Leibniz Open Science Day 2025: Better Science for Better Policies
On 27 October 2025, the second Leibniz Open Science Day took place in Berlin at the Leibniz Association. Under the title ‘Better Science for Better Policies’, economic researchers discussed how open and verifiable science can contribute to more informed political decisions.
The event was organised by the ZBW – Leibniz Information Centre for Economics in close cooperation with the DIW Berlin, the WZB Berlin and the RWI – Leibniz Institute for Economic Research. More than 50 participants from various European countries took part in the presentations and discussions.
The focus was on the question of how scientific evidence is generated, tested and communicated. Replication studies and meta-analyses in particular were highlighted as key instruments for increasing the reliability of research results and promoting transparency.
Keynote and thematic focus
After a welcome by Marianne Saam (ZBW), Jörg Peters (RWI) and Levent Neyse (WZB, DIW), a plenary session opened the day with contributions on robustness and reproducibility in empirical research.
A particular highlight of the Leibniz Open Science Day was the keynote speech by Johanna Rickne (Stockholm University) on the topic of ‘A case study in research replication: Does criminalising the purchase of sex increase rape?’
In the afternoon, parallel sessions provided an opportunity for discussion on topics such as publication bias, pre-registration, data quality and methodological standards in social science research.
Leibniz Open Science Day 2025 showed how a shared commitment to open science can make economic research more transparent and comprehensible. The discussions underscored the importance of open scientific practice as the basis for evidence-based policy-making.
