RN26 - Sociology of Social Policy and Social Welfare

Social policy and welfare in theoretical, comparative and practical terms.

This network aims to provide a broad arena for the discussion and development of research on all aspects of social policy and social welfare in Europe, with a particular interest in perspectives routed in sociology and social theory. This includes both comparative research within Europe and that focusing on the supra-national and global roles of the EU. It encompasses both theoretical and practice-oriented research. Rather than focusing narrowly on public regulation and developments in the political system, the network favours work focusing on the social and cultural rationales behind the development and reproduction of institutions and organisations in the field as well as behind those actors and groups that influence the distribution of resources, status and power in society and hence individual and social welfare. Our research agenda includes the analysis of such institutions, organisations and policies throughout the enlarged Europe, and their material and symbolic impact, as well as the nature of human well-being and democratic citizenship.

Aims of the Network:

to provide a European level forum for the development, discussion and dissemination of research on social policy and social welfare with a focus on sociology and social theory;
to ensure an institutional context for the operation of workshops at future ESA conferences and for organizing/supporting research meetings between European conferences.

2021-2023

Coordinators

Hannu Turba, University of Kassel, Germany, h.turba[at]uni-kassel.de
Volkan Yilmaz, Dublin City University, Ireland, volkan.yilmaz[at]dcu.ie

Board Members

Ingrid Fylling (Norway)
Berit Vannebo (Norway)
Martin Wagener (Belgium)

From the cradle to the grave? Social policy in diverse temporal and spatial contexts

October 7-8, 2022

Berlin, Germany

Information

The ESA Research Network Sociology of Social Policy and Social Welfare (RN26) invites network members and other sociologists/social scientists to submit abstracts to our midterm conference, taking place on October 7-8, 2022 in Berlin, Germany. The event is organized in cooperation with the Research Network on Old-Age Provision (FNA) of the German Federal Pension Insurance. We are very happy to welcome Ivan Harsløf (Oslo Metropolitan University) for the keynote speech.

Intended to provide social welfare and protection 'from the cradle to the grave', social policy is inextricably linked with issues of age(ing) and the life course of individuals. Time matters with regard to the situation of different (age) groups, life phases, trajectories and transitions between these phases, to name only a few aspects. In contemporary societies, new challenges arise, like providing for old age in the context of demographic changes or new patterns of intergenerational relations. What is more, social policy and welfare provision vary across time and space, calling for longitudinal research designs as well as cross-national or local comparisons. A wide literature deals with shifts in policies, institutional change and 'life cycles' of ideas. At the same time, social and economic changes in contemporary societies bring forth new social risks and thus new challenges for social policy making and implementation.

The research network invites contributions addressing theoretical perspectives and/or empirical studies related to the afore-sketched themes, opening the floor for a broad range of researchers who – in one way or another – deal with social policy and social welfare referring to 1) age(ing), particular age groups (e.g. children and youth or the elderly), generations, individual life courses etc. and/or 2) (more generally) social policy (health care, housing, labor market, pensions, social care and social assistance) in diverse temporal and spatial contexts, e.g. covering new social risks and resulting challenges or dynamics and change across time and space. A few examples for questions that could be dealt with at the mid-term conference are as follows: How are life courses structured by different institutional settings? How do they change? How does social policy respond to ‘old’ and ‘new’ social risks? How do institutional contexts and individual action affect the situation of different (age) groups?

Abstracts should not exceed 250 words. They will be peer-reviewed and selected for presentation by the network coordinators (see below). Any contributions related to the aforementioned topic are welcome. An e-mail of notification will be sent to the presenting authors during June 2022. We encourage especially early career scholars to take part. The latter may get some of their expenses refunded by sending a short application to h.turba[at] uni-kassel.de prior to the conference.

Abstract Submission Deadline: May 15, 2022.

Abstracts should be submitted by e-mail to the coordinators of RN26:

Hannu Turba, University of Kassel, Germany, h.turba[at] uni-kassel.de

Volkan Yilmaz, Dublin City University, Ireland, volkan.yilmaz[at] dcu.ie

CfP ESA RN26 midterm

RN26 Biennial Report for 2019-2021
RN26 Biennial Report for 2017-2019
RN26 Biennial Report for 2015-2017