Volkswagen Summer School
GOVERNANCE, MARKETS AND INSTITUTIONS: RUSSIA AND GERMANY COMPARED 27.09.2015 - 10.10.2015
Berlin, Germany
Under the coordination of
Freie Universität Berlin, Institute for East European Studies
With the participation of
Hertie School of Governance (Berlin)
German Institute for Economic Research Berlin (DIW)
Higher School of Economics Moscow (HSE Moscow)
European University at St. Petersburg
St. Petersburg State University
Topic
Given the increasing interest in exploring the causes for the institutional and structural varieties of capitalism in advanced and transition economies, this Summer School aims at fostering a network of scholars and experts that focus on the German-Russian comparison. Research topics to be covered include corporate social responsibility in Russia and Germany, the role of culture in economic development, labor standards and the shadow economy, and comparative federalism. A discussion on cutting edge qualitative and quantitative research methods will be facilitated by researchers from a number of renowned German and Russian universities. This includes causal inference in the social sciences, field and lab experiments, and contributions to qualitative and mixed methods. Visits to Berlin research centers and institutions such as the Social Science Research Center Berlin (WZB), the German Institute for Economic Research (DIW Berlin), and the Hertie School of Governance will reveal the comparative advantages of the Berlin-Brandenburg area for advanced scientific inquiry in the social sciences. Last but not least, cultural events will provide participants from abroad a broader perspective on German history and society.
Structure
The program of the Summer School will comprise 80 academic hours of study, combining different study formats (e.g. group work, workshops, lectures), meetings with experts and cultural events.
The following topics will be addressed:
- Social science research on Western and Eastern Europe: Designing a German-RussianGraduate School
- Religion and endogenous institutions: A German-Russian research program
- Modern methods in decision-making: Theory and applications
- Government formation in Central and Eastern Europe: The application of event history analysis
- Anti-corruption strategies in Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union
- Internet and democracy: Reconnecting citizens and politicians?
- “Bad enough governance” in post-Soviet autocracies: A comparative analysis
- Global and local strategies to fight corruption in the post-Soviet space
- Russian energy policy and international institutions
- National growth strategies and welfare state reform in Europe
- Incentives for repeated contracts in public procurement: Empirical study of gasoline procurement in Russia.
- Regional monetary cooperation beyond Europe
- Arbitration of economic disputes: Recent developments in Germany and Russia
- Inclusive organizational culture of social services in Russia: Formal rules vs. informal practices
- Informal entrepreneurial activity in transition economies
- The political economy of inequality
- Institutional and ideological foundations of an alienation: German-Russian relations in crisis
- Multilevel security hierarchies: Germany, Russia and Eurasian Integration
- Institutions and global financial stability
Expenditures
There are no tuition fees. Accommodation for admitted applicants will be booked and covered by the Freie Universität Berlin. Travel cost will be at least partially refunded.
Application
The Summer School faculty will select up to twenty doctoral students and postdoctoral scholars from disciplines such as sociology, political science, economics, social anthropology, law, history and geography. Applications from both EU and non-EU students are welcome.
Deadline for applications is July 15, 2015. A letter of motivation, CV, your most recent academic transcript, and a dissertation abstract are required. Please send your application via email – attached as PDFs – to our Summer School coordinator.
Contact
Freie Universität Berlin
Prof. Theocharis Grigoriadis, C.Sc., Ph.D. grigoriadis@zedat.fu-berlin.de
This Summer School is funded by the Volkswagen Foundation.