EcoAustria

EcoAustria
founded in the year	2011
City	Wien
Country	Austria
Website	http://www.ecoaustria.at/
Legal form	e.V.
address	Am Heumarkt 10, 1030 Wien
founder	Ulrich Schuh
number of employees	5
Virtual Networks A "Virtual Network" is a group of Think Tanks identified by certain semantic and normative (ideological) commonalities (e.g. climate change scepticism). Such a virtual network constitutes a research field that differs from the study of formal networks. Formal networks are real in the sense of officially acknowledged and immediately open to empirical validation. Virtual networks on the other hand display shared ideas. Social network analysis tools can be applied to find out if or to what extent virtual networks are real networks that display linkages (membership in networks, personnel, resources etc.). Unconnected think tanks in turn can be considered special cases in need of explanation independent from network structures (unless we have to assume invisible, hidden or covered ties).	Think Tanks in Austria (case study), Austerity politics
Last revision	26.02.2015

The EA was founded with financial support of the Industriellenvereinigung (IV). Previously the IV curtailed its contribution to the WiFo-Institute arguing the WiFo would be leaning to the left. The founder(s) worked before for the IHS, which is more friendly to the industry, but as it seems not enough. This is the third attempt of operating a research institute agreeable to the IV. Before there existed the Institut für Wirtschaft und olitik (IWIP) (supported by the IV, 1978-2001 or a little later), then Austria perspektiv – Ein Institut der Österreichischen Wirtschaft (supported by the IV, the WKOe and several Corporations, 2002-2005) (compare: http://www.conturen.net/%C3%BCber-uns/theo-faulhaber/)

Organizational Structure and Funding

Organized as an registered association it sports an executive committee and since 03/2014 an advisory council.

Address

Am Heumarkt 10, 1030 Wien

People

Executive board

People leading the Think Tank in the day to day business (CEOs, directorates etc.).

• Stummvoll Günter, 2014-

• Ulrich Schuh, 2011- ; Forschungsvorstand

• Peter Riedler

• Oberthaler Pauline, 2012-

• Gabriele Zuna-Kratky, 2011- ; President

• Clemens Wallner, 2011- ; Vicepresident

Staff

People working for the Think Tank (Fellows etc.). This includes also part-time employees.

• Nikolaus Graf, 2012-

• Johannes Berger, 2012-

• Ludwig Strohner, 2012-

Advisory board

People advising the Think Tank (mainly in scientific questions)

• Hannes Androsch, 2014-

• Gudrun Biffl, 2014-

• Thomas Uher, 2014-

• Alexia Fürnkranz-Prskawetz, 2014-

• Wolfgang Mazal, 2014-

• Gottfried Haber, 2014-

• Robert Holzmann, 2014-

• Michael Losch, 2014-

• Harald Waiglein, 2014-

Supervisory board

People supervising the Think Tank (mainly in economic questions).

• Riedler Peter, 2011-

• Andreas Prenner, 2011-

• Ulrich Schuh, 2011-

• Peter Schwab, 2011-

Detailed funding activities

If possible we also list more detailed funding activities of Think Tanks. This includes funds they emit as well as funds they receive.

Received funds

• http://www.iv-net.at Funding of 300,000 €. The IV dispenses yearly of this amount.

Working mode, goals

The institute presents itself as a institution of scientific economic research. It promotes a more business-friendly economic and politic environment and a lean, economically non-intrusive state. But it focusses not on up-to-dateness, but mostly on in depth research. According to Hannah Kordik and Franz Schellhorn for the Presse (http://diepresse.com/home/wirtschaft/international/691244/Eco-Austria_Konkurrenz-fur-Wifo-und-IHS) IV will give a yearly support of 300.000€.

Topics

We used the DGs of the EU to generate a basic list of topics. This list is going to be steadily extended. However we try to preserve a persistent list of topics.

• Pensions
• Fiscal Policy
• Public Debt
• Regional Policy
• Labour Market
• Economic Research

Pensions: participates in the "Aufruf für eine umfassende und nachhaltige Reform des österreichischen Pensionsversicherungssystems" together with the European Centre for Social Welfare Policy and Research and the Institute for Higher Studies. Fiscal Policy: did a study for NEOS under the title "Schuldencheck für Österreich"

Semantic Fields

What we call here a semantic field is the idea to categorize think tanks in a two level system. The first levels are so called 'Virtual Networks' and the second are the semantic fields. Accordingly every semantic field entered here has to be attached to a virtual network. If you would like to follow a special phenomenon among think tanks please contact us and we are going to add a new virtual network. Semantic fields are topics that promote a virtual network. Lets take climate change as an example: 'climate change skeptics' is the virtual network and 'adaption instead of mitigation' would be one possible semantic field.

• Debt Brake (Austerity Politics): positive effects and desirability of a constitutional provision