News

Here you can find the latest updates on the Collaborative Research Centre "Global Dynamics of Social Policy": summaries of current research results, references to our latest publications, outcomes of events and more news from the projects and their staff members.


News about Global Dynamics of Social Policy

The Collaborative Research Centre "Global Dynamics of Social Policy" is now on Mastodon!

You can also find the latest news about the CRC 1342 on our X-channel.

Furthermore, we also recommend the blog Social Policy Worldwide of the SOCIUM Research Center Inequality and Social Policy at the University of Bremen.


Contact:
Dr. Maximilian Hohmann
CRC 1342: Global Dynamics of Social Policy
Mary-Somerville-Straße 5
28359 Bremen
Phone: +49 421 218-57058
E-Mail: hohmann@uni-bremen.de

"Bausteine Forschungsdatenmanagement"
"Bausteine Forschungsdatenmanagement"
Information Management Project (INF)

The Information Management Project (INF) wrote a report on the experiences with Research Data Management (RDM) in the CRC 1342, which was published in "Bausteine Forschungsdatenmanagement". In order to expand systematic RDM, the article addresses, among other things, the question of how the individual interests of researchers can be harmonised with collective goals in large collaborative projects.

"Governance bei der Co-Creation eines webbasierten Forschungsdatenmanagementsystems in den Sozialwissenschaften"

This article deals with the development of WeSIS on the basis of practiced network governance. What is special about the creation of WeSIS is that it was developed by the participating researchers in co-creation. Coding rules, metadata or tools for the analysis and initial visualization of the data were developed jointly in order to address the needs of the researchers using it. Furthermore, the question of whether co-creation has added value for the joint RDM of the CRC 1342 is discussed. Based on more than five years of experience and the evaluations carried out, it can be concluded that a high degree of communication was required for the joint development of the information system. The article shows that the concept of network governance offers an appropriate perspective for coordinating the communication and decision-making processes in a targeted manner.

Bausteine Forschungsdatenmanagement is a publication of the joint Arbeitsgruppe "Forschungsdaten" of the Deutsche Initiative für Netzwerkinformationen e.V. (DINI) and nestor - Deutsches Kompetenznetzwerk zur digitalen Langzeitarchivierung.


Contact:
Dr. Nils Düpont
CRC 1342: Global Dynamics of Social Policy
Mary-Somerville-Straße 7
28359 Bremen
Phone: +49 421 218-57060
E-Mail: duepont@uni-bremen.de

Prof. Dr. Ivo Mossig
CRC 1342: Global Dynamics of Social Policy
Mary-Somerville-Straße 7
28359 Bremen
Phone: +49-421-218 67410
E-Mail: mossig@uni-bremen.de

Palgrave Macmillan, London. Springer
Palgrave Macmillan, London. Springer
Jour Fixe with Jonathan D. London on February 28, 2024

As the last event of the CRC 1342 Jour Fixe lecture series in the winter semester 2023/24, Jonathan London from Leiden University gave an insight into his current research on Wednesday, February 28. He presented excerpts from his book "Welfare and Inequality in Marketizing East Asia".

In his lecture, Prof. London presented his book, in which he described socio-political expansion tendencies based on a determination of regime types and accumulation regimes in ten Southeast Asian countries - against the backdrop of the increasing marketization of these countries' economies. Despite the expansion of new protection programmes, however, serious problems must be noted. On the one hand, there are considerable differences between the de jure and de facto forms of these social programmes in terms of the scope of benefits and inclusivity. On the other hand, serious shortcomings can still be observed in particularly demanding areas (such as education and health), in which the creation of effective infrastructures, qualified labour etc. is necessary for a sustainable improvement in the situation for broad sections of the population, in addition to the necessary funds. Taken together, this stands in the way of an effective reduction in social inequalities, despite the significant economic development in Southeast Asia.

Jonathan D. London is Associate Professor of Political Economy - Asia at Leiden University's Institute of Area Studies. London's research interests span the fields of comparative political economy, development studies, and the political economy of welfare and inequality. Fluent in Vietnamese, London is sole editor of the Routledge Handbook of Contemporary Vietnam (2023). His 2018 book, “Welfare and Inequality in Marketizing East Asia” developed a critique of theoretical literature on welfare regimes analysis and a comparative analysis of 10 East Asian countries.  He holds a PhD in Sociology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.


