We are thrilled to announce that the German Research Foundation (DFG) has extended funding for the Cluster of Excellence ECONtribute: Markets & Public Policy for another seven years. The decision follows a highly competitive selection process that supports research meeting the highest international standards.

Our Department will continue to play a key role in this interdisciplinary initiative. Professors Sven-Oliver Proksch (Principal Investigator), Michael Bechtel (Cluster Professor), and Chitralekha Basu (Associated Faculty) — together with their teams — will contribute their research on the politics of reforms and responses to economic, environmental, and social challenges such as climate change, European cooperation, and inequality.

This success reflects the Department’s outstanding international visibility, with publications in flagship journals such as APSR, AJPS, JOP, and in global multidisciplinary outlets. We are excited to help shape the future of policy-relevant research at the intersection of politics and markets.