shape how uncertain coastal futures are navigated. By examining the social entanglements with geomorphic processes such as sand movement and erosion, we show how different forms of knowledge adapt to the unpredictability of the sea, yet with uneven socio-spatial consequences, particularly for artisanal fishers. We argue that coastal protection practices are embedded in epistemic hierarchies that prioritise technical expertise and predictive science, rendering fishers' situated knowledges less legitimate in decision-making. By situating both livelihood practices and scientific modelling within their social and epistemic contexts, we demonstrate how confronting uncertainty can challenge power asymmetries that shape knowledge production. Rather than defaming engineering knowledge, we call for complementary approaches that recognise uncertainty, complexity and the value of co-produced knowledge. Situating fishers' knowledges alongside modelling practices provides openings for re-politicising adaptation and rethinking whose expertise counts in shaping coastal futures.

Along the southern coast of India, hard protective infrastructure has become the default response to increasingly frequent cyclones and severe coastal erosion. However, such interventions not only intensify erosion by disrupting sand movement, but also obscure its root causes, which are often contested through diverging narratives and knowledge claims about the sand and the sea. Making use of the burgeoning literature on ‘geosociality’ and ‘situated knowledges’, this paper interrogates how knowledge about coastal dynamics is produced, legitimised and contested in shaping these protective measures. Drawing on multi-sited ethnographic fieldwork, including interviews and participant observation among ocean engineers, policymakers and artisanal fishers, we unravel the diverging and oftentimes contested epistemologies that shape how uncertain coastal futures are navigated. By examining the social entanglements with geomorphic processes such as sand movement and erosion, we show how different forms of knowledge adapt to the unpredictability of the sea, yet with uneven socio-spatial consequences, particularly for artisanal fishers. We argue that coastal protection practices are embedded in epistemic hierarchies that prioritise technical expertise and predictive science, rendering fishers' situated knowledges less legitimate in decision-making. By situating both livelihood practices and scientific modelling within their social and epistemic contexts, we demonstrate how confronting uncertainty can challenge power asymmetries that shape knowledge production. Rather than defaming engineering knowledge, we call for complementary approaches that recognise uncertainty, complexity and the value of co-produced knowledge. Situating fishers' knowledges alongside modelling practices provides openings for re-politicising adaptation and rethinking whose expertise counts in shaping coastal futures.

Along the southern coast of India, hard protective infrastructure has become the default response to increasingly frequent cyclones and severe coastal erosion. However, such interventions not only intensify erosion by disrupting sand movement, but also obscure its root causes, which are often contested through diverging narratives and knowledge claims about the sand and the sea. Making use of the burgeoning literature on ‘geosociality’ and ‘situated knowledges’, this paper interrogates how knowledge about coastal dynamics is produced, legitimised and contested in shaping these protective measures. Drawing on multi-sited ethnographic fieldwork, including interviews and participant observation among ocean engineers, policymakers and artisanal fishers, we unravel the diverging and oftentimes contested epistemologies that shape how uncertain coastal futures are navigated. By examining the social entanglements with geomorphic processes such as sand movement and erosion, we show how different forms of knowledge adapt to the unpredictability of the sea, yet with uneven socio-spatial consequences, particularly for artisanal fishers. We argue that coastal protection practices are embedded in epistemic hierarchies that prioritise technical expertise and predictive science, rendering fishers' situated knowledges less legitimate in decision-making. By situating both livelihood practices and scientific modelling within their social and epistemic contexts, we demonstrate how confronting uncertainty can challenge power asymmetries that shape knowledge production. Rather than defaming engineering knowledge, we call for complementary approaches that recognise uncertainty, complexity and the value of co-produced knowledge. Situating fishers' knowledges alongside modelling practices provides openings for re-politicising adaptation and rethinking whose expertise counts in shaping coastal futures.

Am IDOS setzen wir uns für eine nachhaltige Entwicklung unseres Unternehmens ein – ökologisch, sozial und ökonomisch – und tragen durch Forschung, Beratung und Ausbildung zu nachhaltigen Transformationen weltweit bei. Dabei verstehen wir Nachhaltigkeit nicht als einmaliges Ziel, sondern als einen fortlaufenden Prozess, den wir mit Verantwortung und Weitblick gestalten wollen. Nachhaltiges Handeln im betrieblichen Alltag ist für uns eine Selbstverpflichtung, die wir mit Überzeugung und Kontinuität verfolgen. Unser Anspruch ist es, heute so zu handeln, dass auch morgen noch gute Arbeitsbedingungen und ein verantwortungsvoller Umgang mit natürlichen Ressourcen möglich sind. Mit dem vorliegenden Bericht legen wir erstmals eine Bilanz unserer Treibhausgasemissionen für den Zeitraum 2022 bis 2023 vor.