Contact:
Prof. Dr. Tobias ten Brink
CRC 1342: Global Dynamics of Social Policy, Research IV and China Global Center
Campus Ring 1
28759 Bremen
Phone: +49 421 200-3382
E-Mail: ttenbrink@constructor.university

Prof. Dr. Tobias ten Brink and Dr. Zhe Yan in China
Prof. Dr. Tobias ten Brink and Dr. Zhe Yan in China
Project B05: "Inclusion and Benefit Dynamics in the Chinese Welfare Regime"

The B05 project successfully conducted field research in China for the first time after China ended its zero-COVID policy.

Dr. Zhe Yan conducted extensive field research from September to December 2023. The purpose of the research trip was twofold: to investigate the coverage and generosity of both maternity protection and long-term care. The research is timely as China is experiencing rapid population aging, with only 9.56 million births in 2022, the lowest number since records began in 1949. The emerging social reality calls for a social policy response. The country has already piloted long-term care insurance in selected cities and extended maternity leave to encourage women of reproductive age to have children. However, the outcome of these policy initiatives remains unclear and requires rigorous research.

Despite more difficult field access and the securitization of Sino-European knowledge exchange in recent years, data collection was feasible. To collect data, Dr. Yan visited various long-term care facilities and community care centers in Shanghai, Suzhou, and Kunshan, with local colleagues. He also conducted numerous in-depth interviews with Chinese couples with newborns to examine the implementation of the maternity insurance program from the beneficiaries' perspective. Preliminary data analysis suggests that there are gaps between de jure entitlements and de facto policy implementation in both long-term care and maternity protection. This can be partly explained by the conditionality of access to benefits, such as the hukou (household registration) system for admitting the elderly for long-term care, and the extent to which employers are willing to enroll workers for maternity insurance. Therefore, expanding coverage and improving the generosity of social insurance depends on policymakers' determination to address these issues. The B05 team aims to identify the factors that influence the outcomes of recent social policy in these important areas.

While in China, Dr. Yan was hosted by Duke Kunshan University as a Scholar in Residence at the Center for the Study of Contemporary China, where he is also part of the local Aging and Care Initiative. To support field research, meet long-standing collaboration partners e.g., from Fudan University, and to establish academic collaborations with local research institutions, Prof. Tobias ten Brink visited Shanghai and Kunshan in October. At Duke Kunshan University, he also met with the Director of the Center to establish future cooperation. Tobias ten Brink also gave a public lecture to the students and faculty members, focusing on the research program of the CRC 1342 and findings of the B05 project.


Contact:
Prof. Dr. Tobias ten Brink
CRC 1342: Global Dynamics of Social Policy, Research IV and China Global Center
Campus Ring 1
28759 Bremen
Phone: +49 421 200-3382
E-Mail: ttenbrink@constructor.university

Dr. Zhe Yan
CRC 1342: Global Dynamics of Social Policy, Research IV and China Global Center
Campus Ring 1
28759 Bremen
Phone: +49 421 200-3474
E-Mail: zyan@constructor.university

Project INF is looking for a student assistant

The Collaborative Research Centre 1342 analyses the global dynamics of public social policy. The CRC 1342 works as an umbrella for a total of 15 projects. One of them is the Information Management Project (INF project) where the research data from all CRC projects are accumulated in an information management system “Advancing the Global Welfare State Information System (WeSIS), eScience Services and Research Data Management”. We are looking for a student employee for further development of WeSIS (up to 74 hours/month) as soon as possible, preferably with a focus on UI/UX design and/or frontend development capabilities. The salary is in accordance with the current collective agreement of the state of Bremen (12.29 Euro / hour). Send your CV and/or portfolio to: tany@uni-bremen.de

Job description:

  • Gathering and preparing user requirements in collaboration with our social scientists for our existing data repository
  • Designing graphic user interface elements using Figma and/or other necessary tools
  • Conduct design adjustments based on user feedback
  • Experience with Bootstrap, Material UI, React, JavaScript and/similar libraries would be a huge plus

 

Your profile:

  • Ongoing studies in Computer Science, Digital Media, Interface design, or other similar subjects are welcome. In exceptional cases, a portfolio of previous work experiences is also welcome when the study programs do not match directly
  • Very good knowledge and skills on UI/UX design tools and programs. We work with Figma
  • Good knowledge of English is a must as we are an English-speaking team
  • Knowledge of web programming languages will be a plus. We work with Ruby on Rails, JavaScript and React among others
  • Strong knowledge of responsive and interactive designs with attention to details

 

Our offer:

  • Flexible working hours with the possibility of home-office
  • Connection to the team and related activities (including the opportunity to participate in team events, retreats, etc.)
  • Opportunity to work with the end users to polish and tailor an existing system to their needs
  • Initially with 3 months contract and later extendable based on the performance

 

Deadline for application:
31 March, 2024


Contact:
Nadera Sultana Tany
CRC 1342: Global Dynamics of Social Policy
Mary-Somerville-Straße 7
28359 Bremen
Phone: +49 421 218-58600
E-Mail: tany@uni-bremen.de

The CRC 1342 welcomes applications by PhD students by 31 March 2024.

