News about the CRC 1342

On our Twitter/X channel https://twitter.com/SFB1342 you can find the latest news about the Collaborative Research Center "Global Dynamics of Social Policy".

Contact:
Dr. Maximilian Hohmann
CRC 1342: Global Dynamics of Social Policy
Mary-Somerville-Straße 5
28359 Bremen
Phone: +49 421 218-57058
E-Mail: hohmann@uni-bremen.de

Overview of labor-related laws in the USSR (1923-1986) and the GDR (1953-1986)

Today’s working conditions have considerably been shaped by regulations adopted in the past. Indices of the International Labor Organization’s Legislative Series offer an overview of changes in labor-related legislature on an annual basis from a historical perspective. However, the country or area-specific analysis of these changes throughout time is challenging due to the data representation format (i.e., for the respective year, all countries and their legislative changes are listed alphabetically in a PDF file).

In the summer of 2023, three CRC 1342 sub-projects, namely Project A03 – “Worlds of Labour: Coverage and Generosity of Employment Law”, Project A04 – “Global Developments in Health Care Systems” and Project B06 – “Resource Boom and Social Policy in Authoritarian Regimes. A Means of Securing Regime Stability?”, jointly extracted the relevant information on the Soviet Union and the German Democratic Republic into two separate Excel files and published them on the Discuss Data platform:

https://doi.org/10.48320/CF7655DF-8DB1-4865-B2A1-82EAF58F739D

https://doi.org/10.48320/B2B7938A-296E-4B9F-A2F5-B57369AA71A3

Following the initial manual extraction of indices by Heiner Fechner and colleagues from the CRC project A03, Jeusa Hamer and Alexander Polte developed a dedicated program to export the information from the PDF files into Excel documents. This extraction allowed for a country-specific overview and more user-friendly analysis of legislative regulations throughout time. The data digitalization process was finalized by data preparation and documentation, accomplished with the support of the CRC B06 and A04 projects. The selection of the Soviet Union and the German Democratic Republic is in accord with the regional focus of the Discuss Data platform.

Discuss Data (www.discuss-data.net) is an open repository for storing, sharing, and curating research data on Eastern Europe, South Caucasus, and Central Asia. It goes beyond other repositories by providing an interactive online platform for discussing and assessing research data quality. Launched in 2020, with financial support from the German Research Foundation (DFG), this platform is operated by the Research Centre for East European Studies at the University of Bremen (FSO) and the Göttingen State and University Library (SUB).

Contact:
Dr. Gulnaz Isabekova
CRC 1342: Global Dynamics of Social Policy, Research Centre for East European Studies
Klagenfurter Straße 8
28359 Bremen
Phone: +49 421 218-57073
E-Mail: gulnaz@uni-bremen.de

Deadline for application: 15 October, 2023

The Collaborative Research Centre 1342 analyses the global dynamics of public social policy. The CRC 1342 works as an umbrella for a total of 15 projects. One of them is the Information Management Project (INF project) where the research data from all CRC projects are accumulated in an information management system “Advancing the Global Welfare State Information System (WeSIS), eScience Services and Research Data Management”. We are looking for a student employee for further development of WeSIS (up to 74 hours/month) as soon as possible, preferably with a focus on UI/UX design and/or frontend development capabilities. The salary is in accordance with the current collective agreement of the state of Bremen (12 Euro / hour). Send your CV and/or portfolio to: tany@uni-bremen.de

Job description:

• Gathering and preparing user requirements in collaboration with our social scientists for our existing data repository
• Designing graphic user interface elements using Figma and/or other necessary tools
• Conduct design adjustments based on user feedback
• Experience with Bootstrap, Material UI, React, JavaScript and/similar libraries would be a huge plus

 

Your profile:

• Ongoing studies in Computer Science, Digital Media, Interface design, or other similar subjects are welcome. In exceptional cases, a portfolio of previous work experiences is also welcome when the study programs do not match directly
• Very good knowledge and skills on UI/UX design tools and programs. We work with Figma
• Good knowledge of English is a must as we are an English-speaking team
• Knowledge of web programming languages will be a plus. We work with Ruby on Rails, JavaScript and React among others
• Strong knowledge of responsive and interactive designs with attention to details

 

Our offer:

