The Regional Statistical Office of Saxony and the Dresden subsidiary of the Ifo Institute for Economic Research have agreed to co-operate more closely with each in future. The president of the Regional Statistical Office, Professor Irene Schneider-Boettcher, and the president of the Ifo Institute, Professor Hans-Werner Sinn, signed a co-operation agreement at the Ifo Dresden subsidiary on 5 June 2007.
The objective of the agreement is to carry out joint projects, especially in analysing the economy in Saxony, and to mutually assist each other in task fulfilment by way of data exchange and intense contacts at the working level.
The co-operation applies to the following areas:
The Regional Statistical Office of Saxony is a government agency under the State Ministry of the Interior. Its statutory brief is to gather statistical information, to process, evaluate according to scientific criteria and to inform the public on its the results objectively and neutrally. The Regional Statistical Office supplies reliable figures on the development of Saxony in more than 200 important areas annually. This data base forms an important foundation for political and economic decisions.
The office was newly founded on 1 January 1992. It is headed by Professor Irene Schneider-Böttcher, who simultaneously also has the function of Saxony’s election official. The office is subdivided into two statistical departments as well as the departments for general administration/elections and information processing/IT Centre. It is located in Kamenz, approximately 45km northeast of Dresden.
The subsidiary set up by the Ifo Institute for Economic Research in Dresden in 1993 conducts empirical economic research, particularly with reference to the concerns of Saxony and the new federal states of eastern Germany. Ifo Dresden conducts economic studies that deal with system change and economic developments in eastern Germany, especially Saxony and the new EU member states. Ifo Dresden also offers policy advice and provides a forum for economists, politicians and entrepreneurs.
The fields of research of the Ifo Dresden subsidiary are
Under the leadership of Professor Marcel Thum, eleven researchers are working at Ifo Dresden on current economic issues in eastern Germany and the Central and Eastern European countries. In addition, Ifo Dresden offers young economists the possibility to acquire experience in applied research through internships and student jobs.
