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Minority-majority tensions are among the most pressing issues of our time and a key factor in the rise of populism. The reemergence of majority nationalism raises new concerns over the tyranny of the majority. At the same time, fears over the erosion of majority groups’ cultural identity appear as a result of global migration. This calls for a reexamination of fundamental assumptions in liberal political theory and the meaning of nationhood in a globalized world.

In this subproject of the research group “Varieties of Reproduction Regimes”, a new international policy database is built. We collect data on reproduction policies in five fields of regulation: sexuality education, contraception, abortion, assisted reproductive technologies, pregnancy care. The final dataset will contain indicators of policies in these five areas across 30 high-income countries between 1980 and 2020.

Website: https://irpd.wzb.eu/

My dissertation studies the provision of reproduction knowledge in school-based sexuality education from a comparative European perspective, with a specific focus on German-speaking countries. Sexuality education is a key channel through which knowledge is transmitted and remains a primary source of reproduction information for the majority of pupils. What is more, people’s knowledge about reproduction plays a crucial role in shaping their reproductive experiences and trajectories. Not least due to this, discussions surrounding sexuality education persist as a significant cultural battleground where debates revolve around notions of sexuality generally, but also around the level of state involvement in the provision of reproduction knowledge.

Driven by low taxes and labor costs, a highly competitive automotive industry has developed in Central Eastern and Southeastern Europe, which is part of the production networks of European automotive manufacturers. This has long since included not only component production, but increasingly production of automobiles by European original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), together with research and product development activities. In view of the transformation processes of the automotive industry towards electromobility, the question arises whether this development will continue.

The project is part of the Weizenbaum Institute. The research group based there and associated with the WZB research group "Globalization, Work and Production" is investigates how work is changing through the use of AI.

The Covid-19 pandemic disrupted the functioning of global systems of outsourced and offshored production known as ‘global production networks’ (GPNs). Factory slowdowns and shutdowns worldwide led to job losses, revised firm strategies, and new government policies. Covid-19 disruptions to GPNs have been severe and unprecedented in many ways. The project aims to understand how and to what extent the Covid-19 crisis, and now increasing geopolitical tensions due to the US-China trade and technology conflict, but also due to the Russian war on Ukraine and energy concerns, will lead to geographical restructuring of GPNs.

In light of current societal challenges, which are intensified by the digital transformation, the aging of society and climate change, the public education system today is challenged more than ever. At the same time, various studies show declines in student performance, rising cancellation of classes in school, and also forecast a growing shortage of skilled workers. As a result, the focus is shifting more and more to civil society as an educational actor. In fact, civil society actors - committed individuals as well as organizations - make significant contributions to education on site and beyond. Volunteering mentors support young and old in developing certain skills such as reading or digital literacy.

Civil society organizations are often seen as a bulwark against the far right. They are portrayed as democratic and participatory spaces, in which racist or nativist attitudes can be counteracted. However, civil society itself has increasingly become a target of far-right interventions in recent years. This has led to the emergence of new organizations as well as divides within existing civil society organizations. These developments threaten to weaken the integrative power of civil society.

Theoretical background and objectives

Dissertation project

Susanne Veit’s dissertation with the title “Ethnic Diversity and Cooperation: Contexts, Linking Mechanisms, and Causality” addresses the heated scientific debate about the potential challenges of cultural diversity to social cohesion and civic engagement. The empirical studies this dissertation draws on were realized within the framework of the project “Ethnische Vielfalt, soziales Vertrauen und Zivilengagement” (project head: Ruud Koopmans, funding: Germany Family Ministry). Susane Veit successfully defended her dissertation in the end of 2014 (summa cum laude). In July 2015, the dissertation was honored by the International Society of Political Psychology (ISPP) by a Best Dissertation Award Honorable Mention.