German Development Institute
Encyclopedia
The German Development Institute / (DIE) is one of the leading Think Tanks for development policy worldwide. This has been attested in January 2011 by the ranking of the Global “Go-To Think Tanks” Report: The DIE ranks number 4 in the category of “Top 25 International Development Think Tanks“. This means that the German Development Institute / Deutsches Institut für Entwicklungspolitik (DIE) is in the same league as the US-based Brookings Institution
and the Center for Global Development
as well as the UK-based Overseas Development Institute
and Chatham House
. Furthermore, DIE obtained excellent marks in the categories of “Think Tanks with the Most Innovative Policy Ideas/Proposals“, “Outstanding Policy-Oriented Public Policy Research Program“ as well as “Best Government Affiliated Think Tanks“. The Institute is based in the UN-City of Bonn
. DIE builds bridges between theory and practice and works within international research networks. The key to DIE’s success is its institutional independence, which is guaranteed by the Institute’s founding statute.
The German DIE is a non-profit company with limited liability
. The Institute’s institutional independence is guaranteed by its founding statute. The shareholders are the Federal Republic of Germany
and the Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia
. The Institute is headed by Prof. Dr. Dirk Messner (Director). At present, DIE has a staff of 100, two-thirds of whom are researchers.
Since its founding in 1964, the German Development Institute / Deutsches Institut für Entwicklungspolitik (DIE) has based its work on the interplay between Research, Consulting and Training. These three areas complement each other and are the factors responsible for the Institute’s distinctive profile.
In addition to the Postgraduate Training Programme, the German Development Institute / Deutsches Institut für Entwicklungspolitik (DIE) offers Young Professionals from selected partner countries of Germany’s international cooperation the participation in the “Global Governance School”. The highly qualified participants from Brazil, China, Egypt, India, Indonesia, Mexico, Pakistan and South Africa work in governments, Ministries, Universities, policy-orientated Think Tanks or research institutions. This unique exchange and learning opportunity supports the creation of a sustainable, equitable and effective global governance architecture.
The DIE places great value in maintaining and evaluating national and international periodicals. The evaluation follows the research and consulting activities of the DIE and the FIV rules.
The DIE is a member of the German Information Network International Relations and Area Studies (Fachinformationsverbund Internationale Beziehungen und Länderkunde /FIV-IBLK). The indexing is part of the database "World Affairs Online” (WAO) and is searchable via the IREON portal. The DIE publications are part of the IBLK-catalogue.
Brookings Institution
The Brookings Institution is a nonprofit public policy organization based in Washington, D.C., in the United States. One of Washington's oldest think tanks, Brookings conducts research and education in the social sciences, primarily in economics, metropolitan policy, governance, foreign policy, and...
and the Center for Global Development
Center for Global Development
The Center for Global Development is a non-profit think tank based in Washington, D.C. that focuses on international development. It was founded in November 2001 by former senior U.S. official Edward W. Scott, director of the Peterson Institute for International Economics, C. Fred Bergsten, and...
as well as the UK-based Overseas Development Institute
Overseas Development Institute
The Overseas Development Institute is one of the leading independent think tanks on international development and humanitarian issues. Based in London, its mission is "to inspire and inform policy and practice which lead to the reduction of poverty, the alleviation of suffering and the achievement...
and Chatham House
Chatham House
Chatham House, formally known as The Royal Institute of International Affairs, is a non-profit, non-governmental organization based in London whose mission is to analyse and promote the understanding of major international issues and current affairs. It is regarded as one of the world's leading...
. Furthermore, DIE obtained excellent marks in the categories of “Think Tanks with the Most Innovative Policy Ideas/Proposals“, “Outstanding Policy-Oriented Public Policy Research Program“ as well as “Best Government Affiliated Think Tanks“. The Institute is based in the UN-City of Bonn
Bonn
Bonn is the 19th largest city in Germany. Located in the Cologne/Bonn Region, about 25 kilometres south of Cologne on the river Rhine in the State of North Rhine-Westphalia, it was the capital of West Germany from 1949 to 1990 and the official seat of government of united Germany from 1990 to 1999....
