The historian and slavist Machteld Venken examines nationalising efforts during the interwar and post-war years in Polish-German and Belgian-German border regions. The focus of study is on children. Continue reading “Children as model citizens”
With support from the Austrian Science Fund FWF, a research team from Innsbruck conducted a field study on the question of whether customers can protect themselves against being defrauded by sellers in a credence goods market by seeking online information. The market for computer repairs served as an example. Continue reading “Misinformed consumers pay more”
In a project financed by the Austrian Science Fund FWF, a research group from Klagenfurt examined what budgetary policy measures a small eurozone country might take to cushion the consequences of a crisis. Slovenia served as an example. Continue reading “Research and education alleviate economic crises”
Many Europeans have a mobile lifestyle involving commuting between countries. A multinational research project supported by the Austrian Science Fund FWF showed that this entails major obstacles in terms of social security arising from complex underlying causes. Continue reading “Unequal access to social security”
There are 60,000 texts stored in the basement of the Vienna Hofburg palace – on papyrus and clay fragments. A large part of them hold accounts of the early days of Islam in Egypt. For two decades, the papyrologist Federico Morelli has been vetting these historical testimonials, gaining insights into processes that contradict accepted historical […] Continue reading “A gigantic jigsaw puzzle”
For years, a team of researchers from Vienna has been working on the early works of Arthur Schnitzler (1862-1931) in a project funded by the Austrian Science Fund FWF. Generating a wealth of material that prompts new questions, this large publication project has funnelled the work of the Austrian writer into the digital age. Continue reading “At Arthur Schnitzler’s desk”
With the support of the FWF, a team of archaeologists from the Czech Republic and Austria evaluated early medieval finds from the region around the modern-day border between the two countries. As it turns out, the regions of Weinviertel and Moravia enjoyed close exchanges for centuries and benefited from being at the periphery of regional […] Continue reading “The border area as a space for innovation”
After the decline of Communism, new museums dedicated to the Second World War were established in many EU countries in East-Central and South Eastern Europe. A comparison made within a project funded by the Austrian Science Fund FWF shows that more empathy is needed to bridge the gap between us and them. Continue reading “Conflict-laden grey areas of memory”
A research team from Graz simulated creative thought processes using a computer and investigated the role played by creativity in the way people use digital media. First results indicate that those who think outside the box get more out of the web, even though personalised search recommendations make access to new information more difficult. Continue reading “Escaping the (mental) echo chamber”
Is there such a thing as objective morality? And what do philosophical laypeople think about this idea? These are questions explored by the philosopher Thomas Pölzler from Graz. At the College of Charleston, Schrödinger fellow Pölzler produced exciting results on this issue, implemented new research ideas and, last but not least, learned a great deal […] Continue reading “Now tell me, how do you feel about morality?”