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.
- Head of working group: Prof. Dr. Markus Tepe
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.
- Head of working group: Prof. Dr. Thomas Kern
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.
- Head of working group: Prof. Dr. Sebastian Haunss
Collective Decision-Making
The working group "Collective Decision-Making" focuses on the theoretical conceptionalization and empirical analysis of collective decision-making processes.
- Head of working group: PD Dr. Tanja Pritzlaff-Scheele