Political and institutional ramifications have consequences for public policymaking and policy outcomes in advanced democracies. Redistributive social policy arrangements, welfare state generosity, and levels of inequality are shaped by the priorities of partisan governments. Special interest groups press their demands on government officials and lobby for outcomes in their favor. The institutional distribution of political authority defines the rules of decision-making and co-determines the influence and impact of political parties, governments, and organized interest groups.
The ‘Politics & Institutions’ research area at DaWS studies the role of politics and institutions in comparative public policy developments, contributing to solid empirical knowledge and new theoretical developments.
Research topics and projects:
Inequality & Political Representation
Politics of responding to financial crises
Special partisan dynamics associated with institutional reforms
Policy implications of the disempowerment of labor unions in advanced democracies, and the simultaneous political resurgence of organized business interests groups.
The Establishment of Welfare Ministries
Contact: Klaus Petersen in cooperation with Herbert Obinger and Carina Schmitt (Bremen University)
Nordic Neo-Liberalism (financed by Riksbankens Jubileumsfond, Sweden)
Contact: Klaus Petersen and Cecilie Bjerre
History of Danish Child Welfare Agencies
Cotact: Cecilie Bjerre
Social Democracy and the Welfare State
Contact: Klaus Petersen