Our Story
In the 1980s, Josef Riegler recognised that the successful concept of the Social Market Economy needed to be expanded to include an environmental component. Based on his considerations, he formulated a socio-political vision in 1989: the Eco-Social Market Economy. In 1992, Riegler founded the Eco-Social Forum, which has been committed to implementing this idea ever since.
Meet our team
Secretary-General
Finance, Management Accounting and Human Resources
Public Relations, Social Affairs and Society
Mag.a Dr.in Michaela Hickersberger
Deputy Secretary-General, Head of Department
Economy, Climate and Regions
Environment, Food Systems and Agriculture
Flavia Forrer, MA
Nutrition Systems Officer
+43-1-253 63 50 - 49
forrer@oekosozial.at
Dipl.-Ing. Christiane Mayr
Agriculture Officer
+43-1-253 63 50 - 16
mayr@oekosozial.at
Executive Committee & Association
The origins of the Eco-Social Forum date back to 1968, when the „Austrian Society for Agricultural and Forestry Policy“ was founded. In 1992, it was renamed the „Eco-Social Forum“, and at the same time its remit was expanded to include economic policy issues.
Since 2018, the association has been operating under the name „Ökosoziales Forum Österreich & Europa“. Its president is Dr Stephan Pernkopf. Operational responsibility lies with the Secretary-General, DI Hans Mayrhofer. The organisation’s work is funded by membership fees, project work, donations, sponsorship and the sale of publications.
President Dr Stephan Pernkopf
Honorary Presidents
• Dr Franz Fischler
• DI Dr. h. c. Josef Riegler
• Dr Franz-Josef Radermacher
Vice-presidents
• Mag. Erwin Hameseder
• Ms Monika Langthaler, MSc.
• Mag. Wilhelm Molterer
• Felix Montecuccoli, Graduate Engineer
• Mag.a Veronika Mickel-Göttfert
• University Professor Magister Magister Doctor Eva Schulev-Steindl
• Josef Taucher (Mag.)
Members of the Executive Board
Dr. Daniela Andratsch
• Univ.-Prof. Mag. Dr. Christoph Badelt
• Mag. Stephan Büttner
• MMMag.a Dr Anna Doblhofer-Bachleitner
• Willibald Ehrenhöfer, DI
• Andreas Freistetter
• Professor Matthias Gauly
• Mag.a Hermine Hackl
• Dipl.-Ing. Dr. Hubert Hasneauer
• Max Hiegelsberger
• Professor Dr. Thilo Hofmann
• Mag.a Mariana Kühnel
• Dipl.-Ing. DDr. Reinhard Mang
• Josef Moosbrugger
• Konrad Mylius
• Mag. Michael Oliver
• Bernhard Rebernig, Dipl.-Ing., Mag.
• Professor Rupert Sausgruber, MA, PhD
• Dr Andrea Schnattinger
• Professor Friedrich Schneider, PhD
• Dr. Alois Schwarz
• Jonathan Steffens
• Georg Strasser
Scientific Advisory Board
The work of the Eco-Social Forum is based on scientific findings from various disciplines. To this end, the Eco-Social.
To intensify this exchange, the Scientific Advisory Board was established in early 2019. Based on the current state of knowledge in the represented disciplines, it makes recommendations for the work of the Eco-Social Forum, thereby providing the basis for evidence-based policy proposals.
Members of the Scientific Advisory Board
Christoph Badelt
Chairman of the Scientific Advisory Board
President of the Fiscal Council; Economist
Research topics: ageing and long-term care, non-profit organisations, social services, social policy and the welfare state, economic issues, social work.
Bettina Fuhrmann
Head of the Institute for Business Education at the Vienna University of Economics and Business
Research interests: Business education, economic literacy – particularly financial literacy – didactics, evaluation research
Heinz Faßmann
President of the Austrian Academy of Sciences, Geographer
Research topics: Human geography, Regional geography, Spatial planning
Jochen Kantelhardt
Head of the Institute of Agricultural and Forestry Economics and the Centre for Agricultural Sciences at the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna
Research topics: Agricultural economics, land use, agricultural ecosystem services
Angela Köppl
Economist in the research area of "Environment, Agriculture and Energy" at the Austrian Institute of Economic Research
Research topics: European and Austrian energy and climate policy, climate change, environmental and resource economics, environmental technologies and environmental innovations, digitalisation
Fred Luks
Economist, journalist
Research topics: sustainability, transformation, corporate responsibility.
