In this episode, co-hosts Enrique Mendizabal and Goran Buldioski interview Mario Holzner, Executive Director of the Vienna Institute for International Economic Studies (wiiw), about conducting economic research on Central, East and Southeast Europe from Vienna amid shifting geopolitical and media environments. Mario describes the region’s historical heterogeneity and wiiw’s pragmatic, plural intellectual tradition, including scepticism toward purely supply-side transition policies and attention to demand, social impacts, and industrial policy. He explains how austerity and inflation eroded core public subsidies—traditionally from Austria’s Ministry of Finance, the central bank, Vienna, and social partners—driving greater reliance on project funding from the European Commission, international organisations, and, increasingly, foundations. The discussion covers pressures from partisan think tanks and polarised media, wiiw’s data-driven approach, expanded communications capacity, networked EU consortia, digital transformation, and the importance of independent analysis in a fragmented policy space. This episode is part of a series, Think tanks in a changing Europe, supported by the Open Society Foundations. You can listen to the whole series here. Learn more about the wiiw and the information discussed during this podcast. About OTT Talks: OTT Talks is a platform for sharing learning among think tanks, funders, and other policy actors on a range of topics, from think tank governance to communicating research. Learn more. About On Think Tanks: On Think Tanks focuses on a range of issues relevant to think tanks, their staff, and supporters. We hope that our initiatives and the articles and resources we publish will support think tanks in making short- and long-term decisions more strategically, resulting in better policy advice and policy outcomes for all. Learn more & support us.
