Außenansicht des D2 Gebäudes

Research Institute for Urban Management and Governance

Modern city management has to keep up with complex changes in the economical, legal, political, technological, demographic and cultural spheres, while at the same time coping with an increasing scarcity of financial resources.

The Research Institute for Urban Management and Governance takes a multidisciplinary approach towards analysing issues of modern city management as well as questions of urban governance in an international context. The institute’s focus and core competences lie in the fields of the Social Sciences, Economics and Law.

Additionally, it draws on expertise in the Humanities and Cultural Studies, enriching and completing the research work. Specifics of municipal service provision are of particular interest: embedded in their general framework, the dynamics which mark the distribution and availability of public services are analysed. This process aims at identifying and framing long term perspectives and opportunities for urban development.

The research institute is headed by Verena Madner, Professor for Public Law and Public Management and Renate Meyer, Professor for Organization Studies. Apart from their research activities, the faculty members are committed to university education and involved in Executive Education and Training. In so doing, the institute supports the dialogue between science and decision makers in the communal administration, especially the key executives of the City of Vienna and its outsourced units. The institute not only provides a network of researchers and experts in the field but also fosters the science-practice transfer of knowledge by editing research results with a view to applicability.