10-year anniversary of the IMPRS-SPCE: alumni conference at the MPIfG

The International Max Planck Research School on the Social and Political Constitution of the Economy (IMPRS-SPCE) celebrated its 10-year anniversary with a conference on July 28–29, 2017, with around 50 participants in attendance at the MPIfG in Cologne. Former doctoral students presented their current research and discussed the results. The range of topics at the conference covered the broad spectrum of research topics and methodological approaches of the IMPRS-SPCE, whose projects examine economic phenomena from a social science and political science perspective. In his welcome address, Jens Beckert stressed the importance of the doctoral school for the MPIfG's development as an institute: "The IMPRS-SPCE not only made a considerable contribution to the internationalization of the Institute, but also, since the school was instituted, the number of young researchers has substantially increased." Today, the IMPRS-SPCE is an important starting point for establishing networks that are essential for one's future career – nearly 80 percent of IMPRS graduates have academic positions. The IMPRS-SPCE is a joint international PhD program offered by the MPIfG and the Department of Economics and Social Sciences of the University of Cologne.