Main Research Areas
Our primary interest lies in the research of theoretical inequality analysis within the context of social change structures, whereby the study of the welfare state and its influence has a special significance
Poverty and Marginalization
This research area includes the conceptual study of poverty, the question of its measurement, its determinants and its consequences. Income analyses are indispensable in this context; however, the expansion of income-based poverty research takes center stage. Living standard analyses as well as the examination of the concept of social exclusion, which is so central to European social policy, show the added value of this perspective. Subjective indicators on feelings of marginalization complete the picture of exclusion trajectories and their determinants in different countries. By analyzing the consequences of impoverishment for cultural and political participation, we link distributional issues with aspects of social integration.
Social Capital, Social Networks, Participation
Our work in this area aims to contribute to the inequality-theoretical foundation of social capital research. Besides questions of conceptualization and operationalization, we deal with social capital as a dependent variable and want to know how formal and informal forms of relationships change - in the individual life course, through specific life events and depending on welfare state conditions. We ask about social capital profiles and their class-specific manifestations as well as about the role and nature of social capital among migrants.
Life Satisfaction, Life Quality, Subjective Well-Being
The study of quality of life involves reference to living conditions and people's well-being in equal measure. Questions of measurement and interaction of different spheres of life as well as implicit societal guiding concepts are fundamental.