… (abbreviation: sofia) was established in 1997 by Martin Führ, Professor of Public Law, Law Theory and Comparative Law at the University of Applied Science Darmstadt, and Kilian Bizer, Professor of Economic Policy and SME Research at the University of Göttingen.  

The interdisciplinary sofia team merges expertise from lawyers, economists and engineers to social and natural scientists.

The theoretical framework of the institutional work is based on the model of homo oeconomicus institutionalis. The model considers the formal (e.g. laws and contracts) and informal (e.g. rules of fairness) institutional context of individual behaviour.

Based on the interdisciplinary research approach, the sofia team investigates regulatory options on regional, national and European level. Further is that approach useful to analyse configuration options to improve institutional frameworks in private and public organisations.

The research project explores institutional frameworks for sustainable development with a focus on effective approaches towards ‘Responsive Regulierung’ (responsive regulation).