• Flexible working hours with the possibility of home-office
• Connection to the team and related activities (including the opportunity to participate in team events, retreats, etc.)
• Opportunity to work with the end users to polish and tailor an existing system to their needs
• Starting on January, 2024 with 3 months contract and later extendable based on the performance

 

Deadline for application:

15 October, 2023

Contact:
Nadera Sultana Tany
CRC 1342: Global Dynamics of Social Policy
Mary-Somerville-Straße 7
28359 Bremen
Phone: +49 421 218-58600
E-Mail: tany@uni-bremen.de

Lesson‐drawing under authoritarianism

Dr. Armin Müller and Prof. Dr. Tobias ten Brink from project B05 "Inclusion and Benefit Dynamics in the Chinese Welfare Regime" contribute an article in "Asian Politics & Policy".

In the article "Lesson-drawing under authoritarianism: Generosity and cost control in China's hospital payment reforms" (Asian Politics & Policy 2023), Armin Müller and Tobias ten Brink (TP B05) examine recent hospital payment reforms in Chinese cities against their historical background. Using process tracing, the authors reconstruct two waves of reforms from a lesson-drawing perspective, triangulating different data sources (expert interviews, administrative documents, academic studies, and newspaper articles).

Local governments were the driving force behind a first wave of reform in the 1990s. It was dominated by simplified versions of international models that did not include strong prospective payment components and thus protected the interests of local governments and hospitals. In a second wave beginning in the 2000s, the impetus came from central government, leading to greater adoption of syntheses of international models and adaptations with more prospective payment components – and a stronger focus on patient interests. It is noted that significant pressure from the central government was necessary to minimize the bureaucratic self-interest of local governments in more low-cost reform.

Contact:
Dr. Armin Müller
CRC 1342: Global Dynamics of Social Policy, Research IV and China Global Center
Campus Ring 1
28759 Bremen
Phone: +49 421 200-3473
E-Mail: armmueller@constructor.university

Prof. Dr. Tobias ten Brink
CRC 1342: Global Dynamics of Social Policy, Research IV and China Global Center
Campus Ring 1
28759 Bremen
Phone: +49 421 200-3382
E-Mail: ttenbrink@constructor.university

Supporting on data collection between January and April 2024

As part of the Collaborative Research Centre (CRC) 1342 on “Global Dynamics of Social Policy”, Project A07 on "Global Dynamics of Long-term Care Policies" is researching the generosity of long-term care systems in international comparison as well as the role of international interdependencies in shaping long-term care policies. In working package 1 and 2, the project specifically investigates which inclusiveness criteria shape access to public long-term care benefits and how much of which types of benefits are granted in the respective countries. In working package 3 and 4, we analyse policy transfer between countries and the role of International Organisations in long-term care policy in four case studies in East Asia (South Korea, Taiwan) and Latin America (Uruguay, Chile). You can find more information on the project here. The project team is located at the University of Bremen and the University of Duisburg-Essen.

We are looking for student assistants with 10-18 hours/week to assist with data collection in working package 1 between January and April 2024. Alternatively, it is also possible to do a part- or full-time internship in the project during this period.

The main task is to contributed to data collection on the inclusiveness and scope of benefits of 50 countries’ public long-term care system. In doing so, we use secondary literature, laws and internet sources to systematically extract and code information for pre-defined indicators on the topic. The data collection will be shared within the project team and each person will be responsible for a defined number of countries. During the process, there will be initial training sessions on the tasks and regular exchange within the team for data collection.

Requirements for the position

• Immatriculation as an advanced Bachelor or Master student at a German university
• Student of social or health science study programme
• Experience and knowledge of scientific working (e.g. rules of citation and literature search), knowledge of literature management software Endnote is an asset
• Interest in empirical scientific research, preferably also experience with international comparative research
• Interest in social policy, in particular long-term care policy; knowledge of those topics is an asset
• Very good knowledge and use of written and spoken English; knowledge of additional languages (e.g. Russian, French) is an asset
• Ability to work precisely and conscientious with attention to detail
• Good (self-)organisation skills, communication skills, and team orientation

 

We offer insights into working within a university research project and the praxis of empirical, international comparative social policy research. Additionally, we offer a cooperative working environment in a friendly, interdisciplinary, and divers team at one of the major research projects on comparative social policy study in Germany, where you get the opportunity to apply and develop your skills and knowledge. The position provides you with insights in working in academia and, upon interest, the possibility to attend (online) meetings and lectures of the A07 project and the CRC 1342.

