Forschungsprojekte: Abstracts
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PATH_CH-LUX: Pathways into the labor market of young people with disabilities in Switzerland and Luxembourg
Title
PATH_CH-LUX: Pathways into the labor market of young people with disabilities in Switzerland and Luxembourg: Drivers of and barriers to successful transitions
Summary
Für junge Erwachsene mit und ohne Behinderungen ist der Übergang in den Arbeitsmarkt von entscheidender Bedeutung, da er die weiteren Beschäftigungsmöglichkeiten bestimmt und sich auch auf weitere Lebensbereiche auswirkt.
Wer den Übergang ins Berufsleben nicht erfolgreich bewältigt, hat ein höheres Risiko während seiner beruflichen Laufbahn (wiederholt) arbeitslos zu werden, weniger Geld zu verdienen, einen schlechteren Gesundheitszustand zu haben und soziale Isolation zu erleben. Alles in allem bedeutet ein nicht erfolgreicher Übergang begrenzte Möglichkeiten, sich aktiv in die Gesellschaft einzubringen und letztlich auch ein geringeres subjektives Wohlbefinden. Zu den am stärksten benachteiligten Gruppen gehören junge Menschen mit Behinderungen. Für sie besteht ein größeres Risiko für schwierige Übergänge, da sie sehr oft stigmatisiert werden und während ihrer Schulzeit häufig in Sonderschulen unterrichtet werden. Beim Übergang zwischen Schule und Berufsleben benötigen junge Erwachsene mit Behinderungen Unterstützung, die jedoch häufig nicht ausreichend gegeben wird.
Das Hauptziel des Projekts besteht daher darin, die Übergänge von der Schule ins Berufsleben und den allgemeinen Übergang ins Erwachsenenalter von jungen Menschen mit Behinderungen zu untersuchen, die in unterschiedlich strukturierten (regionalen) Bildungssystemen und Arbeitsmärkten eingebettet sind. Um ihre Situation besser zu verstehen, analysieren wir verschiedene Perspektiven: die der jungen Erwachsenen selbst, der Arbeitgeber:innen und der Sozialarbeiter:innen.
PATH_CH-LUX liefert fundierte wissenschaftliche Erkenntnisse über die aktuelle Situation von jungen Erwachsenen mit Behinderungen beim Übergang von der Schule ins Berufsleben. Wir untersuchen Barrieren und Erfolgsfaktoren hinsichtlich der Bewältigung dieser Übergänge. Es werden Erkenntnisse über Institutionen, Organisationen und Personen gewonnen, um verbesserte Übergänge für junge Erwachsene mit Behinderungen zu ermöglichen – in der Schweiz, in Luxemburg und darüber hinaus.
Wir verwenden unterschiedliche, sich ergänzende Methoden: biografische Interviews mit jungen Menschen hinsichtlich ihren Erfahrungen; eine schriftliche Befragung von Arbeitgeber:innen zu Bewerber:innen mit unterschiedlichen Behinderungen und Beeinträchtigungen, sozialer Herkunft, Geschlecht und Migrationshintergrund; sowie Interviews mit Sozialarbeiter:innen, wie sie versuchen, diese Jugendlichen und jungen Erwachsenen bei der Bewältigung des Arbeitsmarktes zu unterstützen.
Funding: CHF 595,883 by SNF https://data.snf.ch/grants/grant/215136
Projectleaders: Prof. Dr. Andreas Hadjar, Prof. Dr. Carmen Zurbriggen (Universität Fribourg), Prof. Dr. Justin Powell und Prof. Dr. Boris Traue (University of Luxembourg)
Contact: andreas.hadjar@unifr.ch
Duration: 10/2023- 09/2026
Partners: Robin Samuel, Departement of Social Sciences Center for Childhood and Youth Research University of Luxembourg
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SNF PRIMA - Political opposition in post-communist democracies and authoritarianisms
Title
SNF PRIMA - Political opposition in post-communist democracies and authoritarianisms
Summary
There is no liberal democracy without opposition. The recent rise of anti-establishment parties and polarization have been deemed the most compelling threats to the democratic order worldwide. The bulk of academic attention has been paid primarily to executive aggrandizement and authoritarian leadership to grasp the stages of the attested “democracy erosion”. The examination of political opposition has been largely neglected, even though its unconstrained functioning sustains liberal democracy on the one hand and enhances democratization process on the other. The project’s main question is therefore: How and to what extent can the political opposition fulfil its main functions in different political systems? Central and Eastern Europe appears a particularly feasible context in this regard, as several new European Union (EU) member states have recently been considered “semi-consolidated democracies” or even “hybrid regimes”. At the same time, some EU candidate states are still classified as “competitive authoritarianisms” despite ongoing formal institutional reforms.