Am IDOS setzen wir uns für eine nachhaltige Entwicklung unseres Unternehmens ein – ökologisch, sozial und ökonomisch – und tragen durch Forschung, Beratung und Ausbildung zu nachhaltigen Transformationen weltweit bei. Dabei verstehen wir Nachhaltigkeit nicht als einmaliges Ziel, sondern als einen fortlaufenden Prozess, den wir mit Verantwortung und Weitblick gestalten wollen. Nachhaltiges Handeln im betrieblichen Alltag ist für uns eine Selbstverpflichtung, die wir mit Überzeugung und Kontinuität verfolgen. Unser Anspruch ist es, heute so zu handeln, dass auch morgen noch gute Arbeitsbedingungen und ein verantwortungsvoller Umgang mit natürlichen Ressourcen möglich sind. Mit dem vorliegenden Bericht legen wir erstmals eine Bilanz unserer Treibhausgasemissionen für den Zeitraum 2022 bis 2023 vor.

Am IDOS setzen wir uns für eine nachhaltige Entwicklung unseres Unternehmens ein – ökologisch, sozial und ökonomisch – und tragen durch Forschung, Beratung und Ausbildung zu nachhaltigen Transformationen weltweit bei. Dabei verstehen wir Nachhaltigkeit nicht als einmaliges Ziel, sondern als einen fortlaufenden Prozess, den wir mit Verantwortung und Weitblick gestalten wollen. Nachhaltiges Handeln im betrieblichen Alltag ist für uns eine Selbstverpflichtung, die wir mit Überzeugung und Kontinuität verfolgen. Unser Anspruch ist es, heute so zu handeln, dass auch morgen noch gute Arbeitsbedingungen und ein verantwortungsvoller Umgang mit natürlichen Ressourcen möglich sind. Mit dem vorliegenden Bericht legen wir erstmals eine Bilanz unserer Treibhausgasemissionen für den Zeitraum 2022 bis 2023 vor.

Die Buhrufe gegen Captain Granit Xhaka beim Nati-Gastspiel in Pristina sorgen für emotionale Reaktionen. Selbst Spieler des kosovarischen Teams stellen sich hinter den Schweizer Leader.

Der erste Schnee ist in den Bergen gefallen. Doch jetzt wird auch das Flachland weiss. Es geht am Mittwochabend los. Der Bund warnt für mehrere Kantone.

Am Mittwoch hat sich in Knutwil im Kanton Luzern ein schlimmer Unfall ereignet. Beim Crash zwischen einem Post-Zustellfahrzeug und einem Volkswagen kam eine Pöstlerin ums Leben.

Morgen Donnerstag um 7 Uhr geht der erste Costco direkt an der Grenze zu Basel auf. Der US-Detailhändler wittert mit Schweizer Einkaufstouristen das grosse Geschäft – Tiefstpreise gibts aber nur für Mitglieder.

Ein spektakulärer Raubüberfall hält Serbien auf Trab. Unbekannte Täter überfielen am Montag einen Geldtransporter und flüchteten mit einer Beute von zwei Millionen Euro. Sind sie in den Kosovo geflüchtet?

Startups do not operate in a void and institutions in their direct environment impact them. This working paper is a first in depth field research of a single accelerator in Greece, a country that is relatively lacking in international rankings for innovation and competitiveness. We chose to focus on MIT Enterprise Forum Greece (MITEF Greece, 2015-2022), the only accelerator in the country to be linked to an international university. We used a mixed qualitative and descriptive statistics methodology. Our main findings are that its accelerated startups and their founders stood out in the startup ecosystem in the following ways: founders were a mosaic of local and Diaspora Greeks as well as non-Greeks, startups had a global reach, with a presence in 20 countries and an impressive share in deep tech processes and sectors, thus enhancing substantially the geoeconomic reach of the Greek startup community. Indicatively among the top sectors medicine- life sciences, environment-energy, and technical solutions-robotics stood out from the beginning although this sectoral composition was not usual among startups in the Greek ecosystem especially before 2019. In a nutshell, MITEF Greece accelerated startuppers stood at the cutting edge of the nexus of innovation and internationalization in the Greek startup ecosystem.