Nebojša Nakićenović
Group of Chief Scientific Advisors to the European Commission, Director The World in 2050, formerly Vice-Director of the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA), Emeritus Professor of Energy Economics at the Technical University of Vienna
Research topics: Technological change, climate change economics, energy, mobility, information and communication technologies
Christiane Spiel
Professor of Educational Psychology and Evaluation, Faculty of Psychology at the University of Vienna
Research topics: Future of learning, Lifelong learning, Aggression and violence prevention in schools, Integration in multicultural schools, Gender stereotypes in educational socialisation, Intervention, evaluation, and implementation research
Michael Staudinger
Emeritus Director of the Central Institute for Meteorology and Geodynamics in Vienna
Research topics: Meteorology and geophysics, climate change
Agricultural and Forestry Advisory Board
Agriculture and forestry are in flux. Together, we have the power to help shape the direction. What challenges do we face? Where are solutions needed? To get to the bottom of these questions and to find answers, the Ökosoziale Forum launched the Agricultural and Forestry Science Advisory Board in November 2020.
The Advisory Board currently comprises twelve members – individuals who identify research needs based on practical experience, are actively involved in research themselves, or participate in the practical implementation of research findings. Based on the content guidance provided by the Advisory Board, publications are continuously produced and events are held under the project „sowing questions. harvesting answers.“.
Members of the aForestry and agricultural sciences Advisory board
Wolfgang Windisch
Chairman of the Advisory Board on Agricultural and Forestry Sciences,
Full Professor of Animal Nutrition at the Technical University of Munich (TUM)
Area: Scientific research into livestock farming
Karl Bauer
Head of Department, Austrian Chamber of Agriculture
Area: Agricultural and Regional Policy
Martina Marchetti-Deschmann
Vice-Rector for Research
Field: Veterinary Research
Bernhard Föger
Head of the Food Security business unit, AGES – Austrian Agency for Health and Food Safety
Area: Non-university research on nutrition and food safety
Martin Gerzabek
President of the Christian Doppler Research Association
Area: Agricultural and forestry research at the interface with the economy
Ulrich Herzog
Head of Section III “Consumer Policy and Consumer Health”, Federal Ministry for Social Affairs, Health, Care and Consumer Protection
Area: Consumer policy and consumer health at federal level
Hubert Huber
Head of the Department of Agriculture and Forestry, Upper Austria
Area: Agricultural administration at the regional level
Jochen Kantelhardt
Head of the BOKU „Center for Agricultural Sciences“ (CAS) and the Institute for Agricultural and Forestry Economics, University of Natural Resources and Applied Life Sciences, Vienna
Area: Economic and social science research on agriculture and forestry
Sandra Kummer
Department of Sustainability Assessment at the Research Institute of Organic Agriculture (FiBL) in Austria
Field: Non-university research into agriculture and food systems
Ferdinand Lembacher
Secretary-General of the Austrian Chamber of Agriculture
Area: Non-university research on nutrition and food safety
Reinhard Mang
Head of the Control and Services Section, Federal Ministry of Agriculture, Regions and Tourism
Area: Agricultural administration at federal level
Peter Mayer
Director of the Federal Research Centre for Forestry
Forestry
Michael Oberhuber
Director of the Laimburg Research Centre (South Tyrol)
Area: Economic and social science research on agriculture and forestry
Marianne Penker
Professor of Rural Sociology and Rural Development at the Institute for Development Research, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna
Area Social science and transdisciplinary research into rural development and agricultural and food systems
Martin Schönhart
Director of the Federal Institute for Agricultural Economics and Mountain Farming
Field: Economic and social research on agriculture and agro-environmental systems
Become a member
With your membership, you support our independent, scientifically-based work on central sustainability issues in the areas of economy, environment and society.
Our forums
The Eco-Social Forum is active throughout Austria – with regional forums in six federal states, as well as dedicated forums for students and school pupils. Together, we are driving forward a vision for an eco-social future.
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Eco-Social Forum
Austria & Europe
ZVR: 759206393
UID Number: ATU 39442803
Contact
Herrengasse 13
A-1010 Vienna
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