Research

The research activities of the chair for sociology/ social policy combine sociology of welfare state, political sociology and the analysis of political attitudes and public opinion. The overarching topics are the societal preconditions and effects of the welfare state. This means in detail

• changing economic inequality and how it is moderated by the policies of taxing, basic income and social security. Which distributional effects do reforms in these fields have?
• The political demand of citizens for social security and redistribution. Which consequences does globalization, economic and social crisis have?
• The perception of inequalities, which not always fit to the objective distribution. What are the reasons for this? How do subjective perceptions shape political demand and electoral behaviour?
• The impact of political communication and the mass media on public opinion and citizens’ perceptions of fair social disparities. How does framing shape perceived inequality and the claim for political reforms?

A further focus are the forms of cooperationin modern societies, who‘s cohesion is depicted as endangered. The question is how cooperation occurs in spite of plural values and cultures, which sources of solidarity exist. In current societies, the welfare state is a form of cooperation. How does it organize solidarity?

Current research:

• Media framing of perceptions of inequality and effects on policy demand.