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The Centre

The Centre for Social Policy Research (ZeS) is an interdisciplinary research institute dedicated to the comprehensive study of all aspects and areas of social policy:

  • systems of social protection (e.g. pensions, unemployment compensation etc.),
  • health / long-term care,
  • labour market,
  • gender, family and education,
  • welfare state and its economic foundations.

The ZeS provides expertise in political science, sociology, economics, and health politics and policy as well as health services research. It analyzes institutions of social security an d examines their historical development in comparative perspective. The Centre for Social Policy Research combines basic and applied research. It is extensively involved in academic teaching and the training of junior scientists.

The ZeS perceives its role at the University of Bremen as one of providing impulses for the design and development of social scientific research and academic teaching. This dedication is embodied in the cooperation with the Collaborative Research Centre Transformations of the State (CRC 597), the Bremen International Graduate School of Social Sciences (BIGSSS) the latter being funded through the German Excellency Initiative-framework. The Graduate Program Social Policy Graduate Program Social Policy connects - at an interdisciplinary level - scientific research in social policy with academic teaching.

Approximately 70 scientists - supported by the staff - work in the five departments of the ZeS:

Since its founding in 1988, members of the ZeS have obtained approximately 30 millions Euro from third-party funds, making it one of the most successful research institutes in the humanities and social sciences in Bremen. Today, more than half of the centre's academic staff is financed from these funds. Each department is represented with at least one project in the DFG Collaborative Research Center Sfb 597 and, since 2010, the Department of Gender Policy in the Welfare State hosts one of the prestigious DFG-financed Emmy Noether Junior Research Groups. The successful work of the ZeS is also reflected in its good relations to institutions of social and health politics and shows in various project contexts. For example, the Department for Health Economics, Health Policy and Outcome Research has extensive experience in researching and processing routine data of more than 13 Million costumers of German health insurance institutes (BARMER GEK & several company health insurance funds).