The 13th NordWel Summer School "State, Society & Citizen - Cross-Disciplinary Perspectives on Welfare State Development" will take place at the Haus der Wissenschaft in Bremen from 19 to 23 August 2024. On this website you will find the Call for Papers and further information about the Summer School.


Contact:
Dr. Maximilian Hohmann
CRC 1342: Global Dynamics of Social Policy
Mary-Somerville-Straße 5
28359 Bremen
Phone: +49 421 218-57058
E-Mail: hohmann@uni-bremen.de

Dr. Irina Wiegand
CRC 1342: Global Dynamics of Social Policy
Mary-Somerville-Straße 5
28359 Bremen
Phone: +49 421 218-58508
E-Mail: irina.wiegand@uni-bremen.de

Thursday, March 14, 2024, from 12 to 4 p.m. at the Jade University of Applied Sciences in Wilhelmshaven.

Equal Care Day (ECD) regularly draws attention to the importance of a fair and equal distribution of care work. On February 29, this year's day of action of the Equal Care Day initiative will take place in many cities and virtually. Equal Care Day is an initiative of klische*esc e.V., a non-profit association for the promotion of freedom of choice beyond limiting role stereotypes.

The Equal Care Day initiative calls on people, institutions and associations worldwide to organize the Equal Care Day as an opportunity to once again draw attention to the lack of appreciation and unfair distribution of care work. The campaigns achieve this by using events, campaigns, manifestos and projects of all kinds to focus on the fact that care work and care, care workers and carers are all too often poorly rewarded or not rewarded at all in our society and the current economic system. With this in mind, an ECD festival will also be held in many places and on an online platform in 2024.

The organizers of the Equal Care Day Northwest 2024 Andrea Schäfer (University of Bremen), Nicole Biela (City of Wilhelmshaven) and Ann-Kathrin Cramer (District of Friesland) make it clear in the spirit of the ECD "Care work affects us all, sooner or later in the course of our lives, but we are confronted with very different regional structures and a social policy that only partially integrates care work in its concept. We have all been aware of the consequences for years, now there must finally be solutions. We want to discuss these together on March 14, 2024 at Equal Care Day Northwest 2024 with care workers, experts and decision-makers from politics and business and all interested, thus all who are dependent on care work as."

Equal Care Day Northwest 2024

Equal Care Day Northwest 2024 explores the question of "care work in the course of life" with a particular focus on care work in the various regions in the northwest - from Friesland to Wilhelmshaven to Bremen, in the cities and municipalities. This raises questions about possible solutions in the health and care system in the northwest region: What gaps in care and moral injuries arise in the face of reparative social policies and a view of the caring profession that socially marginalizes women and exposes them to ridicule. What does a model of preventative social policy that focuses on a new normality of gainful employment and care in the life course look like? Who are the people who work day and night in Germany's health and care system to ensure that we are well looked after, can recover or die with dignity? How can everyday life in care or the routines of care workers in the private sphere be made visible with the help of the carers? What operational and political options for action are there to change the working conditions in elderly care in a concrete and sustainable way? What are the needs of young carers and their families and what gaps are there in the support services in the regions? The network, which was founded specifically for this purpose, invites all interested to discuss, learn and experience together.

Program of the ECD Northwest 2024

(from 12:00 p.m.) Greetings

Ann-Kathrin Cramer (District of Friesland)

Prof. Dr.-Ing. Holger Saß (Jade University of Applied Sciences)

Birgit Ahn (Metropolitan Region Northwest)

 

(from 12:15 p.m.) Can it happen to anyone? Care and nursing from a gender perspective

Reading by Monja Schünemann (medical historian and specialist nurse) from her book " Der Pflege-Tsunami. Wie Deutschland seine Alten und Kranken im Stich lässt."

 

(from 13:05) Das Optionszeitenmodell. Time for care, time for equality.

