Experts

The table below lists the key research areas covered by the IfS in its research and teaching activities. In addition to relevant research questions, experts are assigned to each topic and subtopic. If you have specific questions or inquiries, you can contact the experts directly.

Inequality, social stratification, and mobility

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Subtopic	Research Questions	Experts
Economic inequality	How has wealth inequality evolved in the post-pandemic period across different social groups? What role does intergenerational wealth transfer play in sustaining inequality? How do taxation and welfare policies affect inequality dynamics?	Prof. Dr. Ben Jann Dr. Rudolf Farys
Labor force	Do women have lower leadership ambitions compared to men? What are the long-term effects of remote work on wage inequality? How does automation impact employment across skill levels?	Prof. Dr. Benita Combet Dr. Barbara Körner Dr. Claudia Finger Dr. Barbara Müller
Education	How do digital learning tools affect educational inequality? To what extent does parental background still determine educational attainment? Why do women less often study STEM fields?	Prof. Dr. Benita Combet Prof. Dr. Ben Jann Dr. Andrés Gomensoro Dr. Claudia Finger Dr. Sandra Hupka-Brunner
Migration and integration	What factors facilitate successful labor market integration of migrants? How do second-generation migrants experience social mobility? What is the impact of migration on inequality in host societies?	Dr. Christian Arciniegas Prof. Dr. Benita Combet Dr. Andrés Gomensoro Dr. Sandra Hupka-Brunner

Culture, religion, and norms

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Subtopic	Research Questions	Experts
Deviance	How is deviance constructed in online communities and social media? How do changing norms affect perceptions of crime and punishment? What role does surveillance play in regulating deviant behavior?	Prof. Dr. Ben Jann Prof. Dr. Wojtek Przepiorka
Sociology of religion	How is secularization evolving in different world regions? What role does religion play in political polarization? How do religious identities adapt in multicultural societies?	Prof. Dr. Benita Combet Dr. Graham Hill
Gender	How do gender norms shape labor market outcomes today? What explains persistent gender pay gaps across sectors? What role do gender stereotypes play in occupational gender segregation?	Dr. Christian Arciniegas Prof. Dr. Benita Combet Dr. Graham Hill Prof. Dr. Ben Jann Prof. Dr. Wojtek Przepiorka Dr. Claudia Finger Dr. Sandra Hupka-Brunner
Values and beliefs	How do social media algorithms influence public opinion formation? What drives polarization in contemporary democracies? How stable are attitudes toward inequality and redistribution?	Prof. Dr. Benita Combet Dr. Graham Hill Prof. Dr. Wojtek Przepiorka Dr. Armin Pournaki PD Dr. Sebastian Mader

Social relations, groups, and networks

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Subtopic	Research Questions	Experts
Social networks	How do online networks influence access to jobs and opportunities? What role do weak ties play in career mobility today? How do network structures affect the spread of information or misinformation?	Dr. Achim Edelmann Dr. Armin Pournaki (Prof. Dr. Ben Jann)
Group dynamics	How do diverse teams perform compared to homogeneous ones? What factors influence cooperation and conflict within groups? How does leadership style shape group outcomes?	Prof. Dr. Wojtek Przepiorka PD Dr. Sebastian Mader Dr. Barbara Körner
Social cohesion	What drives declining or increasing trust in societies? How does inequality affect social cohesion? What policies strengthen community belonging?	Prof. Dr. Wojtek Przepiorka
Family sociology	What role does motherhood play in the emergence of the gender wage gap? What are the social effects of delayed parenthood? How does work–family balance differ across countries?	Prof. Dr. Benita Combet Prof. Dr. Ben Jann Dr. Claudia Finger

Economy, markets, and organizations

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Subtopic	Research Questions	Experts
Digitalization	How does AI adoption transform workplace organization? What are the social consequences of data-driven decision-making? How does digitalization affect inequality between firms and workers?	Prof. Dr. Wojtek Przepiorka Dr. Barbara Körner
Organizational behavior	How do hybrid work models affect productivity and well-being? What drives employee engagement in modern organizations? How do organizational cultures adapt to rapid change?	Prof. Dr. Benita Combet Dr. Barbara Körner
Economic sociology	How do social norms influence market behavior? What role do networks play in shaping economic transactions? How is trust created and maintained in markets?	Prof. Dr. Wojtek Przepiorka
Globalization	How are global supply chains being reshaped after recent crises? What are the social consequences of deglobalization trends? How does globalization affect inequality within and between countries?	Dr. Graham Hill

Politics, governance, and institutions

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Subtopic	Research Questions	Experts
Political sociology	How do social inequalities translate into political inequalities? What explains differences in political participation across groups? How is trust in institutions changing over time?	Dr. Graham Hill
Collective action	What motivates individuals to participate in collective action? How do digital tools facilitate or hinder collective action? Under what conditions does collective action succeed?
Social movements	How do social movements use social media to mobilize support? What explains the success or failure of recent protest movements? How do movements influence policy change?	Dr. Graham Hill
Public policy	How effective are policies aimed at reducing inequality? What factors shape policy adoption in different political systems? How do citizens perceive and respond to policy interventions?	Dr. Rudolf Farys

Sustainability, ecology, and development

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Subtopic	Research Questions	Experts
Sociology of health and illness	How do social inequalities affect health outcomes? What are the social determinants of mental health in modern societies? How do healthcare systems respond to demographic aging?	PD Dr. Sebastian Mader
Environmental sociology	What drives pro-environmental behavior among individuals? How do social inequalities shape exposure to environmental risks? What role do institutions play in environmental governance?	PD Dr. Sebastian Mader
Development sociology	What factors explain uneven development across regions? How do institutions influence development outcomes? What are the social impacts of development policies?	Dr. Christian Arciniegas Prof. Dr. Ben Jann Dr. Martina Jakob
Climate change	How does climate change affect migration patterns? What social factors influence climate adaptation strategies? How do different groups perceive climate risks?	PD Dr. Sebastian Mader Dr. Armin Pournaki

Research methods and computational social sciences

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Subtopic	Research Questions	Experts
Theory building	How can sociological theory integrate insights from data science? What makes a theory empirically testable in contemporary research? How do new social phenomena challenge existing theories?	Prof. Dr. Wojtek Przepiorka Dr. Graham Hill
Quantitative methods	How can causal inference be improved in observational data? What are the limits of big data for sociological analysis? How can survey methods adapt to declining response rates?	Prof. Dr. Ben Jann Dr. Rudolf Farys PD Dr. Sebastian Mader Dr. Barbara Müller Dr. Achim Edelmann Dr. Armin Pournaki
Qualitative methods	How can qualitative research be integrated with computational tools? What are best practices for ensuring validity in qualitative studies? How do digital environments change ethnographic research?	Dr. Andrés Gomensoro Dr. Graham Hill Dr. Armin Pournaki
Computational methods	How can machine learning be used to study social behavior? What are the ethical implications of using big data in sociology? How can text and network data be leveraged for social research?	Dr. Martina Jakob PD Dr. Sebastian Mader Dr. Achim Edelmann Dr. Rudolf Farys Dr. Armin Pournaki

Institute of Sociology

Experts

Inequality, social stratification, and mobility

Inequality, social stratification, and mobility

Culture, religion, and norms

Culture, religion, and norms

Social relations, groups, and networks

Social relations, groups, and networks

Economy, markets, and organizations

Economy, markets, and organizations

Politics, governance, and institutions

Politics, governance, and institutions

Sustainability, ecology, and development

Sustainability, ecology, and development

Research methods and computational social sciences

Research methods and computational social sciences