Tighter Covid-19 restrictions for the unvaccinated go hand in hand with greater willingness to get the shot. This is the finding of an ifo-study on vaccine willingness in the German-Austrian border region. The study was carried out by Hannes Winner and two collegues at ifo-Institute and Ludwig-Maximilians-University in Munich, Kevin Kloiber and Andreas Peichl. The study is discussed by the authors in a recent article in Die Presse (“Wie sich Corona-Regeln und Lockdowns auf die Impfbereitschaft auswirken”) and has been featured in many newspapers, including Sueddeutsche Zeitung, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, Die Zeit, Helsinki News or Newssite of the World Health Organization (WHO).

Recent years have seen a re-politicization of the US public sphere and dominant discourses. The upcoming annual conference of the Austrian Association for American Studies (AAAS) seeks to explore narrative frames at the core of such processes. Titled “Narrative, Environment, Social Justice,” it takes place on 21-23 October 2022 at the University of Salzburg. Scholars interested in presenting a paper can submit their abstracts by 15 May 2022.

The research team of the Salzburg International Templar Studies Network – SITSN for short – has made new findings on the possible burial place of Hugo de Payens. Sources suggest that the first Grand Master of the medieval Order of the Knights Templar was buried in the Upper Italian city of Ferrara. The province of Salzburg is funding this research with 230,000 euros for the next three years.