We are pleased to announce that, as of 1. January 2022, all economics research and teaching activities at the University of Salzburg will take place at the newly founded PLUS Department of Economics. The head of our new department is Prof. Dr. Hannes Winner and the vice head is Prof. Dr. Florian Huber. The PLUS Department of Economics will offer an open, collaborative and internationally oriented research and working environment for all members, students and guests. We are looking forward to 2022 and wish you happy holidays!

In an interview for the Salzburger Nachrichten, Hannes Winner argues that globalization has led to enormous welfare gains for industrialized and developing countries. At the same time, there are also market failures that significantly reduce these welfare effects (e.g. environmental effects, labor standards). Public regulation is therefore needed.

Tighter Covid-19 restrictions for the unvaccinated go hand in hand with greater willingness to get the shot. This is the finding of an ifo-study on vaccine willingness in the German-Austrian border region. The study was carried out by Hannes Winner and two collegues at ifo-Institute and Ludwig-Maximilians-University in Munich, Kevin Kloiber and Andreas Peichl. The study is discussed by the authors in a recent article in Die Presse (“Wie sich Corona-Regeln und Lockdowns auf die Impfbereitschaft auswirken”) and has been featured in many newspapers, including Sueddeutsche Zeitung, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, Die Zeit, Helsinki News or Newssite of the World Health Organization (WHO).