Political opposition exists and constitutes the core of both democracies and authoritarianisms. However, its form, role and “room for manoeuvre” differ across political systems (Albrecht 2005, Helms 2021, Bedford and Vinatier 2019). To account for this variety, the project puts forward an original theoretical model based on actor-oriented perspective for analysis of structural changes and strategies. It deals with the topic of political opposition through in-depth case studies of six post-communist countries (Lithuania, Poland, Hungary, Serbia, Ukraine, and Georgia) which feature different quality of democracy, different experience with democratization process and varied party systems. The research is organized into three interrelated analytical dimensions of political opposition: 1) Institutional “opportunity structure” including the most recent policy changes and the way political opposition is treated by the incumbents in a respective country; 2) Strategy of relevant opposition parties embracing their programmatic and organizational renewal on the one hand, and their resources (party funding, links to civil society organizations, the European Union’s leverage) on the other; 3) The role of civil society organizations highlighting the way civil society organizations cooperate with parliamentary opposition parties to better organize their interests and pursue their goals. These dimensions serve to differentiate between genuine opposition and just semi-opposition (Linz 1973, Dettman 2018) benefiting from privileges of power. Only through such a thorough analysis can we explore the way political opposition does fulfil its functions of critique, control and presenting a programmatic alternative. Through the lenses of the functioning of political opposition, the project reveals the nature of a respective political system and enables to identify the outright system change. It thus contributes to the literature on democracy resilience, the so called “democratic backsliding” and authoritarianism.
Funding: CHF 1'188'603
Projectleader: Dr. Magdalena Solska
Project Homepage: https://projects.unifr.ch/opposition/en/
Contact: magdalena.solska@unifr.ch
Duration: 01/2023- 12/2027
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PIONEERED - Pioneering policies and practices tackling educational inequalities in Europe
Title
PIONEERED - Pioneering policies and practices tackling educational inequalities in Europe
Summary
A key objective of the Horizon 2020 framework programme ‘Europe in a changing world’ is to ensure children from vulnerable groups enjoy access to education and reduce educational inequalities. The EU-funded PIONEERED project will specify research-informed policy standards and identify innovative policies and practices to reduce inequalities in accessing education. The project will identify emerging and existing sources of educational inequalities from early childhood to tertiary education, design pioneering policies and practices of reaction, incorporate the findings, and determine the most adaptable instruments and innovative policies to apply across EU Member States. PIONEERED will analyse national policies addressing inequalities, analyse new and existing relevant data, and conduct research in schools and informal education centres.
Keywords: educational inequalities, social policy, educational policy, Europe
Funding Source: H2020 scheme of the European Commission
Applicants: Prof. Dr. Andreas Hadjar and PIONEERED consortium
Project Leader: Prof. Dr. Andreas Hadjar
Duration: 2021-2024
Contact: andreas.hadjar@unifr.chPartners:
UNIVERSITÄT BERN, Switzerland
UNIVERSITÄT MANNHEIM, Germany
UNIVERSITÄT TRIER, Germany
UNIVERSIDAD COMPLUTENSE DE MADRID, Spain
EURICE EUROPEAN RESEARCH AND PROJECT OFFICE, Germany
HELSINGIN YLIOPISTO, Finland
TARKI TARSADALOMKUTATASI INTEZET, Hungary
THE ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL RESEARCH INSTITUTE, Ireland
VIESOJI ISTAIGA VIESOSIOS POLITIKOSIR VADYBOS INSTITUTAS, Lithuania
LISER - LUXEMBOURG INSTITUTE OF SOCIO-ECONOMIC RESEARCH, Luxembourg
HOGSKULEN PA VESTLANDET, Norway
UNIVERSITETET I BERGEN, Norway
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Female and male youth’s experiences of violence in domestic networks: gendered interpretation and associated options for agency
Title
Female and male youth’s experiences of violence in domestic networks: gendered interpretation and associated options for agency
Summary
Domestic violence and violence within the domestic sphere is regarded as a major social problem. Many studies disclose the wide range of negative effects of domestic violence on the victims regarding their health and their social situation. The causes of violence are manifold. They are located on all levels of society: in the personal history, the microsystem, the exo- and macrosystem.
In contrast to the huge body of research on domestic violence, studies on young people’s experiences of violence in the domestic sphere and possible differences due to gender are scant and fragmented.
This project thus focuses on female and male youth that live in violence-prone domestic networks in Switzerland. We concentrate on youth who are witness, victim and/or perpetrator of violence in their households of origin. We want to understand the youth’s opportunities and modalities to deal with violence within the domestic sphere. We assume that within the domestic networks ‘social logics’ of dealing with violence exist and that they are gendered. Our aim is to detect such network-intrinsic gendered logics by revealing and understanding the female and male youth’s interpretation of violence and their thereof perceived options of agency.
