Founding Statement

Association for SocioEconomic Education and Research (ASEER)

Interdisciplinary thinking and research have become established concepts over recent years. The Association for SocioEconomic Education and Research (ASEER) represents a response to calls for a renewal of education and research in the economic sciences. The Association understands economics as a multi-paradigmatic social science, and subscribes to the principles of interdisciplinarity, plurality, controversy, and continuous ethical reflection. This applies to both university and school teaching, with the demand for (greater) pluralism applying across the spectrum of institutions.

We need university and teacher training concepts that connect the perspectives and findings of the central related disciplines – economics, sociology and politics. This will enable not only networked, meaningful learning and study, but also the development of (more) sophisticated approaches for addressing real social, political and economic problems. In order to analyse the interactions between politics, the economy and society, and their sometimes different logics, however, teaching methods must draw the connections between these spheres.

As things stand today, many economics curricula isolate the topic of the economy from its societal, political, historic and cultural contexts. This promotes one-sided worldviews and inadequately differentiated problem perceptions, restricts the opportunities for influence, and makes the search for solutions difficult or impossible. Problem-driven, interdisciplinary and pluralistic approaches are therefore required to tackle social problems and political challenges. Economic questions need to be analysed and reflected in their social, ecological, political and cultural contexts. This applies similarly to the financial and state debt crisis that has now dragged on for years, and to questions concerning the fiscal, social and transport systems.

Pluralistic, multidisciplinary research on school education and university teaching in the field of socioeconomics is already in progress. But the diverse activities remain scattered. Now there is a venue for academic exchange and an address for public notice: the Association for SocioEconomic Education and Research (ASEER). Its brief is to disseminate, deepen and anchor multidisciplinary, interdisciplinary, pluralist and problem-led approaches in schools and universities. And above all, to initiate, coordinate and publicise relevant research.

One central impetus for founding ASEER came from the Initiative for Better Economic Education, which was established informally in 2011. The idea of founding a dedicated Association arose in the course of discussions with researchers working on pluralism and problem-orientation in school and university education. We are very pleased that ASEER has already gained the support of numerous individuals beyond its founding membership. ASEER sees itself as an open network of academic researchers working on questions of socioeconomics and/or socioeconomic education. As a scientific society, ASEER will promote academic exchange, network research initiatives, and contribute to academic and education-related policy consultation. Institutionalised channels will systematically bring together socioeconomics sociology, teacher training, higher education didactics, and educational policy as they relate to education and training in the field of economics.

Over and above lending visibility to the network and its activities, ASEER will encourage theoretically driven, empirically grounded and scientifically and politically relevant education and research. To that end, the Association offers various options for participation and exchange:

  1. Workshops, colloquia, and seminars,
  2. Sections for specific disciplines and issues,
  3. Publication and promotion of relevant publications,
  4. Participation in policy consultation.

The Association was founded by more than a dozen academics at a meeting in Frankfurt am Main on 6 October 2016, and is run by its members. Working groups and sections will be set up at a networking meeting at the Akademie für Politische Bildung in Tutzing, Bavaria, on 17/18 March 2017. Anyone working in this field of teaching and/or research is welcome to join. Others may register as supporters. Further information and updates (in German) can be found on our website: http://soziooekonomie-bildung.eu/.

Following persons support the Association for SocioEconomic Education and Research (AS*EER):

