Franz Hiss, Dipl.-Soz.
Senior Researcher at the ISÖ - Institute for Social Ecology
- 06.1941 born in Basel / Switzerland
- married, three children, Swiss nationality, Roman Catholic
- Language skills: German, English, French
- 1961 High School Graduation in Basel
- 1959 to 1967 various jobs as typesetter, proofreader and local journalist in Basel, “taster studies” at the University of Vienna
- 1967 – 1972 Studies in Sociology at the Ludwig-Maximilian-University Munich and Freie Universität Berlin
- 1972 Diploma examination in Sociology, Political Science, Psychology and Economics. Thesis on Niklas Luhmann’s “System Theory” focused on “Crisis Management”
- 1972 – 1977 Lecturer/Researcher at the Institute for Urban Design and Regional Planning at Aachen University (Faculty of Architecture); focused on Urban and Regional Sociology and Development
- 1978 – 1980 Lecturer/Researcher at the Institute for Social Research and Social Economy (ISO Institute, Chamber of Labor), Saarbrucken; focused on European Poverty Research and Social Policy/Planning; Chairman of the ISO Institute’s Employee Representative Committee
- 1980 – 1982 Lecturer in Youth Sociology and Poverty Research at the Saarland University
- 1983 – 1986 engaged in adult education
- 1988 – 1994 Manager of BeRLE GmbH – Consultancy for Regional and Local Development (Beratungsgesellschaft für regionale und lokale Entwicklung m.b.H., Aachen), focused on applied social research for public and private clients: evaluation, local and regional development, social policy/planning/reporting/surveys and marketing
- 1980 – 2002 various research cooperations with Prof. Dr. Michael Opielka (ISÖ – Institute for Social Ecology (Institut für Sozialökologie e.V.), Königswinter); with Prof. Dr. Winfried Böttcher (ACES – Aachen Centre for European Studies; ECMR – European Centre Maas-Rhine); with Prof. Dr. Hans Leo Krämer, Saarland University/Sociology; with with Prof. Dr. Gaston Schaber, Luxembourg, founder of CEPS/INSTEAD – Centre d’Etudes de Populations, de Pauvreté et de Politiques Socio-Economiques / International Network for Studies in Technology, Environment, Alternatives, Development; with Dr. Wolfgang Joussen, B-Plan – Büro für sozialwissenschaftliche Analysen und Planungen (Aachen Region);
- 2003 – 2007 Consultant for the Justice and Peace Commission, Catholic Diocese of Kigoma (Bishop Paul Ruzoka), Tanzania (funded by MISEREOR, supported by AGEH), focused on Promotion and Strengthening Justice and Peace in Kigoma Region and the Great Lakes Region (GLR)
- since 6/2006 retired, but continuing volunteering as independent consultant, as e.g.:
- 2007, 2008, 2009 Short term advisor for the “Cross border Peace for Development Program in the Great Lakes” (with Justice and Peace Commissions in Kigoma/Tanzania, Burundi and DRC) (funded by “Southern Africa Trust – Influencing Policies To End Poverty”)
- 2007, 2008, 2009 Short term consultant for the “Civil Peace Service Program Great Lakes” (funded by the German Government, under the responsibility of AGEH – Association for Development Cooperation, Cologne/Germany)
- Since 2009 Co-Founder, Board Member, Chairman of the German Liemba rehabilitation supporter group “Run Liemba e.V. – Initiative zum Erhalt des historischen Passagier- und Frachtschiffes Liemba als Träger von Entwicklung und Kulturaustausch am Tanganjika-See”
- 2009 – 2011 Honorary Advisor of Aachen Institute for Afghanistan Studies – AIAS (Aachener Institut für Afghanistan-Studien, Najibullah Roshan)
Summary of professional activities since 1972: Projects, social initiatives, research, teaching and reports in Social Policy, Social Planning, Evaluation, Urban and Regional Development, Conflict Transformation and Development; employed by universities, private institutes, church linked organizations and as independent consultant/researcher and activist.
Freie Mitarbeit im Projekt “Zukunftsszenario Altenhilfe Schleswig-Holstein 2030/2045”