How was this made possible? We put forward the hypothesis that this outcome was attained as a result of the following multiple factors: the dedication; high expertise; open mindset; heritage of a culture of trust, reciprocity and strong sense of community (“μαζί”) of the Greek MIT graduates (local, brain drain and Diaspora), who were running MITEF Greece; the careful selection process of startups accepted in acceleration programs; the ample business and technological know-how resources available to MITEF Greece by the vast global MIT entrepreneurship community and its enthusiastic pool of Diaspora Greeks in the USA who were involved in the accelerator and its offspring The Hellenic Innovation Network.

Although the case of MITEF Greece cannot be exactly replicated, we believe that it offers useful insights for minimizing the disintegration and lack of communication between support organizations and policies for the startup ecosystem. It is an extraordinary example of actively enhancing internationalization of innovation through commercialization of research results, an important GIFT for Greece at a time of rising deglobalization and global economic fragmentation. This is the ultimate lesson derived from this case study.

Read here in pdf the study by Ioanna Sapfo Pepelasis, Professor Emerita, Athens University of Economics and Business (AUEB);
Senior Research Fellow at ELIAMEP; Jenny Vidali, MA, College of Europe; Athanasios Kolokythas, PhD student, Toulouse School of Economics (TSE). Research assistance was provided by: Tigran Ghalümyan,Grant Thornton and George Themelis, Senior year undergraduate student, Athens University of Economics and Business (AUEB).

Click here to view a visual representation of the main findings, presented through tables and infographics.

DIW-Studie untersucht Schwachstellen des EU-Emissionshandels und CO2-Grenzausgleichs – Aktuelle Ausgestaltung führt zu Zielkonflikt zwischen Klimaneutralität und Wettbewerbsfähigkeit europäischer Industrie – Reform mithilfe einer Clean Industry Contribution bringt beide Ziele in Einklang Die ...

Studie auf Basis des Open Energy Tracker beleuchtet aktuelle Entwicklungen im Energiesektor – Gute Rahmenbedingungen für Ausbau erneuerbarer Energien – Nachholbedarf bei Stromspeichern und Sektorenkopplung – Klarer Fokus auf verfügbare und effiziente Technologien nötig, um Klimaziele zu erreichen ...

The global development architecture is under the spotlight. This refers to the broad architecture of actors, norms, instruments and institutions that mobilise and coordinate resources, knowledge and political support for development goals. Within this system, Official Development Assistance (ODA) is a core financial instrument, primarily provided by OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) DAC (Development Assistance Committee) members. It functions alongside other modalities such as South–South cooperation, climate finance, philanthropic aid and private-sector engagement.

The global development architecture is under the spotlight. This refers to the broad architecture of actors, norms, instruments and institutions that mobilise and coordinate resources, knowledge and political support for development goals. Within this system, Official Development Assistance (ODA) is a core financial instrument, primarily provided by OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) DAC (Development Assistance Committee) members. It functions alongside other modalities such as South–South cooperation, climate finance, philanthropic aid and private-sector engagement.

The global development architecture is under the spotlight. This refers to the broad architecture of actors, norms, instruments and institutions that mobilise and coordinate resources, knowledge and political support for development goals. Within this system, Official Development Assistance (ODA) is a core financial instrument, primarily provided by OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) DAC (Development Assistance Committee) members. It functions alongside other modalities such as South–South cooperation, climate finance, philanthropic aid and private-sector engagement.

We argue that following the rise of new partners such as the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Kenya’s problem is no longer access to finance, but rather the governance of finance. In other words, the question is not simply how much money the country can borrow or from whom, but whether its institutions are capable of turning loans into productive investments rather than patronage networks. As the debt burden mounts, Kenya’s ability to prevent growing options for economic partnerships from undermining domestic accountability will determine whether its infrastructure boom becomes a foundation for long-term development or a monument to short-term political ambition.

We argue that following the rise of new partners such as the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Kenya’s problem is no longer access to finance, but rather the governance of finance. In other words, the question is not simply how much money the country can borrow or from whom, but whether its institutions are capable of turning loans into productive investments rather than patronage networks. As the debt burden mounts, Kenya’s ability to prevent growing options for economic partnerships from undermining domestic accountability will determine whether its infrastructure boom becomes a foundation for long-term development or a monument to short-term political ambition.