Research fields
DIFIS’s four research fields are multi-topical and interdisciplinary. Consequently, it is possible to address both current and future research gaps within the framework of the DIFIS research programme. The questions of how social policy can contribute to making society more resilient and of how it can be designed in a sustainable way are considered, as are questions of migration and gender equality, the role of the labour market and the shaping of life courses in social protection, or the governance and organization of social policy as well as its political and social consequences.
Information on the four Research Fields
For the second funding phase of DIFIS, the original six research fields were consolidated into four, conceptually redefined and renamed accordingly. The following research fields have been active during the second funding phase of DIFIS, which began their work in May 2026:
Details on the four Research Fields
In Research Field 1, “Labour, Migration and Social Security,” social policy relating to the world of work and migration is examined from an interdisciplinary perspective, focusing on its enabling, protective and restrictive functions across two thematic areas. The Labour and the World of Work focus, for example, addresses comparative sectoral studies as well as individual social policy questions concerning the organisation and regulation of the world of work. The Migration and Social Policy focus examines processes of negotiation surrounding access to social security systems at the local, national and transnational levels. It explores the interplay of overlapping forms of inclusion and exclusion and their effects on the living conditions of migrants.
As part of the second funding phase of DIFIS, the previous research fields were further developed in terms of both their content and structure. Research Field 1, “Labour, Migration and Social Security,” emerged from the former Research Fields 2 (“Challenges of the Modern World of Work for the Design of Social Security”) and 3 (“Transnational Social Security in a Migration Society”). Information on the activities, projects and thematic focuses of the former research fields remains available on the respective subpages.
Research Officer:
Dr. Kirsten Hoesch
Research Field 2, “Life Courses and Their Social Policy Shaping,” examines social policy regulations that structure individual life courses, as well as the interplay between life-course dynamics and their institutional design. Particular attention is paid to social protection and care work across the life course, old-age security, and the relationship between working conditions and health over the course of life.
As part of the second funding phase of DIFIS, the previous research fields were further developed in terms of both their content and structure. Research Field 2, “Life Courses and Their Social Policy Shaping,” emerged from the former Research Field 4 (“Life Courses and Social Policy – Interactions and Shaping”). Information on the activities, projects and thematic focuses of the former research fields remains available on the respective subpages.
Research Officer:
Miriam Laschinski
Research Field 3, “Governance, Organisation and Implementation of Social Policy,” examines how the welfare state can be structured and governed to meet current and future challenges. The focus is on the governance, organisation and implementation of forward-looking social policy, as well as on the development of knowledge for policy design. The research is guided by three central dimensions: functionality (responsibilities, institutions and interfaces), accessibility (mechanisms and processes), and responsiveness (feedback, interests and self-representation) of the welfare state. During the funding phase through the end of 2029, existing research will be deepened and new thematic priorities will be established. These include, in particular, preventive social policy for children and young people and its interfaces with education, healthcare and youth welfare systems; social policy at the local level; the perspectives of beneficiaries of social policy measures; working conditions in social sectors; poverty; and digitalisation as a cross-cutting issue.
As part of the second funding phase of DIFIS, the previous research fields were further developed in terms of both their content and structure. Research Field 3, “Governance, Organisation and Implementation of Social Policy,” emerged from the former Research Field 5 (“Social Policy as a Process: Formulation, Organisation, Implementation”). Information on the activities, projects and thematic focuses of the former research fields remains available on the respective subpages.
Research Officer:
Dr. Marina Ruth
Research Field 4, “Socio-Ecological Lines of Conflict,” brings together questions of ecological transformation, welfare state action and societal conflicts. The focus is on analysing the interactions between social security systems, ecological challenges, and changes in fundamental living and provision conditions. Particular attention is paid to how these dynamics manifest themselves in conflicts over distribution, justice and participation. A particular focus is placed on the social design of climate protection measures, housing policy, and other policy areas in which socio-ecological conflicts become particularly pronounced.
As part of the second funding phase of DIFIS, the previous research fields were further developed in terms of both their content and structure. Research Field 4, “Socio-Ecological Lines of Conflict,” emerged from the former Research Field 1 (“Social Policy and Ecological Sustainability”). Information on the activities, projects and thematic focuses of the former research fields remains available on the respective subpages.
Research Officer:
Felix Bernshausen
Former six Research Fields
From May 2023 to April 2026, DIFIS’s six research fields addressed a wide range of topics. They focused on key challenges and dynamics shaping modern social policy. Their research covered the relationship between social policy and ecological sustainability, the implications of changes in the world of work for social security, transnational forms of social protection in migration societies, and the interplay between life courses and social policy. In addition, the research fields examined social policy as a process, from formulation and organisation to implementation, and addressed societal conflicts and their significance for social policy developments.
- Research Field 1: Social Policy and Ecological Sustainability
- Research Field 2: Challenges of the Modern World of Work for the Design of Social Security
- Research Field 3: Transnational Social Security in a Migration Society
- Research Field 4: Life Courses and Social Policy – Interactions and Shaping
- Research Field 5: Social Policy as a Process: Formulation, Organisation, Implementation
- Research Field 6: Societal Conflicts and Social Policy
