Rhineland-Palatinate promotes research on crises and social inequality!

Rhineland-Palatinate promotes research on crises and social inequality!

The Rhineland-Palatinate Ministry of Science and Health has taken a significant step towards promoting scientific discussion of social issues. The application to establish the cooperative research college PRO.SOZIAL was approved. The Ludwigshafen University of Economics and Society (HWG LU) and the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU) are involved in this innovative project. PRO.SOZIAL is dedicated to urgently needed topics such as crisis discourse, social inequality and social transformations in the context of education and social issues.

Science Minister Clemens Hoch handed over the funding notices during his summer trip to Ludwigshafen and Mainz. The total funding is 1.5 million euros, with 750,000 euros coming from the “Research Colleges Rhineland-Palatinate” funding line and the two universities providing counter-financing in the same amount. PRO.SOZIAL is supervised by experienced scientists, including Prof. Dr. Marion Ott and Prof. Dr. Karen Wagels from HWG LU and Prof. Dr. Tanja Betz and Prof. Dr. Karin Bräu from JGU.

Research focus and goals

The research college deals with a variety of crises, including wars, refugee migration, poverty, threats to democracy, the long-term consequences of the Covid-19 pandemic and the climate crisis. A particular focus is on examining how these crises affect young people and what challenges they pose for education systems and social work. The college deals with the analysis of how social inequality is dealt with in three key areas:

• (digitale) Elternmitwirkung und Qualität in Schule und früher Bildung
• sozialraumbezogene Interventionen
• Eingliederungshilfe und sozialpsychiatrische Dienste

An additional goal of PRO.SOZIAL is the development of a common qualification concept for scientists. This is intended to support the establishment and expansion of cooperative doctoral supervision and joint research.

Importance of promotions

Doctorates represent important contributions to scientific progress and make a significant contribution to individual career development. At Rhineland-Palatinate universities of applied sciences, there has been an increase in the number of master's graduates eligible for doctoral degrees. This trend is expected to continue as these universities become increasingly integrated into regional, national and international research networks. This networking makes it possible to make research achievements more visible and at the same time offers support for young scientists.

The PRO.SOZIAL research college is also the first funded project at the interface between social work and educational science. This shows how important interdisciplinary approaches are in order to comprehensively understand the complex challenges of today.

Research on social inequality

The consideration of social inequality in education has been a current research topic for years. After the PISA shock in 2001, interest in the causes and consequences of socially unequal educational opportunities increased significantly. This research shows that children from privileged families of origin have easier access to educational institutions and receive better support. A comprehensive analysis identifies gaps in the education sector, particularly with regard to access to high-quality early childhood care and all-day schools.

Research work on this topic, such as that of Dr. Anna Bachsleitner and colleagues have shown that the topic of social inequality in various areas of education still requires in-depth studies. These findings are particularly relevant for politicians who have to deal with the design of a fair education system.

The publication of the research synthesis is open access and is aimed at a broad target group, including science, politics and the interested public. With its interdisciplinary approaches and focus on current social challenges, PRO.SOZIAL will play an important role in the further development of research projects in Rhineland-Palatinate.