ZEW Economists Inform Visitors of the MS Wissenschaft About Demographic Change

The MS Wissenschaft lay at anchor in Mannheim from July 19-21, 2013. On board of the former cargo ship the exhibition "Alle Generationen in einem Boot" (All generations in the same boat) informs children, teenagers, and adults about different aspects of demographic change in an entertaining way. Last Friday, researchers from the Centre for European Economic Research (ZEW) presented their contribution to the exhibition.

At a press conference on July 19, 2013, Mannheim mayor Dr. Ulrike Freundlieb, Katrin Ellwardt from the Federal Ministry of Education and Research, Prof. Dr. Holger Bonin from ZEW as well as Markus Weißkopf, managing director of the initiative “Science in Dialogue” and organiser of "Alle Generationen in einem Boot!", opened the exhibition.

PD Dr. Friedhelm Pfeiffer and Dr. Karsten Reuß, labour market researchers at ZEW, demonstrated the institute's exhibition piece to journalists on board of the ship. The computer simulation shows the impact of social policy on the demographic development in Germany. By modifying  birth rates, immigration or life expectancy in the simulation, visitors of the exhibition can observe how these alterations affect the demographic development, the average income, and the share of employed persons. The simulation demonstrates visitors how changing some parameters can intensify or reduce demographic change. The simulation is based on a scientific model that shows how education can mitigate the consequences of demographic change.

The MS Wissenschaft lay at anchor in Mannheim on the Rhine Promenade at the Lindenhof from July 19-21, 2013. Entrance to the exhibition ship MS Wissenschaft is free of charge. Daily opening hours are from 10 am to 7 pm. After advance notice, school classes can visit the ship from 9 am.

More information can be found at www.ms-wissenschaft.de (in German language) and www.demografische-chance.de/index.php?id=252.