Working Groups

Political Theory of the Welfare State

In empirical terms, the object of study of our working group "Political Theory of the Welfare State" is change in the forms of legitimation and justification of the welfare state in Western democracies. In normative terms, we examine concepts such as justice, autonomy and solidarity in the context of normative theory of the welfare state.

Sociological Theory

Theoretical research activities focus on the elaboration of an actor-based theory of modern society which combines perspectives on functional differentiation, inequality, culture, and capitalism.

Social Conflicts

The working group "Social Conflicts" analyzes the role of civil society actors - social movements, NGOs and interest groups - in processes of social change.

Collective Decision-Making

The working group "Collective Decision-Making" focuses on the theoretical conceptionalization and empirical analysis  of collective decision-making processes.