GESIS Leibniz Institute for the Social Sciences: Go to homepage

Public and Organizational Policies

This field of research includes different dimensions: first, it refers to cross-national or cross-time comparative studies aimed to explain social phenomena at the individual and structural levels, using policy differences between countries, or over time. For example, we study the role of welfare policies for variations in health inequalities, the role of immigration policies for the integration of immigrants in different European countries, or the role of research policies in modeling inequalities in academia. Policy differences are also used to account for institutional differences in the implementation of gender policies in Germany and in other countries. Here, policies are understood to represent the conditions determining individual or institutional behavior, and social structures.

A second dimension of policy research in GESIS refers to the field of policy-analysis or, the analysis of policies along the policy-cycle. Here, we investigate the substantive and procedural elements related to the production of policies, as well as existing methods and tools for the evaluation of policies, their implementation and long-term impacts. We also develop new tools and methods to measure the effectivity of policies. For example by analyzing and comparing policy frameworks, quantitative impact analysis, or exploring the role of evaluation for policy-making.. Another topic on our agenda for the coming years is analyzing interactions between gender equality and diversity policies in higher education.

Learn more about our consulting and services:

  • Lorch, Jasmin, Sebastian Ziaja, and Jörn Grävingholt. 2024. Constellations of State Fragility: Improving International Cooperation through Analytical Differentiation. IDOS Policy Brief 5/2024. Bonn: German Institute of Development and Sustainability (IDOS). doi: https://doi.org/10.23661/ipb5.2024.
  • Gábos, András, Barbara Binder, Réka Branyiczki, and István G. Tóth. 2024 (Forthcoming). "Unravelling the relationship between employment, social transfers and income poverty: policy and measurement." Journal of European Social Policy.
  • Carlitz, Ruth, and Sebastian Ziaja. 2023. "Harmony or cacophony? A disaggregated analysis of aid fragmentation." Studies in Comparative International Development online first. doi: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12116-023-09386-z.
  • Gábos, András, Barbara Binder, Réka Branyiczki, and István G. Tóth. 2019. "Employment and poverty dynamics before, during, and after the crisis." In Decent Incomes for All: Improving Policies in Europe, edited by Bea Cantillon, Tim Goedemé, and John Hills, International Policy Exchange Series. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
  • Binder, Barbara, and Andreas Haupt. 2018. "Wohlstand für alle? Die Entwicklung einkommensschwacher Haushalte seit 2005." WSI-Mitteilungen 71 (5): 358-369.