Leaving the academic ivory tower - broadening one’s horizon

Game theory, healthy or unhealthy food and confused consumers: On 21 January 2017, academics of the Faculty of Economic Sciences participated in the third Nacht des Wissens (Night of Knowledge) by holding various lectures and hands-on activities in the ZHG building. Around 25,000 visitors attended the successful event. There was also a high demand for offerings by the Faculty.

A group of master’s students in business administration gained first-hand exposure to businesses through a three-day long trip to various companies in Baden-Württemberg. Organized by Prof. Dr. Jutta Geldermann and her team, the Chair for Production and Logistics, the students visited Andreas Stihl AG & Co. KG, Robert Bosch GmbH, and Daimler AG.

In addition, the Faculty regularly invites representatives from industry, such as managing directors of well-known companies, to participate in the form of presentations during lecturers or talks. For example, in October, Dr. Johannes Teyssen, the CEO of E.ON SE and alumnus of the University of Göttingen, spoke about his daily work routine and introduced his company to interested students and Göttingen community members.

The increasing digitalization of management processes in politics, businesses, consulting and administration was the focal point of the special lecture "Steuern und Besteuerung im Zeitalter der Digitalisierung" (Taxes and Taxation in the Digital Age), organized by Prof. Dr. Andreas Oestreicher (Tax Division) and Prof. Dr. Robert Schwager (Chair of Public Economics) in November. In front of around 140 audience members, Ernst Hüdepohl, Marius Möller, and Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. Clemens Fuest gave brief talks and then participated in a panel discussion with Goettingen academics. Ernst Hüdepohl is the Ministerialdirigent (high-level ministerial position) as well as department head of "Steuer und Organisation" (Tax Administration) of the Lower Saxony Ministry of Finance. Marius Möller is a tax consultant, partner, and member of the management board of PricewaterhouseCoopers GmbH in Frankfurt am Main. Clemens Fuest is the President of the ifo Institute - Leibniz-Institute for Economic Research at the University of Munich.

In December, Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. Lars P. Feld presented the annual report 2017 of the Sachverständigenrat zur Begutachtung der gesamtwirtschaftlichen Entwicklung (German Council of Economic Experts) in Göttingen. The report explains the economic situation at both the national and international levels and discusses its developments. Special emphasis is placed on monetary policy, financial markets, and the labour market. Moreover, the report comprises analyses of public finances in Germany and Europe, as well as international trade. Lars Feld is the Chair for Economic Policy and Constitutional Economics at Albert-Ludwigs-University of Freiburg and is the current president of the Walter Eucken Institute. Since 2011, he is a member of the German Council of Economic Experts. The event was organized by the Centre for European, Governance, and Economic Development Research (cege).