German Council of Science and Humanities Recommends ZEW to Be Included on the "Blue List"

The Centre for European Economic Research (ZEW) in Mannheim was given high accreditation in the current publication of the German Science Council’s assessment report. ZEW was praised for having turned into a centre of excellence for empirical and policy-oriented economic research in Germany since its foundation in 1990. According to the report, ZEW is a competent discussion and cooperation partner for universities and non-university research institutions, as well as a highly-sought provider of economic policy advice due to its research profile and so far successful work. The German Science Council therefore recommends ZEW to be included on the Blue List. The Mannheim-based economic research institute thus officially belongs to a special list of research institutes in Germany which are funded jointly by the Federal Government and the Länder as a result of their supraregional importance and in the interest of national science policy. The issued recommendation by the German Science Council is a precondition for ZEW to be included on the Blue List and forms the basis for the decision of the Bund-Länder Commission for Educational Planning and Research Promotion (BLK) on the future joint funding of ZEW by the Federal Government and the Länder.

The same strict scientific guidelines known from prior evaluation proceedings other economic research institutes had to undergo were of course also applied to the relatively new ZEW. This is why the scientific accreditation by the Science Council is all the more gratifying: ZEW fully complies with the notion that a high-quality scientific basis is the precondition for well-founded economic policy advice.

The Science Council considers it exemplary of ZEW to have established a research professorship at their institute. Research professors are tenured professors at German universities, especially at the University of Mannheim, who are actively guiding research projects at ZEW. In the opinion of the Science Council, university and non-university research was thus combined in an exemplary manner – an arrangement from which both sides could only benefit.

In the course of its eight years of existence, ZEW has turned into an economic research institute that does not have to shy away from national and international comparison according to the assessment report of the Science Council. This becomes obvious when considering the high proportion of third-party funding (40 per cent) in relation to a budget of around 17 million marks. Since its foundation, ZEW has attracted approximately 35 million marks in third-party funding. This was made possible first and foremost by the strong commitment of the institute’s 109 employees working in the research and service departments, the majority of which (76 employees) are engaged in investigation.

ZEW has a qualification funding programme, which supports the research efforts of its staff. The programme offers the possibility of a one year research sabbatical for scientific staff, during which they can finish their doctoral or postdoctoral thesis, as part of their usually five-year activity at ZEW. This kind of support to advance the scientific careers of its staff is evaluated particularly positively by the Science Council. According to the evaluation group, it furthermore becomes apparent that doctoral and postdoctoral candidates are provided with important impulses by ZEW’s reputation in terms of scientific research and by the resulting possibility for them to get in contact with renowned German and foreign scientists, which makes a work experience at ZEW advantageous for them with regard to their professional careers. 

The Science Council particularly emphasises ZEW's focus on microeconomic problems as well as on internationally comparative analyses in the European context. In this way, the institute has established its own clearly defined profile within the German economic research landscape. Furthermore, ZEW succeeded in distinguishing itself thematically from other non-university economic research institutes. 

The databases installed and maintained at ZEW, such as the Mannheim Enterprise Panel (MUP) or the Mannheim Innovation Panel Industry/Services Sector are of particular relevance for the Science Council. Those data sets are considered unique and indispensable for corporate R&D. A further development of the data sets and a competent maintenance of the data bases would be desirable. However, this would only be feasible if cuts in the workforce were refrained from in the future.

The flat hierarchical structure at ZEW, which is simply divided into five research departments and two service departments without further subdivisions, is evaluated particularly positively by the Science Council. According to the evaluation report, the scientific work was very good and in some cases even excellent in virtually all project areas. To give a few examples: according to the Science Council’s evaluation, the Research Department "International Finance and Financial Management" distinguishes itself by its close integration of micro- and macroeconomic research approaches and by having installed a new database via the ZEW Financial Market Survey. The Research Department "Labour Markets, Human Resources and Social Policy" received acknowledgement for its fundamental task to balance basic research and economic policy advice, a claim that should be further pursued. The evaluation group of the Scientific Coucil considers the Research Department "Industrial Economics and International Management" to be the core of ZEW’s innovation research. Its research findings substantially contributed to a better understanding of business and market dynamics. The databases installed and maintained by this department are of great value for corporate R&D according to the Scientific Council. In the case of the Research Department "Corporate Taxation and Public Finance", the development of the "European Tax Analyzer" is particularly highlighted, a computer-based model, which facilitates an extraordinarily precise international comparison of the tax burdens of corporationsand the analysis of its investment and innovation effects. The Research Department "Environmental and Resource Economics, Environmental Management" was attested good scientific work on a sound methodological basis which brings about substantial scientific findings. The Service Departments "Information and Communication" and "Knowledge Transfer and Qualification Programmes" are considered to be important for the dissemination of ZEW’s research findings. In particular, the numerous qualification programmes make an important contribution to the exchange between science and practice.

Contact

Katrin Voss, E-mail: voss@zew.de