DFG Press ReleaseDFG funds new research project on the “Economics of Compliance with Constitutions” (ECC) for three years
23 October 2017
The German Research Foundation (DFG) and the National Science Centre Poland (NCN) just announced their support of a joint research project by economists at the Universities of Hamburg and Warsaw. The project “Economics of Compliance with Constitutions” (ECC) will be funded with over 450,000 euros.
The three-year project aims at analyzing the causes and consequences of countries’ compliance with their constitutions. Whereas countries like Denmark or Norway seem to abide by the rules laid out in their constitutions in minute detail, other countries, such as Pakistan, Russia or Zimbabwe, do not fulfill many of their constitutional promises. The size of these so-called “de jure-de facto gaps” varies significantly across countries, yet relatively little is known about them. Prof. Dr. Stefan Voigt oversees the project at the University of Hamburg: “We are very happy about the approval of our joint research project. The practical relevance of this research for policy-making can hardly be overstated in a time when democracy and rule of law are challenged in countries around the world.”
“Economics of Compliance with Constitutions” (ECC) was one of fifteen projects selected from 72 applications in the field of humanities and social sciences. Prof. Dr. Stefan Voigt is a leading scholar in constitutional economics. His counterpart who is leading the research team in Warsaw, Dr. Katarzyna Metelska-Szaniawska, is a pioneer of the economic analysis of constitutions in Poland. The research team in Hamburg further comprises Prof. Dr. Gerd Mühlheußer, an expert in applied microeconomics, and Dr. Jerg Gutmann, who specializes in political economy.
For questions, please contact Dr. Jerg Gutmann (jerg.gutmann@uni-hamburg.de).