Keynote speech and discussion by Dr. Karin Jurczyk (Deputy Chairwoman of the German Society for Time Policy) and Prof. Ulrich Mückenberger (University of Bremen)

 

Parallel workshops from 14:15 (participation only possible on site)

o Concrete and sustainable improvement of working conditions in geriatric care - ideas for a relief and skilled worker offensive in the care sector

Workshop with keynote speech and discussion by Greta-Marleen Storath (Bremen Chamber of Employees)

o "That doesn't even exist!" Your improvised care story.

Workshop with methods of improvisational theater by Lena Breuer (actress, moderator and trainer from Cologne)

o Who cares? Who cares that we care?

Workshop with film screening and discussion by Ann-Kathrin Cramer (District of Friesland)

o Giving care. Getting help: Young carers

Workshop with researcher and committed people in dialog by Andrea Schäfer (University of Bremen) with Prof. Dr. Claudia Stoll (Bremen University of Applied Sciences)

The 'Equal Care Day Northwest 2024' network

The 'Equal Care Day Northwest 2024' network is a cooperation between Jade University of Applied Sciences, the University of Bremen, the district of Friesland and the city of Wilhelmshaven. Also involved in the network are the Bremen Chamber of Employees, the Friesland education region, the equal opportunities officers of the municipalities of Friesland, Zetel, Wangerland and Sande, the Agenda Varel association, the city of Jever and other committed individuals. The organizers are Andrea Schäfer (University of Bremen), Nicole Biela (City of Wilhelmshaven), Ann-Kathrin Cramer (District of Friesland) and Mareike Sprock (Jade University of Applied Sciences). Andrea Schäfer is organizing the ECD in Bremen for the fourth time.

Further information:

The Equal Care Day Northwest 2024 will take place on Thursday, March 14, 2024, from 12 to 4 p.m. at the Jade University of Applied Sciences in Wilhelmshaven. The event is open to the public, partly digital (12 to 2 p.m.) and free of charge. (event in German without translation)

You can register here.

Here you can find the flyer of the event! (only in German)

For further questions, please contact:

Andrea Schäfer
CRC 1342 "Global Dynamics of Social Policy"
University of Bremen
email: andrea.schaefer@uni-bremen.de
phone: + 49 421 218-57095

Nicole Biela (Equal Opportunities Officer)
Stadt Wilhelmshaven
Rathausplatz 1
26382 Wilhelmshaven
email: Nicole.Biela@wilhelmshaven.de
phone: +49 4421 162302

Ann-Kathrin Cramer (Equal Opportunities Officer)
Landkreis Friesland
Lindenallee 1
26441 Jever
email: a.cramer@friesland.de
phone: +49 4461 919-6161

Funded by METROPOLREGION NORDWEST


Contact:
Andrea Schäfer
CRC 1342: Global Dynamics of Social Policy
Mary-Somerville-Straße 7
28359 Bremen
Phone: +49 421 218-57095
E-Mail: andrea.schaefer@uni-bremen.de

Project B04 (2022-2025)

Friederike Römer, Jakob Henninger and Mara Junge are highly pleased to announce the launch of project B04s new website.

The website "The Immigrant Social Rights Project (ImmigSR)" provides the latest version of the ImmigSR dataset which includes a number of indicators of immigrant access to state provided welfare benefits in 39 countries in five world regions for the years 1980-2018. Resources also include a technical report with codebook and country and benefit coverage details, as well as updates on expansions.
 
Our website is designed to provide researchers, scholars, and interested individuals easy access to both the data and related relevant information.
 
We cordially invite you to visit our new website at https://www.socialpolicydynamics.de/projects/project-area-b-transregional-dynamics/project-b04-2022-25-/immigsr/en/ and learn more about our work in the field of immigrant welfare rights in a global context.


Contact:
Dr. Jakob Henninger
DeZIM e.V.
Mauerstraße 76
10117 Berlin
E-Mail: jakob.henninger@uni-bremen.de

Mara Junge
DeZIM e.V.
Mauerstraße 76
10117 Berlin
E-Mail: junge@dezim-institut.de

Dr. Friederike Römer
DeZIM e.V.
Mauerstraße 76
10117 Berlin
E-Mail: roemer@dezim-institut.de

Prof. Lucia Coppolaro (University of Padova, Italy)
Prof. Lucia Coppolaro (University of Padova, Italy)
Jour Fixe with Prof. Lucia Coppolaro on January 31

The controversy between free trade and labor standards was the central field of tension in Lucia Coppolaro’s Jour Fixe lecture on Wednesday, January 31. In her presentation she addressed the role of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) and the World Trade Organization (WTO). Prof. Coppolaro gave a historical overview of the interplay between trade liberalization on the one hand and social welfare on the other hand.

