A digital magazine
for research-based analysis

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“The fox knows many things and the hedgehog knows one big thing.”

- Archilochus, 7th century BCE

We need the knowledge of both the foxes and the hedgehogs, if we are to meet the challenges of the 21st century.

We set up Hedgefox as a non-profit online magazine in which academics across all disciplines make their expertise available to the public in English and German. Since then, we have learned more about The Conversation, the world's leading publisher of research-based analysis. Like us, it seeks to strengthen the dialogue between academia and society at large. It is also not-for-profit and available to everyone free of charge.

This is why we have decided to support The Conversation in Germany from now on, with the ultimate ambition of establishing a German edition of the project.

Who we are

We are a group of researchers at more than 30 universities.

We support The Conversation because we are concerned about the quality of the public discourse and the political and societal developments in our countries.

More about our team

Our mission

Universities and research institutions are full of important findings and insights. They provide theoretically sound and evidence-based research results that help us understand our complex world.

We want to help make the knowledge of our disciplines accessible to a broad audience.

“From combatting climate change to treating global disease and tackling inequality, the social sciences are vital for our wellbeing and prosperity.”

— Dame Minouche Shafik (source)

“The task of the social sciences is to provide orientational knowledge and thus to promote public debate and, above all, to demand it where it threatens to wane, for these are the source of the renewal of democratic polities.“

— Nicole Deitelhoff (source)

“Democracies don’t die because there are too many enemies, but because there aren’t enough friends and defenders.“

— Harald Welzer (source)

“One will not be able to cope with the vulgar and loud with greater volume. What is required is greater passion in defending political professionalism and a critical but civil conversation.“

— Sylke Tempel (source)

“The courage and sovereignty of political science are required more than ever in this factless age.“

— Sabine Manzel (source)

“I would like to see scholars who do not cater to the market, but offer reasonable and independent guidance to an unsettled society. This enlightening and non-corruptible voice is more important than ever.“

— Ranga Yogeshwar (source)

“What is at stake here is factual reality itself, and this is, indeed, a political problem of the very first order. [...] Freedom of speech is a farce if information about the facts is not guaranteed.“

— Hannah Arendt (source)

“In public debates, professors, of all people, hardly ever speak out. [...] We need these analysts of world affairs – the sober experts as well as the daring generalists.”

— Manuel Hartung (source)

“Under the communication prerequisites of an inclusive and coercion-free discourse among free and equal participants, everyone is required to put themselves in the perspective and thus in the self- and world-conception of all others.“

— Jürgen Habermas (source)

Our goals

1 Analyzing current affairs

We plan to publish incisive analyses of current affairs by academics who have special expertise on the issues under consideration. The idea is that their knowledge of the available research will help us to better understand the news of the day. They will explain complex developments and place them in the context of longer-term trends. In the daily flood of news reports, we aim to provide reliable background information and orientation.

2 Serving as a corrective against misinformation in public discourse

Researchers seek to generate knowledge by employing scholarly methods, thereby trying to come as close as possible to “the truth”. The Conversation wants to democratize access to this knowledge. We strive to make available the most relevant research results from across all academic disciplines. That way, we hope to provide policy-makers and civil society with a sound basis for their decisions.

We will also examine claims in public discourse and distinguish between substantiated and unfounded arguments. We will call out half-truths and false information.

3 Improving the exchange between scholars, practitioners, and the public

Improving the mutual exchange between scholars, practitioners, and the public is an important goal of The Conversation. We don’t see practitioners and the public as passive consumers of information but as innovative actors who have themselves a considerable amount of knowledge and experience. This is why we don’t want to limit ourselves to sharing academic expertise with practitioners and the public. We also seek to transfer insights from practitioners and the public to academia, thereby developing new research ideas.

4 Furthering diversity of viewpoints

5 Finding answers to the pressing questions of our time

Our articles will not only analyze current issues in politics and society. They will also examine important developments beyond the events of the day. We will reach across disciplines, languages, and borders to try and find answers to the most pressing political, social, economic, ecological, and ethical questions of our time. To this end, we will survey the global academic landscape and inform about relevant new research findings.

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A digital magazine for research-based analysis