Our research questions are:
- How is violence in domestic networks interpreted, and to what extent and how does this interpretation structure the female and male youth’s options for agency?
- What are the gendered network-intrinsic logics of dealing with violence in the domestic sphere and what options for agency for youth result there from?Qualitative ego-centered social network analysis and thematic interviews with 20 male and female youth between 16 and 25 years of age serve as an empirical basis for this research project.
The project aims to reduce research gaps and to scientifically generate knowledge about possible logics and contextual aspects of dealing with violence. From a practical perspective, it will provide useful information to conceptualize and/or improve legal regulations as well as to device interventions to support youth to avoid or reduce the effects of experiences of violence in their households of origin.
Key Words
Violence in the domestic sphere, youth, gender, qualitative social network analysis
Funding Source: Stiftung Homo Liberalis
Applicants: Dr. Anne Kersten und Prof. Dr. Monica Budowski
Project Leader: Dr. Anne Kersten
Duration: Since 2019
Contact: annegret.kersten@unifr.ch -
Kundenumfragen für die Schweizerische Multiple-Sklerose-Gesellschaft (SMSG)
Zusammenfassung
Der Studienbereich Soziologie, Sozialpolitik und Sozialarbeit der Universität Fribourg, vertreten durch Dr. Sebastian Schief, wurde von der Schweizerischen Multiple Sklerose Gesellschaft beauftragt, die Konzeption, Durchführung und Auswertung von Kundenumfragen zu übernehmen. Die Schweizerische Multiple Sklerose Gesellschaft ist eine Non-Profit-Organisation in der Geschäftsform eines Vereins. Die Gesellschaft arbeitet schweizweit in allen Landessprachen. Die MS-Gesellschaft ist gegenüber dem Bundesamt für Sozialversicherungen rechenschaftspflichtig und hat das mit einem Finanzbeitrag verbundene Leistungspaket jährlich nachzuweisen. Teil dieses Nachweises ist es, die Qualität der Leistungen mittels Kundenumfragen zu bestätigen. Bis jetzt wurden die Kundenbefragungen intern erstellt, durchgeführt und ausgewertet. Ziel ist eine Überarbeitung resp. Neukonzeption der Erhebungsinstrumente, die Durchführung der Erhebung, eine Eingabe und Analyse der erhobenen Daten (deskriptiv oder inferenzstatistisch) sowie eine Berichterstellung und visuelle Darstellung der Berichtsergebnisse. Die Kundenumfragen betreffen die Qualität von vier Dienstleistungsbereichen: Beratungen, Freiwilligenarbeit, Veranstaltungen, Öffentlichkeitsarbeit.
Förderung: Schweizerischerische Multiple-Sklerose-Gesellschaft (SMSG)
Projektmitarbeitende: Ivo Staub
Laufzeit: seit September 2014 -
Alumnibefragung ehemaliger Studierender
Titel
Alumnibefragung ehemaliger Studierender des deutschsprachigen Teils des Studienbereichs Soziologie, Sozialpolitik und Sozialarbeit im Departement Sozialwissenschaften der Universität Fribourg
Zusammenfassung
Der Studienbereich Soziologie, Sozialpolitik und Sozialarbeit führt regelmässig eine Befragung ehemaliger Studierender durch um zu eruieren, welchen Nutzen die Alumni aus dem Studium ziehen konnten und wie ihr berufliches Fortkommen ist. Der Studienbereich möchte durch diese Informationen überprüfen, inwiefern die angebotenen Studiengänge auf lange Sicht die Anforderungen der Alumni erfüllen. Alle ehemaligen Studierenden werden mittels eines Onlinefragebogens befragt. Die Alumni werden per Email gebeten, an der Befragung teilzunehmen. Das in diesem Projekt angewandte Instrument und die Ergebnisse können genutzt werden, um die Qualität des Studiums zu verbessern und deutlicher aufzuzeigen, welche Stärken und Schwächen innerhalb der Studienprogramme vorliegen. Es ist uns wichtig, die Sicht der ehemaligen Studierenden auf das Studienprogramm zu erheben.
Förderung: Eigenmittel
Projektmitarbeitende: Susanne Edler
Ehemalige Mitarbeitende: Sebastian Schief, Monica Budowski, Christoph Tschanz, Lena Liechti
Laufzeit: Seit 2010 -
Comparative perspectives on precarity and household strategies
Within the fields of social inequalities and poverty research, recent empirical research highlights the need to approach a socioeconomic category often overlooked: the households in “precarious prosperity” that struggle to maintain a certain level of socioeconomic prosperity, while being aware of the limits of their opportunities and choices. This overlooked socioeconomic category has been termed “precarious prosperity”: it is a structural position within the social inequality order, located between poverty and secure material prosperity in terms of material wellbeing. Households and individuals within this socioeconomic category may be empirically identified by means of household income and standard of living. Such socioeconomic positions are often accompanied by experienced or perceived insecurity to maintain or improve them and the structural ability to plan the future. We term this combination of material wellbeing and insecurity over time as “precarity”.