. DIE builds bridges between theory and practice and works within international research networks. The key to DIE’s success is its institutional independence, which is guaranteed by the Institute’s founding statute.
The German DIE is a non-profit company with limited liability
Limited liability
Limited liability is a concept where by a person's financial liability is limited to a fixed sum, most commonly the value of a person's investment in a company or partnership with limited liability. If a company with limited liability is sued, then the plaintiffs are suing the company, not its...
. The Institute’s institutional independence is guaranteed by its founding statute. The shareholders are the Federal Republic of Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
and the Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia
North Rhine-Westphalia
North Rhine-Westphalia is the most populous state of Germany, with four of the country's ten largest cities. The state was formed in 1946 as a merger of the northern Rhineland and Westphalia, both formerly part of Prussia. Its capital is Düsseldorf. The state is currently run by a coalition of the...
. The Institute is headed by Prof. Dr. Dirk Messner (Director). At present, DIE has a staff of 100, two-thirds of whom are researchers.
Since its founding in 1964, the German Development Institute / Deutsches Institut für Entwicklungspolitik (DIE) has based its work on the interplay between Research, Consulting and Training. These three areas complement each other and are the factors responsible for the Institute’s distinctive profile.
Research and consulting
DIE draws together the knowledge of development research available worldwide, dedicating its work to key issues facing the future of development policy. DIE’s research is theory-based, empirically backed, and application-oriented. It serves as the basis for the Institute’s consulting activities, which in turn provide the initiative for further research programmes. DIE’s Postgraduate Training Programme is an integral component of the Research and Consulting process. The many years of experience of the Institute’s professional staff as well as the creative impulses generated by the future development experts and managers trained at the Institute serve to reinforce one another. The policy advice and consulting services DIE provides is bearing on the framework conditions of development policy, including issues concerned with world economic policy, foreign policy, and security policy.Training
The Institute’s Postgraduate Training Programme is concentrated on courses dedicated to development-related themes and issues bound up with shaping the process of globalisation as well as with improving trainee communicative and social skills. The cornerstone of the Postgraduate Training Programme – field research carried out by small interdisciplinary groups in a developing country – serves to provide trainees with an opportunity to gain practical experience with what they have learned by participating in concrete consulting-oriented research projects. Once they have completed the Postgraduate Training Programme, the graduates find career opportunities with development organisations in Germany and abroad.In addition to the Postgraduate Training Programme, the German Development Institute / Deutsches Institut für Entwicklungspolitik (DIE) offers Young Professionals from selected partner countries of Germany’s international cooperation the participation in the “Global Governance School”. The highly qualified participants from Brazil, China, Egypt, India, Indonesia, Mexico, Pakistan and South Africa work in governments, Ministries, Universities, policy-orientated Think Tanks or research institutions. This unique exchange and learning opportunity supports the creation of a sustainable, equitable and effective global governance architecture.
Thematic focus
The research staff is involved in numerous international renowned research projects and contributes to policy networks. Their research and publications focus on practice-oriented research and is divided into the following research fields and concentrates on the following regions:- Bi- and Multilateral Development Cooperation
- Competitiveness and Social Development
- Governance, Statehood, Security
- Environmental Policy and Management of Natural Resources
- World Economy and Development Financing
- Asia
- Central and East Europe, former SU
- Latin America
- Near and Middle East, North Africa
- Sub-Saharan Africa
Library and documentation
The library of the German Development Institute / Deutsches Institut für Entwicklungspolitik (DIE) is structured like a public reference library. It has some 48,000 volumes, 150 periodicals and the most important German and English daily and weekly newspapers.The DIE places great value in maintaining and evaluating national and international periodicals. The evaluation follows the research and consulting activities of the DIE and the FIV rules.
The DIE is a member of the German Information Network International Relations and Area Studies (Fachinformationsverbund Internationale Beziehungen und Länderkunde /FIV-IBLK). The indexing is part of the database "World Affairs Online” (WAO) and is searchable via the IREON portal. The DIE publications are part of the IBLK-catalogue.