The TRA 4 'Individuals, Institutions and Societies'
How do we as individuals affect society and how does society in turn influence us in our actions? What role do institutions play here and how can they be designed to sustainably ensure equal opportunities and social cohesion in the age of globalization and digitization?
In order to do justice to this broad spectrum of questions, many perspectives must be taken. Economic questions are combined with legal, political, sociological, cultural, media-related and religious ones. This list is certainly not complete, but it makes clear that many disciplines are needed to do justice to such a transdisciplinary research area (TRA).
In the TRA 4 (under the short title 'TRA Individuals and Societies'), members of the Faculty of Law and Economics, the Faculty of Philosophy, and the two Faculties of Theology conduct research on these questions; in addition, our members include members of the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, the Faculty of Medicine, and other scientific institutions.
Inspiration from tradition
A challenge for the researchers of the TRA 'Individuals & Societies' is often the data situation. If existing data, such as official statistical surveys by offices and authorities, cannot be used, the researchers become active themselves. To this end, they use large-scale empirical studies, surveys and laboratory experiments such as those conducted at BonnEconLab, one of the oldest laboratories for experimental economic research.
The BonnEconLab goes back to Reinhard Selten. The later Nobel Prize winner for economics (1994) founded the lab as early as 1984. His courage to think differently still inspires researchers today - and we would like to build on this in the TRA 'Individuals & Societies': because Bonn scientists not only conduct research on individuals, institutions and societies, they also strive to give back the knowledge they have gained, for example in the context of collaborations that extend beyond scientific research institutions into politics and the living world.
Our vision: collaboration beyond the boundaries of specialist disciplines
The most important tasks of the TRA 'Individuals & Societies' include the promotion of inter- and transdisciplinary collaborations and the establishment of new collaborative research projects. In order to achieve this, the TRA is designed as an interactive platform for networking and scientific exchange. It thus offers a variety of points of contact for established scientists as well as for young researchers.
Network & Cooperation Partners
The TRA 'Individuals & Societies' connects with its questions various actors from the faculties of the University of Bonn and existing research institutions, such as the Forum Internationale Wissenschaft, the Käte Hamburger Center for Advanced Study in the Humanities 'Law as Culture', the 'Forschungskolleg normative Gesellschaftsgrundlagen', the International Center for Philosophy, the Graduiertenkolleg NRW Digitale Gesellschaft and many others.
Organization of TRA 'Individuals & Societies
Institute for Psycholgy
Prof. Dr. Hans-Martin von Gaudecker
Institute for Applied Microeconomics
Born members:
- Prof. Dr. André Beauducel (Spokesperson of the TRA Institutions)
- Prof. Dr. Stephan Conermann (Dean of the Faculty of Arts)
- Prof. Dr. Hans-Martin von Gaudecker (Spokespersonof the TRA Institutions)
- Prof. Dr. Jürgen von Hagen88 (Dean of the Faculty of Law and Economics)
- Jun.-Prof. Dr. Jacqueline Lorenzen (Argelander Professur der TRA 'Individuals & Societies)
- Jun.-Prof. Dr. Julia Mink (Argelander Professorship of TRA ‚Individuals & Societies’)
- Prof. Dr. Cornelia Richter99 (Dean of the Faculty of Protestant Theology)
- Prof. Dr. Andreas Odenthal (Dean of the Faculty of Catholic Theology)
- Prof. Dr. Christiane Woopen (Hertz Chair of TRA ‚Individuals & Societies’)
Representatives Professorate:
- Prof. Dr. Clemens Albrecht (Faculty of Arts)
- Prof. Dr. Dr. Wolfgang Durner12 (Faculty of Law and Economics)
- Prof. Dr. Louisa Specht-Riemenschneider14 (Faculty of Law and Economics)
- Prof. Dr. Caja Thimm15 (Faculty of Arts)
- Prof. Dr. Florian Zimmermann16 (Faculty of Law and Economics)
Representatives of the Status Groups:
- Jakob Wegmann (mid-level faculty, Faculty of Law and Economics)
- Jan Voosholz (mid-level faculty, Faculty of Arts)
- Simone Jost (administrative and technical staff, Faculty of Law and Economics)
- N.N. (administrative and technical staff)
- Julian Esders (representative, Faculty of Law and Economics)
- Debora Eller (representative, Faculty of Arts)
Manager TRA 'Individuals & Societies'
Strategic Development and Quality Assusrance
TRA 'Individuals & Societies' student assistants:
- Andrea Haag
The TRA 'Individuals & Societies' is closely linked to four faculties of the University of Bonn:
- Faculty of Arts
- Faculty of Law and Economics
- Faculty of Protestant Theology
- Faculty of Catholic Theology
The deans of these four faculties are members of the TRA 'Individuals & Societies' Steering Committee.
All important information about the structure, objectives and legal basis of TRA 'Individuals & Societies' can be found in our statute.
Within the framework of the Excellence Strategy of the German Federal and State Governments, the TRA 'Individuals & Societies' is funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) and the Ministerium für Kultur und Wissenschaft des Landes Nordrhein-Westfalen (MKW).
The TRA 'Individuals, Institutions and Societies' in fact and figures
173
Members
7
Faculties
41
Projects
95
Publications
209
Events
84
Teaching events
Press releases
Do climate change deniers bend the facts to avoid having to modify their environmentally harmful behavior? Researchers from the University of Bonn and the Institute of Labor Economics (IZA) ran an online experiment involving 4,000 US adults, and found no evidence to support this idea. The authors of the study were themselves surprised by the results. Whether they are good or bad news for the fight against global heating remains to be seen. The study is being published in the journal “Nature Climate Change.”
After someone has suffered a stroke or brain hemorrhage, it is a race against time to prevent their brain cells from dying. Admittedly, it still sounds like science fiction: physicians are using a digital twin to test out the most promising potential treatments for precisely this scenario. However, if all goes to plan for the researchers in the European consortium christened “Gemini” (“twin” in Latin), this could be a reality in as little as six years. The 19 partners led by Amsterdam University Medical Center (UMC) have received a Horizon grant worth €10 million from the European Commission to tackle the project. The Department of (Social) Ethics in the Faculty of Protestant Theology at the University of Bonn is also involved in the work.
Human-robot interaction and sustainable artificial intelligence (AI) will be the topics of discussion on Thursday, November 9th at an event organized jointly by the University of Bonn Institute for Science and Ethics (IWE) and the Women in AI and Robotics network. The event date marks the start of partnership between the two organizations, and is aimed at recruiting new members interested in joining Women in AI & Robotics. Held in English, the event will be held in the foyer of the IWE with address Bonner Talweg 57, from 5:00 to 7:00 pm. All interested parties are invited to attend.
What legal levers can cities pull in order to reinvent themselves as green, equitable, productive and healthy places to live in the spirit of the New Leipzig Charter of 2021? What legal constraints are they subject to? And what answers do constitutions provide to the question of an environmentally sustainable transformation and the social sustainability challenges that it brings? These and other questions are being tackled by the legal expert Jun.-Prof. Dr. Jacqueline Lorenzen, a new Argelander Professor at the University of Bonn. Within the Individuals, Institutions and Societies Transdisciplinary Research Area (TRA), she is working at the interface between law, economics and the social sciences.
Contact for further information
Johanna Tix
Dechenstraße 3-11
53115 Bonn
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