 Institut für ökologische Wirtschaftsforschung GmbH
The IÖW is a leading research institute on ecological economy research. It develops strategies and courses of action for an economy that secures a good living and protects its natural resources. At the IÖW, economists and engineers, sociologists and psychologists work together. Their common task is to recognise and identify the causes of social challenges and develop possible solutions. Research design and methods are individually tailored to each project. IÖW’s staff analyse, question, sift, assess, design, evaluate; they advise, convince and shape – always remaining close to practical applications. For its cooperation with political decision-makers, economic protagonists, or NGOs, IÖW can draw on long-standing contacts and a large network of national and international cooperation partners. IÖW has been around for almost 25 years. IÖW’s clients and sponsors come from many different sectors of society. As an independent institute the IÖW receives no permanent basic subsidies. IÖW obtains a large proportion of its projects from the public sector, but also from corporations, associations and private foundations. The consequent player orientation of the research into sustainable consumption and production (SCP) expresses itself thereby both in its research content, e.g. attitudes and motives of consumers, and in the research design concerned, such as quantitative surveys, focus group discussions, expert interviews, expert workshops or case studies. Due to its multidisciplinary composition, the IÖW research into SCP fulfils an important prerequisite for handling socio-ecological questions at the interfaces human-environment-society in its whole complexity. The research approach covers both general strategies and concepts and specific strategies in selected consumption domains (e.g. food and nutrition, construction and housing, mobility).
For further information, please visit http://www.ioew.de/.
Persons involved
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Dr. Frieder Rubik studied national economics at the University of Heidelberg; he holds a doctorate degree from Kassel University (Germany). He has worked for several environmental research institutes since 1982. Nowadays, he is a senior researcher at the IÖW and head of the department “Ecological Product Policy”. His key areas of research are Integrated Product Policy, sustainable consumption and production (SCP), evaluation and assessment and innovation. He has worked in a lot of projects for, a. o., the European Commission (DG Environment, DG Research, and DG SANCO), UNEP. |
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Dr. Gerd Scholl studied economics at the universities of Gottingen and Bonn; he holds a doctorate degree from Oldenburg University (Germany). He is a senior researcher at the IÖW, and has worked with the IÖW since 1993. He is head of the department “Ecological Consumption”. His main research areas are sustainable consumption and production, sustainable marketing, product service systems, sustainability in retailing and consumer perception of new technologies. He has worked in projects for the European Commission (DG Environment, DG Research, DG SANCO) and UNCTAD. |
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Dipl.-Ök. Ria Müller studied business administration and social sciences as a combined master´s degree at Leuphana University Lueneburg. She is researcher at the IÖW since 2011. Her main research areas are Integrated Product Policy, Sustainable Consumption and Production (SCP) – especially Green Public Procurement (GPP), evaluation and assessment. She has been coordinating a project for DG Energy and Transport. |
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