This lecture series was endowed to commemorate the work of the Anglo-German Foundation for the Study of Modern Industrial Society (1973-2009).
About the Foundation
The Anglo-German Foundation was established in 1973 by an agreement between the British and German governments, on the initiative of the German President at that time, Gustav Heinemann.
During its 36 years, it contributed to the policy process in Britain and Germany by funding comparative research on economic, environmental and social issues and by organising and supporting conferences, seminars, lectures and publications which encourage the exchange of knowledge, ideas and best practice, both between the two countries and between researchers and practitioners.
In 2009, having fulfilled its founding objectives of improving mutual knowledge between the countries and developing a deeper understanding of modern society, it took the decision to close. Its final initiative, Creating Sustainable Growth in Europe, was launched in 2005 and the concluding seminar took place in November 2005.
About the Lecture Series
The first lecture was delivered in 2011 under the auspices of the British Academy by Sir Tony Atkinson on “Britain, Germany and Social Europe 1973-2020”. The series is now managed by NIESR, and takes place in alternate years in London and Berlin on a topic of public policy interest.
Recent lectures in London have featured:
- Volker Wieland, the Chair of Monetary Economics at the Institute for Monetary and Financial Stability, on “Energy Crisis, Inflation and Recession: What Economic Policy is Needed?”
- Jutta Allmendinger, President of the WZB Berlin Social Science Centre and a Professor of educational sociology and labour market research at Humboldt University, on “Good Work in a Transformative World”
- Nicola Fuchs-Schündeln, Professor for Macroeconomics and Development at Goethe University Frankfurt on “Hours worked around the world – facts and driving forces“.
- Clemens Fuest, President of the Ifo Institute for Economic Research since 2016, on: “Global corporations, local taxation: facing the challenge”
- Wolfgang Streeck, economic sociologist and Emeritus Director of the Max Planck Institute for the Study of Societies in Cologne, on “Has capitalism seen its day?”
- Carl Christian Freiherr von Weizsäcker , Emeritus Professor of economics at the University of Cologne, on “Democracy, the Market and Human Behaviour”
Recent lectures in Berlin have featured:
- Professor David Miles, who presented the lecture “How unfair is GDP? The half-life of Economic Injustice”, following an introduction from Rachel King. You can view the programme here.
- John Muellbauer, Senor Research Fellow Nuffield College, Oxford– “Housing, Debt and the Economy: a tale of two countries”
- Dame Helen Wallace, Lady Wallace of Saltaire – “Does the EU need Britain? Does Britain need the EU?”
- John Vickers, Warden of All Souls College, Oxford– “Where are we on banking reform?“