The central argument of Prof. Lucia Coppolaro’s presentation was the predominant role that globalization played in the tension between labor standards and free trade, in more general terms, between social policy and trade policy. Using an historical perspective reaching from the establishment of the GATT agreement in 1948 to the end of the 20th century, she explained that the processes summarized under the term globalization were the initial driving forces behind the discussion concerning social clauses. But apart from being the enabling factor that made labor standards part of a multilateral debate, globalization was also the reason that social clauses had not been included in the GATT regulations, neither in the WTO’s agenda and continue without strong recognition by the latter until today. Free trade, different to what has been proclaimed, was not a transmitter of social welfare that equally successfully trading countries would increase their spending on. Labor standards, whenever debated, served as a possibility to support protectionist agendas of wealthy countries such as the US towards so-called developing countries marginalized by the GATT and WTO later on.  

Abstract: The interplay between trade liberalization—a cornerstone of globalization—and social welfare constitutes a pivotal and contentious subject in contemporary political discourse. This controversy has surrounded the World Trade Organization (WTO) and its antecedent, the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT), since 1947, both of which have played important roles in promoting trade liberalization. Central to this debate is the connection between free trade and labor standards, specifically the proposition of integrating a social clause within trade liberalization agreements. The discourse has ebbed and flowed in tandem with the globalization wave. Initially broached in 1947, the topic lay dormant until the late 1960s, a period when trade liberalization, chiefly orchestrated by Western nations with comparable policies and labor standards, went unchallenged. The dynamic shifted in the 1970s as nations with lower wages and labor standards entered the global market, propelling the issue to prominence in Geneva. With the ascent of new economies capable of competing in developed markets, the discourse over the interrelation of free trade and labor standards acquired a global dimension and became a focal point within the GATT framework. Despite heightened discussions in the mid-1990s, little progress was made on the social clause, mainly due to the resistance from emerging economies that had accrued substantial negotiation leverage in Geneva. The emergence of global economic integration in the 1970s underscored the disparities between competing nations at varying developmental stages, revealing the complexities of the trade-labor nexus. Concurrently, the burgeoning influence of emerging economies in global commerce altered the power dynamics within the GATT/WTO, effectively stalling the labor standards debate in Geneva.

Lucia Coppolaro is Associate Professor in International History at the Department of Political Science, Law and International Studies of the University of Padova, Italy. Her research is primarily focused on international economic institutions and international trade. She has published numerous articles on the EU trade policy and the evolution of trade liberalization under the auspices of GATT/WTO in journals, including Contemporary European History and The International History Review.


Contact:
Fabienne Müller
CRC 1342: Global Dynamics of Social Policy, Institut für Geschichtswissenschaft / FB 08
Universitäts-Boulevard 13
28359 Bremen
Phone: +49 421 218-58628
E-Mail: famuelle@uni-bremen.de

Project "Pathways to Family Policy Universalism: Inclusiveness and Scope of Family Policies in Global Perspective"

Student Assistant with up to 30 hrs/month

Start date: April 1st 2024. The position is temporary, with the intention of longer-term employment.

The project is a part of the DFG-funded Collaborative Research Centre 1342 "Global Dynamics of Social Policy" and is directed by Prof. Drobnič. 

This project focuses on surveying the historical development of family policy measures in all countries worldwide and explaining their spread across national borders. The role of international women's movements and civil society organizations will also be considered. 


Tasks:

  • Database and literature research
  • Collecting statistical data from text documents
  • Editing previously collected data
  • Support in data analysis


Requirements:

  • Interest in social policy and/or macro-comparative data and research questions
  • Proficiency in English (other language skills are welcome)
  • Experience in literature research and/or document analysis
  • Independent, reliable, and structured working style
  • Knowledge of R (especially data management) or STATA is an advantage


Please send an application with a CV and a short letter of motivation electronically as a pdf attachment to drobnic@uni-bremen.de


Contact:
Prof. Sonja Drobnič
CRC 1342: Global Dynamics of Social Policy
Mary-Somerville-Straße 9
28359 Bremen
Phone: +49 421 218-66360
E-Mail: sonja.drobnic@bigsss.uni-bremen.de