Profile

Inequality, social policy, the welfare state – these are the focal topics at SOCIUM Research Centre for Inequality and Social Policy and the Institute for Intercultural and International Studies (InIIS). Our researchers analyze societal developments and welfare state dynamics amid contemporary tensions: globalization and liberalization on one side, and geopolitical competition and economic decoupling on the other. Following our institutional tradition, our scholars’ work is theory-driven, empirically informed, and comparative across countries and regions. We lead research projects and cooperate in an interdisciplinary manner in international collaborative initiatives.

Our scientific focus is supported by robust institutionalinfrastructure developed by our institutes over the years. The Bremen International Graduate School of Social Sciences (BIGSSS), established in 2008 as part of the Excellence Initiative, delivers an outstanding structured PhD program that attracts international fellows and prepares them for distinguished careers both within and beyond academia. In addition, we contribute to infrastructure development for research data: the Qualiservice Research Data Center archives and curates complex qualitative research data from a range of social science disciplines, the Research Data Centre of the Research Institute for Social Cohesion (FGZ) coordinates the institute’s central longitudinal study, the “Social Cohesion Panel”, and the Welfare State Information System (WESIS) contains extensive information on the global development of social policy since the beginning of the 20th century.

We not only publish our research results in nationally and internationally renowned publications, but also ensure they are published in alternative formats aimed at the interested public: the Sozialpolitikblog and Social Policy Worldwide offer national and international commentaries on current social policy debates and provide a platform for our own and international experts.