The Max Planck Summer School for Women in Political Economy will be held for the second time in September 2025 to address the continued underrepresentation of women in the field of comparative and international political economy. Hosted by the MPIfG, it aims to establish a network of women working in political economy and to contribute to ameliorating existing gendered inequalities in the field. We invite applications from current PhD students or recent PhD graduates who work in comparative and international political economy or related fields.
Jun 3, 2025 04:30 PM - 06:00 PM (Local Time Germany)
Mischa Stratenwerth
Doing a PhD can be a rather solitary affair. So being anchored in the IMPRS-SPCE has always felt invaluable to me. Joining the research school and the MPIfG puts you in the midst of an inspiring and delightful intellectual community. Add to this the excellent support structures – from the in-house library to the expert administrative and technical staff – and it becomes very hard to find a better environment to focus on your research. Mischa defended his thesis in 2024.
Clara Baumann
Participating in the IMPRS-SPCE was a highly rewarding experience. The small size of the program allowed for a lively intellectual exchange and provided me with an invaluable network of researchers and friends on whom I can always rely. My research stay in Chile and my participation in various international conferences gave me the opportunity to learn directly from leading experts in my field, which was key to developing my dissertation and shaping my intellectual profile. Clara submitted her thesis in 2024.
Elizabeth Soer
The IMPRS-SPCE program provides an ideal opportunity to engage with scholars from diverse disciplinary backgrounds and become part of a vibrant intellectual community. Moreover, the MPIfG is home to friendly and welcoming people that offer academic support and solidarity to help you through the turbulent times of writing a PhD dissertation. Overall, the program offers an academically enriching experience in a collaborative research environment. Elize defended her thesis in 2024.
Michael Kemmerling
The IMPRS-SPCE is THE place to be as a doctoral researcher in political economy or economic sociology. The school is highly specialized, offers intensive training in methods and theory, and provides excellent administrative support. This supportive environment has allowed me to deepen my skills and focus on my research. Opportunities to attend conferences, a research stay abroad, and the many events with leading scholars were not only intellectually stimulating but also expanded my international network. Michael defended his thesis in 2023.
Camilla Locatelli
High-level research, an excellent structure, and interdisciplinarity are the three factors that made my experience at the IMPRS-SPCE particularly valuable. The graduate school brings together a community of scholars from all over the world, and the program is structured to give students a high degree of freedom while providing support to complete the dissertation within the funding years. In addition, the MPIfG offers a stimulating environment with a wide range of events that enable doctoral students to get in touch with different academic communities. Camilla defended her thesis in 2024.
Aiming to combine and develop the approaches of economic sociology, comparative and international political economy, and organization studies, the School’s research investigates the complex linkages between economic and social action.
The IMPRS-SPCE admits up to eight students a year. The ability to do scholarly work in English is a prerequisite for admission. We welcome students from Germany and abroad.
Based at the Max Planck Institute for the Study of Societies in the heart of southern Cologne (the Südstadt) and the University of Cologne, graduate students at the IMPRS-SPCE can start to explore Germany from their local Severin and Sülz neighborhoods.