  • Prof. Dr. Thomas Beschorner | Professor for Business Ethics and Director of the Institute for Business Ethics | University of St.Gallen
  • Prof. Dr. Hans-Jürgen Bieling | Chair for Political Economy at the Institute of Political Science | University of Tübingen
  • Prof. Dr. Tim Engartner | Professor for Social Sciences with a focus on economic education | University of Cologne
  • Prof. i.r. Dr. Gerd E Famulla | Chair of Economics and its Didactics | University of Flensburg
  • Prof. Dr. Andreas Fischer | Professorship for economic education and didactics | Leuphana University of Lüneburg
  • Prof. Dr. Daniel Fischer | Junior professorship for Sustainability Science | Institute for Environmental & Sustainability Communication (INFU) | Leuphana University of Lüneburg
  • Prof. Dr. Christian Fridrich | Professorship for Geography and Economics | University College of Teacher Education in Vienna
  • Dr. Christoph Gran | Netzwerk Plurale Ökonomik
  • Prof. Dr. Silja Graupe | Professor for Economics and philosophy | Cusanus Hochschule
  • Prof. Dr. Udo Hagedorn | Professor of Social Science Education | Bielefeld University
  • Prof. Dr. Reinhold Hedtke | Professorship for Didactics of Social Sciences and Economic Sociology | Bielefeld University
  • Prof. Dr. Arne Heise | Professor for Finance and Public Governance | University of Hamburg
  • Prof. Dr. Stefanie Hiß | Professorship of Sociology with a focus on markets, organisations and governance | University of Jena
  • Prof. Dr. Martin Höpner | Research group leader at Max Planck Institute for the Study of Societies
  • Prof. Dr. Gustav Horn | Scientific Director at Macroeconomic Policy Institute of Hans Böckler Stiftung
  • Prof. Dr. Dirk Lange | Chair of didactics of civic education | Leibniz University Hannover
  • Prof. Dr. Sighard Neckel | Professorship for sociology with an emphasis on social analysis and social change | University of Hamburg
  • Prof. Dr. Werner Nienhüser | Chair of Business Administration, in particular Work, Human Resource Management and Organization Studies | University of Duisburg-Essen
  • Prof. Dr. Andreas Nölke | Professor of Political Science, in particular International Relations and International Political Economy | Goethe University Frankfurt
  • Prof. Dr. Andreas Oehler | Chair of Finance | Bamberg University
  • Prof. Dr. Walter Oetsch | Professorship for Economics and Cultural History | Cusanus Hochschule
  • Prof. Dr. Stephan Panther | Professorship for Economics and Interdisciplinary Institutional Research | Cusanus Hochschule
  • Prof. Dr. Dr. Helge Peukert | apl. Professorship for Public Finance and Financial Sociology | University of Erfurt
  • Prof. Dr. Jack Reardon | Professorship for Economics, Marketing, and Strategy | Hamline University
  • Prof. em. Dr. Sibylle Reinhardt | Professorship for Didactics of Social Studies | Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg
  • Prof. Dr. Ulf Schrader | Chair of Economic Education and Sustainable Consumption | Technische Universität Berlin
  • Prof. Dr. Georg Tafner | Professor of Business Education | Humboldt University of Berlin
  • Prof. Dr. Matthias Thiemann | Professor for European Public Policy | Sciences Po Paris
  • Prof. Dr. Till van Treeck | Professor at the Institute for Socio-Economics | University of Duisburg-Essen
  • Prof. Dr. Birgit Weber | Professor for Social Sciences with a focus on Economic Education | University of Cologne
  • Prof. Dr. Tatjana Zimenkova | Professor of Sociology at the Faculty of Society and Economics | Rhine-Waal University of Applied Sciences
  • Prof. Dr. Bettina Zurstrassen | Professor for Didactics of Social Sciences | Bielefeld University

The members of the Executive Board are as follows (as at October 2016):

  • Prof. Dr. Tim Engartner (Spokesman of the Executive Board)
  • Prof. Dr. Silja Graupe (Deputy Spokeswoman of the Executive Board)
  • Prof. Dr. Andreas Fischer (Treasurer)
  • Dr. Christoph Gran
  • Prof. Dr. Udo Hagedorn
  • Prof. Dr. Reinhold Hedtke
  • Prof. Dr. Georg Tafner
  • Prof. Dr. Till van Treeck
  • Prof. Dr. Bettina Zurstrassen

Frankfurt/Main, October 06, 2016