Conditions

Working time and place can, upon agreement, be arranged flexibly. Weekly working time for student assistants should range between 10-18 hours (upon agreement). Payment is based on the usual rates for student assistants at the University of Bremen. For internships, part- or full-time options are available. Please state your preferences regarding type of contract (student assistant/intern), preferred number of weekly working hours and preferred length of contract (2, 3 or 4 months) in the application. Concrete modalities will then be coordinated during the hiring process.

Application

If you are interested in the position please send your application to Johanna Fischer (johanna.fischer@uni-bremen.de) by 8.10.2023. Your application should include a CV, a short letter of motivation as well as a current transcript of records as a PDF document. In case of questions on the position please contact Johanna Fischer. 

Contact:
Dr. Johanna Fischer
CRC 1342: Global Dynamics of Social Policy
Mary-Somerville-Straße 3
28359 Bremen
Phone: +49 421 218-57074
E-Mail: johanna.fischer@uni-bremen.de

A07: "Global Dynamics of Long-term Care Policies"

As part of the Collaborative Research Centre (CRC) 1342 on “Global Dynamics of Social Policy”, Project A07 on "Global Dynamics of Long-term Care Policies" is researching the generosity of long-term care systems in international comparison as well as the role of international interdependencies in shaping long-term care policies. In working package 1 and 2, the project specifically investigates which inclusiveness criteria shape access to public long-term care benefits and how much of which types of benefits are granted in the respective countries. In working package 3 and 4, we analyse policy transfer between countries and the role of International Organisations in long-term care policy in four case studies in East Asia (South Korea, Taiwan) and Latin America (Uruguay, Chile). You can find more information on the project here. The project team is located at the University of Bremen and the University of Duisburg-Essen.

We are looking for a student assistant with 30 to 40 hours of work per month (by agreement) at the University of Bremen starting January 2024. The position is limited until 31.12.2024 (extension possible).

Tasks:

• Assist with data collection and data management (e.g., research on international data and documents, coding documents, formatting data sets).
• Literature research and management
• Support with preparing publications
• Support in project organisation (e.g. minutes of project meetings, communication with cooperation partners).

 

Requirements:

• Enrolment at a German university
• Student of social or health science study programme (e.g. political science, sociology, social policy, public health)
• Interest in comparative social policy research and/or long-term care systems, preferably already knowledge in these areas
• Experience in scientific work (e.g. citation rules and literature research), preferably also in qualitative and/or quantitative empirical analysis and related IT programs (e.g. Excel, Endnote, Maxqda, R)
• Very good command of written and spoken English
• Good (self-)organizational skills, communication skills and ability to work in a team

 

We offer a collegial working environment in a friendly, interdisciplinary and diverse team. The position provides insights into the work of a university research project and into the practice of empirical, international comparative social policy research. In case of interest, there is the possibility to participate in (online) meetings and lectures of the A07 project, the SFB 1342 and the Socium.

Working hours and location are flexible by arrangement. The salary is based on the usual rates for student assistants at the University of Bremen.

If you have any questions about the position, please feel free to contact Johanna Fischer (johanna.fischer@uni-bremen.de). To apply, please send your documents including a short letter of motivation, CV and certificate/transcript as a PDF document by 8.10.23 via e-mail to Johanna Fischer (johanna.fischer@uni-bremen.de).

Contact:
Dr. Johanna Fischer
CRC 1342: Global Dynamics of Social Policy
Mary-Somerville-Straße 3
28359 Bremen
Phone: +49 421 218-57074
E-Mail: johanna.fischer@uni-bremen.de

Postdoctoral Researcher (f/m/d), Salary Scale 13 TV-L (100%), Reference Code: A186/23

The CRC 1342 has been funded by the DFG since January 2018 and investigates the global dynamics of social policy. The focus of the second funding phase (2022 – 2025) is on the examination of inclusiveness and the scope of provision of social protection programmes.

The CRC 1342 consists of 15 subprojects and is divided into two project areas: The six subprojects in Area A examine the dynamics of various social policy fields from a global and historical perspective. The eight subprojects in Area B conduct case studies and country comparisons for selected countries/regions and specific social protection programmes. An information infrastructure project is developing the Global Welfare State Information System (WeSIS).

