Themba Nyasulu, member of the PhD IDS and Research Cluster 1, has most successfully participated in the course "Microeconomics of Competitiveness" (MOC) offered by Prof. Kiese (RUB, Institute of Geography). Together with three other fellow students from the Institute of Geography and the Faculty of Management and Economics he co-edited a paper on ‘The Frankfurt Financial Service Cluster’ and participated in the MOC project competition. The MOC panel of judges at Harvard Business School selected the paper to be the winner of this year’s global paper competition. More than hundred papers from all over the world participated in this competition organised by Harvard’s MOC network, which is led by Prof. Michael Porter. If you want to repeat Themba’s success in the next year, you may register directly for Prof. Kiese’s next MOC course starting 18 April 2017 (email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.).

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With an opening reception on 23rd November, the IEE welcomed the latest intake of the PhD programme in International Development Studies (PhD IDS). The interdisciplinary, structured PhD programme offered at the IEE was first launched in 2007. In the shadow of the IEE’s 50th birthday, we are thus celebrating yet another small anniversary in 2016: the 10th intake of the PhD IDS programme! This year, four full members and eight associate members were newly admitted to the PhD IDS Programme.

We wish all new PhD candidates much success for their doctoral studies and research projects!

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Autumn School 'Forced Displacement and Regional politics in the Middle East'

In October 2016, the joint Autumn School 'Forced Displacement and Regional politics in the Middle East' took place in Byblos and Beirut, Lebanon. The course was part of the German-Arab Joint Research, Training and Networking Programme 'From Responsibility to Protect to Responsibility to Assist: Conflict, Reconstruction and Sustainable Development in the Middle East' and was jointly organised by the Department of Social Sciences at the Lebanese American University, the UA Ruhr Graduate Centre for Development Studies and the Institute for Development Studies and Development Policy at Ruhr University Bochum. It was funded by the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) as part of the 'Hochschuldialog mit der islamischen Welt'.

After successful defense of her PhD Thesis on Monday, April 25, 2016, Diotima Chattoraj from Kolkata, India, has been awarded the degree of a Philosophiae Doctor (Ph.D.).

IEE-Students Raffael Beier and Britta Holzberg were accepted for the joint programme of the ISS and the Ruhr-University Bochum. On side of the ISS, Raffael’s PhD project will be co-supervised by Erhard Berner and Sylvia Bergh and promoted by Irene van Staveren; Britta’s PhD project will be co-supervised by Peter Knorringa.

After successful defense of his PhD Thesis on Tuesday, March 15, 2016, Atif Ikram Butt from Pakistan has been awarded the degree of a Philosophiae Doctor (Ph.D.).

After successful defense of his PhD Thesis on Wednesday, November 18, 2015, Akhmad Solikin from Madiun, Indonesia, has been awarded the degree of a Philosophiae Doctor(Ph.D.). His thesis on "Revealing Willingness to Pay and Willingness to Work to Avoid Deforestation and Forest Degradation Using Contingent Valuation Method: Evidences from Indonesia" was supervised by Prof. Dr. Wilhelm Löwenstein and Prof. Dr. Helmut Karl. Prof. Dr. Markus Kaltenborn chaired the oral exam.

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After a first preparatory meeting in June 2015, the 4th PhD Conference also marked the actual starting point of the new German-Arab Joint-PhD Programme "From Responsibility to Protect to Responsibility to Assist: Conflict, Reconstruction, and Sustainable Development in the Middle East.”

On 24th and 25th September 2015, the IEE hosted the 4th PhD Conference on International Development. Together with the School of International Development (DEV), University of East Anglia, UK, the International Institute of Social Studies (ISS) at Erasmus University Rotterdam, The Hague, NL, and our partners in the UA-Ruhr Graduate Centre, the Institute for Development and Peace (INEF) and the Institute of Political Science (IfP) at University Duisburg-Essen the IEE has initiated the annual PhD Conferences in 2012.

After successful defense of her PhD Thesis on Wednesday, July 15, 2015, Catherine Promise Biira from Gayaza, Uganda has been awarded the degree of a Philosophiae Doctor(Ph.D.).