Publications - MPIfG

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MPIfG Report 1999–2002
SDW scholarship holders
joined in an afternoon
discussion with researchers
from the MPIfG in July 2001
ing the visit, Streeck had discussions with the deputy general secretary of the CGIL
trade union, Guglielmo Epifani, and with representatives of the Party of the Democratic
Left (PDS), among them the former economics minister, Vincenzo Visco.
Since September 11, 2001, a key question of European constitutional development
has been the integration of security and defense policy of Member States.
Researchers at the MPIfG discussed this issue in early 2002 with Jolyon Howorth
from the University of Bath. Howorth is one of the leading authorities on the
development of security cooperation in Europe and the relations between NATO,
the WEU, and the European Union.
In June 2002 Frank Vandenbroucke, Belgian Minister of Social Affairs, gave an
internal talk on “The Debate on the European Constitution and Its Impact on the
European ‘Social Model’.”
Public Relations for Specific Target Groups
In 2001 the MPIfG and the Stiftung der Deutschen
Wirtschaft (SDW, German Business Foundation)
jointly organized an afternoon discussion for SDW
scholarship holders studying in the Aachen/Bonn/
Cologne region. Eighteen participants had the opportunity
to learn about the research program of the
MPIfG and about individual research projects at the
interface of sociology, political science and economics.
MPIfG researchers are often invited to give lectures
at schools. The MPIfG in turn invites groups of
upper-class students from college-track German high
schools to spend a day at the institute. Four classes took advantage of this opportunity
between January 1999 and March 2001. The visits begin with an introduction
to the Max Planck Society and its role in the German research system.
Researchers then present their projects, describing the issues they work on and the
methods they use. Students are encouraged to ask questions and participate in discussions.
In January 2002 the MPIfG invited teachers from a local Gymnasium to
a workshop on “European Welfare States under the Impact of Internationalization.”
The MPIfG’s annual art exhibit is an occasion for the institute to open its doors
to neighbors, friends and the general public. In 1999–2002, the institute hosted
Gereon Heil, Carola Willbrand, Rune Mields and Ute Bartel, all artists that live
and work in the Rhineland.
Among the many in-house seminars the MPIfG organizes, a very popular series
is one in which researchers present their current projects to the support staff. A
media seminar on how to communicate with journalists took place for the first
time in 2002.