ZEW to Contribute Actively to 2015 VfS Annual Conference

The Centre for European Economic Research (ZEW) contributed actively to the 2015 Annual Conference of the Verein für Socialpolitik (VfS, German Economic Association) held at the University of Münster from 6 to 9 September. Besides providing a number of presentations, ZEW also hosted an information stand. About 800 researchers in economics attended this year's international conference of the association, which was dedicated to the topic "Economic Development – Theory and Policy". ZEW researchers provided a total of 18 presentations.

The presentation of recent research findings earned ZEW an important role in the VfS Annual Conference: The three-day event included presentations by ZEW researchers addressing, among others, the following issues: how is demographic change affecting housing prices in large German cities? Why does the minimum wage push down returns to education in the East German crafts sector? Do budgetary rules constrain fiscal policy?

In addition, ZEW hosted an information stand at the University of Münster, where conference participants had the opportunity to catch up on career and further training possibilities at the institute.

As one of the first research institutes of its kind, ZEW participated in the 1997 VfS Annual Conference titled "Financial Markets Caught Between Globalisation, Regulation and Fiscal Policy" held in in Bern, Switzerland, and has since become a regular at the conference. The institute will once again participate in next year's annual conference held in Augsburg.

As an umbrella organisation with an economics and societal research agenda, VfS counts, according to its own reports, around 3,800 personal and institutional members which makes it one of the largest associations of economists in Europe.