About the EPIE group

Innovation provides the foundation of economic development; it also is of crucial importance to tackle societal challenges and attain sustainable development goals. Present-day innovation is frequently science-based. It builds on complex linkages between public and private research and development efforts. These linkages involve both entrepereneuial startups and established firms. They are shaped by individual mobility and knowledge flows across organizations, sectors and regions, and evolve over the life cycle of industries as well as the development of the overall system of science and innovation.

Our research contributes to the understanding of how science, innovation and economic development interrelate. It is based on a broad behavioral foundation encompassing insights from economic theory and the neighboring social sciences. We employ econometric and experimental approaches to gain new insights about innovative change in modern economies and to inform evidence-based policy-making.

The EPIE group is closely interlinked with the International Centre for Higher Education Research (INCHER-Kassel), with which most group members are affiliated. We collaborate with many international and German partners (among others, Gothenburg University, HEC Paris, Utrecht University, Hasselt University, the World Bank Research Group and the Institute for Employment Research).

As part of the EPIE group, the Environmental Policy Working Group uses behavioral and transdisciplinary approaches to study issues relevant to the achievement of environmental policy goals. Current projects focus on the reduction of (micro-) plastic pollution of inland waters as well as on rebound effects in firms.

Our research provides the foundation of our teaching activities. Our courses provide students with knowledge and skills for own research activities, but also prepare them for a career outside academia. Preparing our junior researchers for successful careers is a key objective of the EPIE group. We are actively involved in the Graduate School in Economic Behavior and Governance, INCHER Graduate School, as well as the MAGKS Inter-University Doctoral Program.