© Maximilian Hohmann
News
Visit Us on Social Media and Check Out the Blog Social Policy Worldwide!
The Collaborative Research Center "Global Dynamics of Social Policy" is represented on Bluesky as well as on Mastodon and X. On these channels you will always find the latest news about the CRC 1342. Furthermore, we also recommend the blog Social Policy Worldwide of the SOCIUM Research Center Inequality and Social Policy at the University of Bremen.
Read more
© Zoom
29.05.2026
WeSIS-Workshop for new CRC Members
On Friday, 29 May 2026, the new colleagues who joined the Collaborative Research Center 1342 as part of Phase III had the opportunity to familiarize themselves with the "Global Welfare State Information System (WeSIS)". Dr. Nils Düpont, a member of the CRC since its first phase, provided a professional introduction to the system and, through five concise exercises and practical advice, successfully conveyed the fundamentals of working with WeSIS to the participants.
Read more
© Maximilian Hohmann
21.05.2026
Discussion of the Curse of Highly Effective Social Policies
At the invitation of CRC Spokesperson Prof. Dr. Markus Tepe, Prof. Raanan Sulitzeanu-Kenan from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem visited Bremen. On 20 May 2026 he gave a lecture entitled "The Curse of Highly Effective Social Policies: Empirical Implications of a Theoretical Model". The event was held in a hybrid format, enabling colleagues from other universities to participate as well.
Read more
© Maximilian Hohmann
11.05.2026
Phase III Kick-off Event
To mark the beginning of the third funding phase (2026–2029), more than 60 colleagues gathered on 7 and 8 May 2026 in the historic Kassenhalle at Forum am Domshof in downtown Bremen. In addition to discussions on current research projects, the meeting focused on the CRC 1342 General Assembly as well as further strategic planning activities. The welcoming address was delivered by Professor Michal Kucera, Vice President for Research and Transfer at the University of Bremen.
Read more
© Maximilian Hohmann
30.04.2026
CRC 1342 participates in Excellence on-site visit
April 28 and 29 were the two most important days of this year for the universities of Bremen and Oldenburg. A delegation of international experts and representatives of the Wissenschaftsrat were welcomed to Bremen. Their evaluation will be instrumental in determining if the Northwest Alliance begins 2027 as a University Excellence Consortium. Numerous institutions from the Social Sciences were involved, including CRC 1342, RISC, the Research Data Centre Qualiservice, as well as DIFIS and BIGSSS.
Read more
© Maximilian Hohmann
23.04.2026
Lecture on Digital Transformation and the Welfare State
Sophia Seung-yoon Lee, Professor at the School of Social Welfare at Chung-Ang University in Seoul, was the first speaker in our Jour Fixe series for the current summer semester on 22 April 2026. Her engaging one-hour presentation "From Melting Labour to Invisible Subordination: Algorithmic Control and Welfare State Drift in South Korea" was followed by a lively one-hour discussion with numerous colleagues from across all status groups.
Read more
© Moon Guy/Adobe Stock
07.04.2026
Relaunch of the CRC 1342 Website
As part of the ongoing development of the Collaborative Research Center "Global Dynamics of Social Policy" during its third funding phase (2026–2029), the association's website has been relaunched to coincide with the start of the 2026 summer semester. In addition to technical and visual modernization, particular emphasis in the redesign was placed on meeting accessibility requirements and aligning the site with the corporate design of the University of Bremen.
Read more
© Felix Lanver
12.03.2026
Felix Lanver Successfully Defends His PhD Thesis
On 19 February 2026, Felix Lanver defended his dissertation titled "The Expansion of Unemployment Insurance in the Global South, 1980–2019". From May 2022 to December 2025, he was employed in project A02, "Global Dynamics of Coverage and Generosity in Work-Injury Compensation, Unemployment and Old-Age Pensions". The supervisors of his PhD thesis were Prof. Dr. Herbert Obinger and Dr. Nate Breznau.
Read more
© Frontiers in Sociology
11.03.2026
Standard Employment and Segmentation Practices within the Automotive Industry in South Africa
Prof. Dr. Irene Dingeldey and Andrea Schäfer have published a new article on standard employment and segmentation practices within the automotive industry in South Africa, in "Frontiers in Sociology". They were part of the team working in project A03 "Worlds of Labour: Coverage and Generosity of Employment Law" from the second phase of CRC 1342 (2022–2025).
Read more
© World Development/ScienceDirect
19.02.2026
Hidden Work-family Challenges in the Low- and Middle-income Countries
A recent article by Dr. Keonhi Son and Dr. Aysegul Kayaoglu, researchers from project A06 "Work-family Policies: Socioeconomic Outcomes and Policy Learning", has been published in "World Development". In this review article, they challenge the conventional view in labor economics that work-family challenges arise only in high-income countries, where many women work in the formal sector.
Read more
© Nutthaseth Vanchaichana
09.02.2026
First CRC General Assembly in Phase III
On 06.02.2026 the first General Assembly of CRC 1342 in its third funding phase (2026–2029) was held as an online meeting to formally constitute the centre and appoint its key governing bodies. In addition to electing the new Speaker and Deputy Speaker, the members of the Executive Board as well as parts of the Equal Opportunities Committee were newly elected.
Read more
© Maximilian Hohmann
05.02.2026
SOCIUM Annual Meeting 2026
The Annual Conference of the SOCIUM - Research Center on Inequality and Social Policy - was held on 05.02.2026 in the Rotunde of the Cartesium building at the University of Bremen. The collegial exchange focused on mutual reporting on current research findings and strategic initiatives. Participating institutions included, alongside SOCIUM, the Collaborative Research Centre (CRC) 1342 "Global Dynamics of Social Policy" and the German Institute for Interdisciplinary Social Policy Research (DIFIS).
Read more