The studies presented here address the topic of precarity in different countries and provide new insights about this socioeconomic category. They also present longitudinal qualitative and comparative information on how individuals and households living in precarious prosperity experience, manage and conduct their lives, what their living conditions and their (household) strategies of households are.
Projects- A Comparative Perspective on Household Strategies in Conditions of Precarious Prosperity in Chile, Costa Rica, Spain and Switzerland
- A Comparative Perspective on Precarious Prosperity and Household Strategies in Romania and Switzerland in Times of Economic Strain
Team
Prof. Dr. Monica Budowski (CH)
Dr. Iuliana Precupetu (RO)
Dr. Ana Maria Preoteasa (RO)
MA Rebekka Sieber (CH)
Prof. Dr. Christian Suter (CH)
Dr. Ionela Vlase (RO)
Previous Members
Dr. Michèle Amacker (CH)
MA Maurizio Coppola (CH)
MA Jacqueline Kalbermatter (CH)
Dr. Wiebke Keim (CH)
Dr. Daniel Vera (CH) -
Evaluationsforschung «Evaluation Electronic Monitoring»
Titel
Evaluationsforschung „Evaluation Electronic Monitoring“
Zusammenfassung
Das Projekt begleitet und evaluiert die Einführung von Electronic Monitoring in verschiedenen Anwendungsfeldern des Straf- und Justizvollzugs im Kanton Zürich. Dabei werden die Perspektiven verschiedener involvierter Akteure (Institutionen wie auch Personen) erhoben. Die Erhebungen kombinieren qualitative und quantitative Instrumente (mixed-methods).
Auftraggeber: Amt für Justizvollzug, Kanton Zürich
Projektleitung: Marina Richter, Ueli Hostettler
Forschende: Barbara Ryser
Laufzeit: 01.11.2016 - 31.10.2019 -
Employment and Social Differences in the Health Sector: An Institutional Perspective on a Swiss Hospital
Summary
The health care labour market is highly structured along categories of difference, such as formal qualification, migration experience, gender or age. Research has pointed out that these differences are often used in a discriminatory way (Kofman & Raghuram 2009). Most studies have taken either a micro perspective (work biographies of individuals) or a macro perspective (legal and structural frame). Research that analyses the meso-level of the employing institutions is scarce and, in addition, often lacks a sound conceptualisation of inequality. We therefore propose a project that combines two heuristic perspectives: institutional ethnography (IE), as a means of understanding the institutional logic and ruling relations in hospitals (Smith 1987; 2005), and multilevel intersectional research (Winker & Degele 2009), used to unveil social inequality and discrimination. The project aims to further our understanding of these institutional logics by conducting research in a Swiss hospital, and by contextualizing the institutional logics in the national and international frameworks of legal rules and established practices of labour migration and employment.
This leads to the following research question: How do hospitals in a field of highly structured levels of formal qualifications and under the pressure of neoliberal restructuring handle their personnel policies? On the one hand, we focus on the context of the hospitals’ policies: the national frameworks that regulate labour and migration and the stakeholders that influence labour arrangements in hospitals. On the other hand, we look inside the hospital and inquire about the institutional logics that shape personnel policies. It is important to analyse the practices and structures in terms of ruling relations, i.e. the complex of relations that organize the social practice such as work in contemporary societies (Smith 1990a). This perspective is then further combined with an intersectional lens to understand how personnel policies are structured by categories of difference such as gender, migration, nationality/ethnicity, age and qualifications.
To answer these questions, we will follow two perspectives of data collection: outside the hospital we will collect documents (for instance legal texts). Inside the hospital, we will conduct an Institutional Ethnography (IE) that involves collecting documents, as well as conducting observation and semi-structured interviews.
The study seeks to contribute to the field of research on social inequality and discrimination in the labour market using an institutional perspective. Combining the research strategies of IE and multilevel intersectionality constitutes a novel approach to these questions. By structuring our research in this way, we hope to enrich the debate theoretically and methodologically. For practitioners, the results will have implications for equal rights policies and will address questions related to personnel shortages.
Key Words
Labour market; social differences; intersectionality; personnel policies; health care sector
Funding Source: Stiftung Homo Liberalis
Applicants: PD Dr. Marina Richter (University of Fribourg)
Project Leaders: PD Dr. Marina Richter, Prof. Dr. Susan Thieme (University of Bern)
Collaborator: Dr. Carole Ammann
Duration: 2018-2019