Research Activities at the Center
The Centre for International Economic Relations (ZIW) is a central unit of the Universität Leipzig. Founded in 1987 to promote research in the field of East-West economic relations the ZIW was completely reorganized in 1992/1993. The aim of the ZIW is to promote interdisciplinary research on economic and social development in Central and Eastern European Countries (CEEC) in the context of European integration and global changes. Main research topics are: economic upgrading of CEEC including the institutional framework of this process, EU structural policy and social cohesion, implications of Eastern Enlargement on monetary and financial policy, the deepening and enlarging of the EU, relations of CEEC to their eastern neighbour countries. Another focus is economic cooperation of German enterprises, especially from Leipzig and Saxonia, and enterprises in CEEC.
Research activities are based on interdisciplinary approaches. They take place in the context of project groups, which normally exist for 3-5 years. Researchers come from different faculties of the Universität Leipzig and from CEE oriented institutes in Germany and CEEC, especially from Poland, Czech Republic, Hungary and Estonia. Students and graduate students are invited to take part in research projects. A special feature of ZIW activities is the cooperation between academic researchers and experts from business, politics and administration.
The centre organises the annual Leipziger Weltwirtschaftsseminar, an international conference on special aspects of economic integration of CEEC into the EU.
Results of the research and proceedings of the annual conferences are published in the ZIW’s series “Transformation. Leipziger Beiträge zu Wirtschaft und Gesellschaft” (ISSN 0947-0379)
Research Projects in 2006:
- Large towns in transition processes against the background of European integration and international structural change. A comparative study of economic development and social processes in Leipzig and Wroclaw from 2000 to 2004 (funded by Siemers Stiftung)
- The enlarged European Union between coherence and divergence
- Small and Medium Sized Enterprises of the Service Sector in the Saxonian-Czech Border Region: Competitiveness and Prospects – an Initiative for Further Education for the Small and Medium Sized Service Sector (funded by the EU Interreg III A Programm)
- European Monetary Integration and International Role of the Euro
- Global Imbalances
- Structural Reforms in Germany and Europe
- Purposes and Action Strategies for Cooperative Land Development under Conditions of Decline in the Central Region Mitteldeutschland (funded by the Federal Ministry for Education and Research)
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