Challenges and Social Problems

Public policies are often put in place to address social problems such as poverty, vulnerability, and inequality. However, social and economic challenges can also be the cause of public policy development, for instance when economic crises push for policy reform; or when war creates a need for new policy developments.

The ’Challenges and Social Problems” research area at DaWS studies the role of public policies in addressing poverty and inequality. Some of this work focuses on the political interests that drive poverty-reducing policies, other studies consider the normative foundations for redistribution through public policy. This research area also includes work on the challenges that welfare states face - for instance, how globalization may drive the need for welfare reform, how immigration may (be perceived to) challenge the sustainability of welfare states, and how war shapes welfare state development. This research area includes work on OECD countries as well as research on the Global South where social challenges are particularly prevalent.

 

Research topics and projects:

Politics of Insecurity (POINS)
Contact: Peter Starke

Redistributive policies and poverty/inequality in Africa
Contact: Marianne Sandvad Ulriksen

Social policy expansion in the Global South
Contact: Marianne Sandvad Ulriksen

Normative foundations of social protection and redistributive justice
Contact: Marianne Sandvad Ulriksen, Pieter Vanhuysse

Social protection and the Sustainable Development Goals
Contact: Marianne Sandvad Ulriksen, Pieter Vanhuysse

Social policy and vulnerable groups and/or immigration
Contact: Romana Careja

Welfare state reform /globalization
Contact: Peter Starke, Marianne Sandvad Ulriksen, Pieter Vanhuysse

Welfare state and war
Contact: Peter Starke, Klaus Petersen

Welfare state transformation and inequality
Contact: Melike Wulfgramm, Pieter Vanhuysse

Labour market policy and (un)employment
Contact: Melike Wulfgramm, Pieter Vanhuysse

Active labour market policy, social inclusion and life satisfaction
Contact: Melike Wulfgramm

Health policy and healthcare inequality:
Contact: Melike Wulfgramm

Danish family policy
Contact: Cecilie Bjerre, Klaus Petersen

Investigation of treatment of institutionalized disabled (mentally and physical) people in Denmark 1933-1980 (for Ministry of Social Affairs in cooperation with Danish Welfare Museum in Svendborg)
Contact: Klaus Petersen