Project A06, led by Prof. Sonja Drobnič, PhD, focuses on the developmental dynamics of family policy in a global comparison. First, a database of the scope and inclusiveness of family policy measures will be established. Second, the role of 'female agency' on both the national and international levels will be examined, in order to understand and explain the developmental dynamics in greater depth.

Job description

• Participation in data collection on family policy developments with regard to scope and inclusiveness
• Examination of family policy profiles from historical and geographical comparative perspectives
• Analysis of the relevance of 'female agency' on the national and transnational levels for the dissemination of family policy

 

Requirements

• PhD degree in sociology, political science, or a related discipline
• Strong background in empirical research and quantitative research methods
• Experience with R, STATA, or similar statistical packages
• Competence in data collection and knowledge of the role of 'female agency' in processes of political and social change will be considered an advantage
• Knowledge of document analysis methods will be considered an advantage
• Excellent English skills are required; knowledge of other languages will be considered an advantage

 

General hints

The university is family-friendly, diverse and sees itself as an international university. We therefore welcome all applicants regardless of gender, nationality, ethnic and social origin, religion/belief, disability, age, sexual orientation and identity.

The University of Bremen strives to increase the number of women in the academy and strongly encourages applications from female candidates. Disabled applicants will be given priority if their professional and personal qualifications are essentially the same.

For questions about the job posting, please contact Prof. Sonja Drobnič, PhD
(drobnic@uni-bremen.de).

Applications with cover letter, CV, and copies of degree certificates should be submitted by 6 October 2023, indicating the reference code above, to:

University of Bremen
Prof. Dr. Sonja Drobnič
Mary-Somerville-Str. 9
28357 Bremen

or electronically (preferably in a single PDF file) to Susan Westing-Kilian
(swkilian@uni-bremen.de) and Sonja Drobnič (drobnic@uni-bremen.de).

Costs for the application and the interview cannot be reimbursed.

Citizenship, Migration and Social Rights. Historical Experiences from the 1870s to the 1970s

Dr. Simon Gerards Iglesias, former Research Fellow at CRC 1342, contributed a chapter to Beate Althammer's anthology "Citizenship, Migration and Social Rights. Historical Experiences from the 1870s to the 1970s." This volume was published as part of the book series "Routledge Studies in Modern History".

Argentina's social policy for immigrants in the interwar period

For some time now, the tensions between migration and the welfare state have sparked heated public and academic debates. Little is known about the historical connections between immigration and emigration and the effects and meanings of the emergence of modern welfare states. In a new anthology published by Routledge, this question will be explored from a transnational perspective with studies on different countries.

Simon Gerards Iglesias' chapter discusses Argentine immigration and welfare policies in the interwar period, focusing on those designed for Europeans. Recalling that Europe was a continent of mass emigration in the 19th and early 20th centuries, he shows how a key destination country - Argentina - contributed to the globalisation of welfare discourses that were originally an exclusively European affair. Gerards Iglesias argues that Argentina's efforts in the international socio-political arena were primarily rooted in the ambition to make the country attractive to European immigrants again after the First World War. He illustrates this concretely with the example of workers' compensation - the branch of social security whose internationalisation generally progressed most rapidly. However, Gerards Iglesias also points out the inconsistencies in Argentina's migration policy. For example, although the government concluded several bilateral agreements with European states on occupational injury benefits, it did not ratify the corresponding ILO convention until 1950. And while on the one hand it displayed pro-immigration rhetoric on the international stage, on the other it successively raised the barriers for potential immigrants at the national level. Argentina's political elites, the chapter shows, were torn between the pros and cons of immigration, which in any case always meant European immigrants, while migrants of other than "white" European descent were always unwelcome.

Publications:

Hüther, Michael / Gerards Iglesias, Simon (2022): Wirtschaftliche Entwicklung durch Rückschritt – zu den Perspektiven der russischen Volkswirtschaft, in: Russland-Analysen, Nr. 426, S. 2-6.

Gerards Iglesias, Simon (2022): Inmigración y empresariado transnacional en Argentina a finales del siglo XIX. Los Weil y los Staudt, entre Alemania y Argentina". Cuadernos del Archivo VI/1, Nr. 10 (2022): 26-45.

Gerards Iglesias, Simon (2022): Argentinische Sozialpolitik und die Internationale Arbeitsorganisation (ILO), 1919-1943. Debatten, Konflikte und Kooperationen. Dissertation, Universität Bremen.

