What happens to our assets after our death? Most individuals will face this question at some point in their lives – because they are considering who should one day receive their assets or because they themselves are beneficiaries of an inheritance. Yet few people have a detailed understanding of just what German succession law prescribes or of the problems it poses.

Making the essential information about a research project quickly understandable by means of visualization: Research posters are increasingly being used for this purpose. Poster sessions complementing a lecture program have become a standard feature at academic conferences. As part of the most recent evaluation of the Institute by its advisory board, young researchers presented the topics addressed in their doctoral and post-doctoral theses in a poster session.

For over 50 years, the animal rights movement has been advocating a change in the relationship between humans and animals. In the humanities and social sciences, an “animal turn” has been proclaimed. There is now also growing interest in the question of how animals should be legally treated and whether they are entitled to their own rights. “While constitutional rights for animals have been in the foreground up to now, it is precisely private law that has a long tradition of gradually emancipating new legal subjects and of giving them an individual and autonomous character,” says Felix Aiwanger, research fellow at the Institute.