How can economic policy reforms be designed more effectively – and what role does research play in this process? Thomas Dohmen, spokesperson of the Cluster of Excellence ECONtribute: Markets & Public Policy in Bonn, addresses these and other questions in an interview with the General-Anzeiger Bonn.
In light of the Cluster’s extended funding, Dohmen discusses key findings from the first funding phase and outlines goals for the next seven years:
“On the one hand, we want to find out how to make economies more resilient to crises, and on the other, we want to improve the feasibility of our proposals. Policies should be designed in such a way that a majority of the population sees them as fair and important – and actively demands them.”
The conversation also touches on the extent to which scientific recommendations are heeded in politics – and how policy measures, such as those in response to the energy crisis, could be designed more efficiently. A key factor: a realistic understanding of how people actually make decisions and what incentive structures drive them.
You can read the full interview here (in German).