Simon Gerards Iglesias studied political economy and economic history in Heidelberg, Göttingen and Buenos Aires. From 2019 to 2022, he worked as a researcher at the CRC 1342 and completed his doctoral thesis on the historical development of social policies in Argentina under the supervision of Prof. Dr. Delia González de Reufels. He currently works at the German Economic Institute in Cologne.

Project A04 “Global developments in health care systems” is looking for a new student assistant

Dr. Lorraine Frisina Doetter, co-director of the A04 project “Global developments in health care systems”, is looking for a new student assistant for the period of October to December 2023 for a total of 40 hours (ca. 3.5 hours weekly), with a possibility of renewal and increased weekly hours in the year 2024.

Start date: 01 October 2023. The position is temporary, but a longer-term employment is intended.

Tasks: 

• Database and literature research
• Format and editing for publications (including tables and figures)
• Support on administrative tasks

 

Requirements:

• Enrolled in a German University
• Excellent command of English and German
• Experience in literature research, especially systematic and scoping review methods
• Experience in Excel (e.g. generation of data tables and graphs)
• Independent, reliable and organised working style
• Interest in social policy, health policy and/or health inequality

 

Desirable:

• Experience with reference management software, especially Zotero

 

Deadline for application: Rolling basis until the position is filled.

Please send applications with CV and short letter of motivation (in English) stating expected graduation date to Katharina Scherf at kscherf@uni-bremen.de.

Contact:
Dr. Lorraine Frisina Doetter
CRC 1342: Global Dynamics of Social Policy
Mary-Somerville-Straße 3
28359 Bremen
Phone: +49 421 218-58561
E-Mail: frisina@uni-bremen.de

Research visit in Cologne from 15th of October until 15th of December

A postdoctoral researcher from the A06 project “Pathways to Family Policy Universalism: Coverage and Generosity of Family Policies in a Global Perspective” will participate in the Visiting Researchers Program of the Max Planck Society for two months.

During her research visit from 15th of October until 15th of December at the Max Planck Institute for the Study of Societies in Cologne, she aims to examine the complex interplay between growth regimes, gender inequality, and welfare policies during the Fordism era, when advanced capitalist economies began to diverge in their paths towards "gender equal" or "conservative" welfare states. 

Keonhi Son’s argument is twofold: first, growth regimes have shaped gender inequality in the labor market since the Fordism era. Growth strategies centered around specific sectors disadvantaged women through wage moderation and gendered hierarchy in the labor market. Second, the demand for women's labor influenced policymakers' preferences on welfare policies for women workers. If female labor played a minimal role in a state's growth strategy, policymakers were likely to perceive women as dependents of male workers in the industrial sector rather than as workers themselves, and thus reluctant to extend welfare policies for working women. To test her arguments, she will conduct a comparative case study that examines the patterns of gender inequality in labor markets, as well as the political discourse surrounding the early development of paid maternity leave in Germany and Sweden during the 1950s and 1960s. 

Her research interest encompasses leave policy development in the Global South, the origin of work-family policies, and the role of female agency on social policy development. She is constructing three historical databases that measure inclusiveness and generosity of maternity, paternity and parental leave in the Global South, covering 165 countries from 1883 until 2018.

Publications:

Son, Keonhi. (2023). The Origin of Social Policy for Women Workers: The Emergence of Paid Maternity Leave in Western Countries, Comparative Political Studies (online first). https://doi.org/10.1177/00104140231169024.

Son, Keonhi. (2022). Colonialism and Paid Maternity Leave Policies in Sub-Saharan Africa, In Dobrotić, Ivana, Blum, Sonja, & Koslowski, Alison. (Eds.), Research Handbook on Leave Policy, 310-323. Cheltenham: Edward Elgar Publishing. https://doi.org/10.4337/9781800372214.00033.

Son, Keonhi. (2022). Ship of Theseus: from ILO Standards to Outcome of Maternity Protection Policy. Journal of Social Policy. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0047279422000010.

Son, Keonhi. (2022). Do International Treaties Only Have an Impact on Ratifying States?: the Influence of the ILO Maternity Protection Conventions in 160 States, 1883 until 2018. International Labour Review. https://doi.org/10.1111/ilr.12371.

Contact:
Dr. Keonhi Son
CRC 1342: Global Dynamics of Social Policy
Mary-Somerville-Straße 9
28359 Bremen
Phone: +49 421 218-99858
E-Mail: son@uni-bremen.de