Karin Heitzmann

Karin Heitzmann is an Associate Professor and Director of the WU Research Institute for Economics of Inequality (INEQ) at Vienna University of Economics and Business (WU). With over 29 years at WU since 1995, her research focuses on poverty measurement, welfare state effectiveness, and socioeconomic inequality. She leads projects funded by the Austrian Ministry of Social Affairs, including the 2024 Social Report addressing poverty-proofing welfare systems through job guarantees and universal service provision. Her work integrates mixed-methods approaches to analyze poverty dynamics across family types and generations.

Current projects include editing the new edition of Grundzüge der Sozialpolitik (Foundations of Social Policy), studying time poverty through time-use data analysis, and examining multidimensional poverty correlations. She emphasizes translating complex research into actionable policy insights for stakeholders, including governments and NGOs.

At WU, she values the interdisciplinary environment and innovative spirit of her team. Her office in building D3 serves as a hub for collaborative research, reflecting her dedication to bridging academic rigor with societal impact.