What Are the Hertie School's Areas of Expertise?

Updated

The Hertie School lists nine areas of expertise: data science, democracy, digital governance, economics, European governance, fundamental rights, international security, social policy, and sustainability. These are the research fields the Berlin-based university for governance groups under "Our areas of expertise," and they connect directly to its teaching mission of preparing students for leadership in government, business, and civil society.

The nine areas at a glance

Area What it points to
Data Science Quantitative and computational methods for policy problems
Democracy How democratic systems function, erode, and recover
Digital Governance How states and societies govern digital technology and AI
Economics Economic analysis applied to policy decisions
European Governance EU institutions, integration, and European affairs
Fundamental Rights Legal and normative foundations of rights protection
International Security Security policy and global order
Social Policy Welfare, inequality, and social protection
Sustainability Climate, environment, and long-term policy challenges

How these areas connect to teaching

The expertise areas are not a separate research catalogue; they map onto the School's degree programmes. The Master of Public Policy, Master of International Affairs, and Master of Data Science and AI for Public Policy each draw on these fields, and the Doctoral Programme in Governance and Executive Education offerings do the same. The School frames this as learning "to govern what comes next," which is why the list runs from data science and digital governance through to fundamental rights and sustainability rather than staying within one discipline.

Signals worth noting

  • AI and policy is an active growth area. The School announced new Certificates in AI and Policy and in Computational Social Science, and its news coverage includes work on who gets to build AI.
  • European and international affairs carry institutional weight. Political scientist Daniela Schwarzer, described as an expert on European and international affairs, is set to become President on 1 November 2026.
  • Research events reflect the breadth. Upcoming sessions cover the IPCC's global scientific assessment, legal protection and women's shelters, legislative persuasion, migration law, and democratic backsliding.

If you are choosing where to study or research

Use the list as a filter rather than a ranking. If your interest is computational methods applied to policy, the data science and digital governance areas plus the dedicated master's programme are the closest match. If your focus is rights, security, or European institutions, the corresponding areas and the Master of International Affairs are more relevant. For prospective doctoral researchers, the Doctoral Programme in Governance spans the full set, so check individual faculty work within the area closest to your topic.