Departments

Theoretical and Normative Foundations

Research in the Department focuses on welfare states and social inequalities from a perspective of sociological and political theories.
Head of Department: Prof. Dr. Markus Tepe

Political Economy of the Welfare State

In the department the political economy of the welfare state is analysed, particularly from a political science perspective. The department consists of three working groups. They share a strictly comparative alignment to research, an interest in the historical development of welfare states and make use of a wide portfolio of methods.
Head of Department: Prof. Dr. Herbert Obinger

Dynamics of Inequality in Welfare Societies

Research in this Department focuses on structures and changes of social inequalities in the context of welfare state arrangements on a national level as well as in cross-national comparison.
Head of Department: Prof. Dr. Olaf Groh-Samberg

 

Life Course, Life Course Policy, and Social Integration

The department’s research focuses on the interplay between individual action processes and the dynamics of socio-cultural structures at different aggregation levels and in various institutional contexts.
Head of Department: Prof. Dr. Michael Windzio

 

Health, Long-Term Care and Pensions

The department addresses all issues concerning healthcare, long-term care and pensions from a local, national and international comparative perspective. We take an interdisciplinary and/or multidisciplinary approach and strive to deal with politically relevant issues as they arise, providing science-based advice to policy makers.
Head of Department: Prof. Dr. Heinz Rothgang

Methods Research

The method center is a platform for exchange on advanced methods of empirical social research, with special attention to the analysis of longitudinal data, multilevel analyses, social network analysis, mixed methods and comparative methods.
Head of Department: Prof. Dr. Betina Hollstein and Prof. Dr. Annelies Blom