Growth and the 'sociale Frage'

We would like to thank everyone who lectured, presented, discussed, exhibited and, above all, organised on site. Here you can see some pictures from the conference.

Kerntagung 2023: Growth and the 'sociale Frage'

Founded in 1873 in the context of the intellectual debate about the "social question," the Verein für Socialpolitik has since developed into the largest professional association of economists in the German-speaking countries. During the same period, the economies of Germany, Austria and Switzerland have experienced an unprecedented growth trajectory: despite crises, wars and institutional breaks, real incomes per capita have increased more than tenfold. In its three keynote talks, this year's core conference — marking the 150th anniversary of the Verein — will look back on this remarkable intellectual and economic development.

The talk by Albrecht Ritschl (London School of Economics) takes a tour through the Verein's history as an academic social policy club, caught between contradictory policy goals and a conflicted relationship with emerging neoclassical economics. Charlotte Bartels (DIW) will address the issue of economic inequality that moved the association's founders. Her talk investigates the long-run dynamics of income and wealth distributions, particularly the role of economic growth. Finally, the presentation by Dietrich Vollrath (University of Houston) allows a cautious look into the future: he discusses the origins of the recent slowdown in economic growth and what that might imply for future growth in Germany and the rest of the developed world.

The core conference panel will address the question of what the "sociale Frage" means in the 21st century.