Our research

The way people apply for jobs has changed significantly and companies are increasingly using chatbots in their application processes. Chatbots primarily support pre-selection and the collection of data about applicants. However, it is still largely unclear how to process this data for recruiters so that fair, transparent and accountable decisions are made.

In this project, a dashboard for the visualization of large amounts of data collected by chatbots for recruiters will be developed in a design study.

Project head: Prof. Dr. Bettina Kubicek, Prof. Dr. Stefan Thalmann Team: Christine Malin, MA, Rita Prassl, BSc

Funding: Smart Regulation

Cartels and other anti-competitive behaviour by companies have a negative impact on the economy and on consumers. To detect such anti-competitive behaviour, competition authorities need reliable tools. Recently, new data-driven approaches have started to emerge in the area of computational antitrust that can complement already established tools.

The project DataComp creates a systematic overview of case studies on data-driven detection of antitrust violations, the data needed to do so, and the availability of such data in Austria. Building on these technical capabilities, we examine the legal significance of this state of the art from the perspective of Austrian and European public antitrust enforcement. Finally, we develop a legal framework that sets new legal parameters that would allow for a stronger integration of data-based antitrust violation notifications into Austrian and European enforcement mechanisms.

Project head: Univ.-Prof. Dr. Viktoria Robertson, Dr. Jürgen Fleiß, Univ.-Prof. Dr. Matthias Wendland Team: Mag. Franziska Guggi, Mag. Lukas Soritz

Funding: Smart Regulation

Open Access Publication: Ready or not? A systematic review of case studies using data-driven approaches to detect real-world antitrust violations

The aim of the project is to promote judicial cooperation in civil matters and to contribute to the effective and coherent application and enforcement of EU instruments, in particular facilitating cross-border procedures in regards to taking of evidence and service of documents.

Duration: 01.06.2022 - 31.05.2024

Team: Univ.-Prof. Bettina Nunner-Krautgasser (Project Leader University of Graz), Mag. Tobias Weidinger, Mag. Julian Schnur. Further project partners: Lead University of Maribor, University of Wroclaw, University of Uppsala, University of Maastricht, Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz University of Hannover, Faculty of Law Rijeka.

Funding: European Commission

Assistance robots can support emergency forces in crisis situations. The robots can be used to obtain information or manipulate dangerous objects. Fully autonomous systems, however, are currently not feasible neither in terms of acceptance by emergency forces nor in terms of the state of the art. Thus, the project EASIER focuses on semi-autonomous robot systems, where the levels of autonomy in the cooperation of operators and robots can be adapted.

In this context, trust in the assistance system is of utmost importance. In addition to trust in the robotic system, the cognitive load caused by the use of the system is also crucial for its acceptance. In this regard, the project aims to develop sound and field-ready methods for measuring trust in assistance systems and the cognitive load caused by their use.

The primary innovation of the project is to investigate in depth the measurement of trust and cognitive load, as well as measures to improve them, in an interdisciplinary team (psychologists, visualization experts, computer scientists, roboticists, field operators).

Laufzeit: 01.08.2021­-31.07.2023

Project head University of Graz: Univ.-Prof. Bettina Kubicek

Project partners: Graz University of Technology, Disaster Competence Network Austria, Graz Fire Brigade, BM f. National Defense, Rosenbauer International AG

Funding: FFG

The project deals with legal and ethical questions of datafication of human emotions. In particular, it raises the question of how emotions are to be classified in (data protection) law and how "emotion recognition systems" in the sense of the by the European Commission submitted draft for an Artificial Intelligence Act (AIA) are to be evaluated from the point of view of this definition and with regard to the risk-based approach. As it turns out, the "fundamental right to freedom of thought" as well as the question of "common welfare" become relevant in this context, especially when such systems are combined with others, such as scoring models.

Project team: Univ . Prof. Dr. Elisabeth Hödl, Univ. Prof. Dr. Thomas Gremsl, PhD Student: Carmen Oberreßl, MA

Planned duration: 01.02.2022-31.12.2022

Funding: Smart Regulation

The extent of money laundered is expected to account for about 4% of world GDP. Therefore, many countries have tried to protect their financial systems against money laundering by more stringently regulating and supervising their financial institutions. In recent years, many internationally operating banks involved in money laundering or violating regulatory rules have been identified. This project aims at drawing a landscape of the most significant stakeholders involved in and affected by infractions of Anti-Money-Laundering (AML) rules, and the prevention thereof. The perspectives in four empirical analyses range from stakeholders (regulators, bank shareholders and clients of banks) who have a role in curtailing AML infractions and fostering sound operational risk management, to competing banks which might be affected by the misbehavior of other banks, and finally to the role of (social) media in disseminating news about AML infractions. 

Duration: 01.10.2022-31.03.2026

Funding: Jubiläumsfonds der OeNB

Project head: Univ.-Prof. Andrea Schertler

The labelling project deals with electricity labelling and the related role of the consumer from a legal and business perspective. In recent years, it has become increasingly important for consumers to purchase "green" electricity. For this reason, energy labelling and in particular electricity identification should enable the consumer to assess from which sources the energy he or she is buying comes. This should also enable a conscious and informed purchase decision.

However, legal arguments and backgrounds usually play hardly any role in the purchase decision of customers, but all the more so the product characteristics and expectations of the product anchored in the customer's mind by marketing instruments. In the business part of the labelling project, surveys and interviews will be conducted to find out to what extent consumers are aware of the legal regulation of labelling and, if so, how this awareness influences their purchasing behaviour. The aspects of whether customers are prepared to pay more for clean electricity or green gas in relation to the actual origin of the electricity or gas should also be included. The labelling project aims to contribute to whether consumers feel misled by the existing labelling schemes.

Team: Prof. Thomas Foscht, Prof. Karl Stöger (University of Vienna) PhD student: Mag. Julia Mandl

The aim of this project is to gain clear insights on taxpayer behavior in the SME-sector and to propose measures to (newly) regulate tax enforcement with regard to small and medium-sized enterprises. In this context, it is particularly important to strike a balance between effectiveness and efficiency on the one hand and adequate protection of the individual’s freedom on the other. In concrete terms, the present project aims at exploring options and creating synergies by means of interdisciplinary cooperation. Within the framework of a follow-up project (with an even broader interdisciplinary set-up), further third-party funding shall be acquired to conceptualize an innovative tax enforcement strategy for the SME sector that can be implemented in Austria and serve as an inspiration and a model for other countries.

Project team: Assoz .-Prof. Dr. Barbara Gunacker-Slawitsch, Univ.-Prof. Dr. Katja Corcoran

Project partner: Assoz.-Prof. Dr. Robert Rybnicek

Funding: Smart Regulation