Dear distinguished friends of ZEF, Twenty-nine years have now passed since the Rectorate and Senate of the University of Bonn decided back in 1995 to establish an academic think-tank for international and interdisciplinary questions of development research, the Center for Development Research, or ZEF. ZEF’s foundation was made possible by the Berlin-Bonn Act and the…
Dear readers, The Center for Development Research (ZEF) is celebrating the 25th anniversary of its international doctoral program. When this program was launched back in 1999, two years after the institute itself had become operational, it was not only a first at the University of Bonn (followed by many other international programs over time) but…
Why was ZEF established 25 years ago? The determinants of ZEF’s establishment can be grouped in “deep causes” and “practical determinants”. The deep causes of establishing ZEF were that a Center for Development Research (ZEF) was (and is) needed. Understanding development opportunities and failures, identifying technological, institutional and policy innovations, and addressing global sustainability and…
Why was ZEF established 25 years ago? In the early 90s the City of Bonn and its University were at a crossroads of two political developments at that time: the rapprochement of East and West Europe and the internationalization of Bonn after losing its status as Germany’s capital. With the help of key local, regional…