Markus Loewe - New Honorary Professor

Markus Loewe studied economics, political science, Islamic studies and the Arabic language in Tübingen, Erlangen and Damascus and received his PhD from the Ruprecht Karls University in Heidelberg in 2004. At that time, he was already working at IDOS (then still the German Development Institute (DIE)), where he started as a research assistant in 1999. In 2015, he was offered a chair in economics at the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, which he declined.

He has been actively involved in teaching at H-BRS since 2016 and published the "Handbook on Social Protection Systems" together with Prof. Esther Schüring. As an honorary professor, the academic would now like to further strengthen the Bonn-Rhine-Sieg location in the collaboration between IDOS and the university: "H-BRS's focus on social policy and social security is unique in Germany. At the same time, we have a large team at IDOS that also researches and advises politicians in this area. My aim is to establish Bonn as a center for research and advice on social protection," says Loewe.

Social Protection Measures Are Important for Every Society

Specifically, he wants to change the public and political perception of social protection. Health or pension insurance is not just an instrument for providing for the poor, he explains: "Social security measures are central to the further development of a society. If we want people on low incomes to invest, we have to offer them a certain level of security. If you don't have that, you won't be economically active," says Loewe.

The honorary professorship at H-BRS is consequently entitled "Social Protection and Inclusive Growth". Inclusive growth refers to economic growth that is distributed fairly across society. In this sense, social protection measures form the foundation for enabling people to do business freely.

University President Hartmut Ihne is proud to have gained the renowned researcher for an honorary professorship at H-BRS: "Markus Loewe brings with him many specialist facets and a great deal of expertise from his many years of empirical work, which have already enriched the university in recent years through Markus Loewe's teaching, and will now enrich it further. The appointment also strengthens our cooperation with IDOS, an important institution in German development cooperation," says Ihne.