The objective of the Board is officially described as follows: "The aim of the Clearing Board is to exchange current information, data and analyses that may be relevant for evidence-based strategic decisions on an interdisciplinary basis, as well as to bundle, link and specifically expand findings in order to create a better basis for coping with the corona crisis. Working groups currently exist in the following 4 areas: health care, basic care, economy and psychosocial issues. Universities and research institutions from the fields of economics, simulation/data science, health care, psychology and logistics are involved."
Participation is in line with WIFO's mission to build bridges between theory, empirical research and policy in order to tackle socio-economic challenges objectively and to enable evidence-based decision-making. The Clearing Board is not a research institution that carries out or commissions research work itself, but rather serves the purpose of interdisciplinary exchange based on ongoing research projects. A further important function of the Board is to work towards the provision of data to enable relevant analyses to be carried out for the handling of the pandemic. If recommendations are made in the course of the Clearing Board's discussions, they will be forwarded to decision-makers in a transparent manner, naming the persons or institutions making recommendations.
The meetings are attended by WIFO's Director Christoph Badelt and Deputy director Jürgen Janger, who in turn involve other WIFO experts as required. Janger also supports the coordination of content between the institutions of the Economic Affairs Division (Eco Austria, Economica, Institute for Advanced Studies, WIFO, University of Vienna).
The Clearing Board was initiated by Thomas Starlinger, Adjutant to the Austrian President Alexander van der Bellen, who moderates the weekly meetings of the Board together with Antonella Mei-Pochtler from the Strategy Unit of the Austrian Federal Chancellery, Think Austria. An office with persons from the Federal Chancellery, the Institute for Advanced Studies and the Vienna Science, Research and Technology Fund supports the work of the Clearing Board.
Further information on the COVID-19 Future Operations Clearing Board can be found here.
