Research in the Department of Social Policy and Social Security Studies

The participation of people with disabilities is not only a social concern, but also an economic one. Nevertheless, their labour market participation and employment rate in the general labour market are comparatively low. There therefore appear to be (multi-layered) barriers that hinder the realisation of an inclusive labour market. The role and significance of advisory structures for employers, in particular the Single Points of Contact for Employers (SPOCs), in promoting an inclusive labour market is being investigated as part of the I-AM research project funded by the BMAS.

In the province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in northern Pakistan, the government is introducing a new health insurance scheme that covers outpatient healthcare services and is free of charge for the poorest 20% of the population. Funded by the German Institute for Development Evaluation (Deval), we are measuring the effect of this insurance in household surveys with more than 3,000 households and using rigorous methods such as regression discontinuity design and double robust difference-in-difference estimates. Since a lack of awareness limits the use of the insurance, an SMS-based awareness campaign is also being tested as part of a randomised controlled trial (RCT). The aim is to analyse the effects on healthcare, financial security, self-perception of health and psychosocial well-being in order to optimise the programme in a targeted manner.

Das Projekt zielt darauf ab, einen innovativen Ansatz für partizipative und co-produktive Lehrforschung im Kontext des Bachelor-Studiengangs „Nachhaltige Sozialpolitik“ zu erarbeiten. Partizipation und Einbezug nicht-akademischen Wissens in den Lehrkanon entspricht Prinzipien der Transferorientierung zwischen Forschung und Praxis und des Service Learning, die im Lehrbetrieb bislang nicht hinreichend berücksichtigt werden. Ziel ist es, Studierende durch Praxiserfahrung auf ihre berufliche Tätigkeit im Kontext der Sozialpolitik in einer sich transformierenden Gesellschaft vorzubereiten. Inhaltlich soll im Themenfeld Arbeit und Flucht gemeinsam mit geflüchteten Frauen und kommunalen Praxipartner:innen der Zugang zum Arbeitsmarkt analysiert und Best-Practice Beispiele zu Bildungs- und Beratungsangebote von Jobcentern und Sammelunterkünften untersucht werden. Für geflüchtete Frauen ist die Integration in den Arbeitsmarkt ein Konfliktpotential, das es durch Empowerment-Räume wie Bildungs- und Beratungsangebote zu minimieren gilt. Wichtig ist uns dabei, Forschung mit Geflüchteten zu machen und nicht über sie (vgl. Dilger et al. 2017: 126; Krause 2016: 1f.) wodurch die Notwendigkeit der Forschung aus forschungsethischer Perspektive begründet werden kann. Kooperationen mit dem Hochschulnetzwerk Bildung durch Verantwortung e.V. werden angestrebt. Geleitet wird das Projekt von Dr. Alina Bergedieck und Prof. Dr. Kerstin Rosenow-Williams.

The aim of the interdisciplinary joint project "User-centred AI-based detection of fake news and misinformation" (NEBULA) is the transparent, AI-based detection of fake news and misinformation in security-relevant situations as well as the target-group-oriented presentation of the detection results to promote media literacy. The three-year project began on 1 July 2022 and is headed by Prof. Dr. Hektor Haarkötter.

In the CrossComITS research project, communication scientists are using empirical methods to investigate the cyber security of vulnerable groups. As part of the project, an online community on cyber security issues for vulnerable groups is being established. In addition to the Bonn-Rhein-Sieg University of Applied Sciences, the University of Siegen, the Catholic University of Applied Sciences North Rhine-Westphalia and NanoGiants GmbH from Düsseldorf are involved in the joint project.

Home office and forms of hybrid work (such as the combination of home office and on-site office) are two major issues that have shaped our work since the beginning of the Corona pandemic. The study examines the work situation of H-BRS employees in the home office and the on-site workplace. The aim is to find out how H-BRS employees experience their work in order to derive initial starting points for concrete measures to support hybrid work.

The research project Sustainable Labour Migration headed by Prof. Dr. Michael Sauer analyses different transnational skills and mobility partnerships in Georgia, Kosovo and Vietnam, each with a view to migration paths to Germany. The research project will run until the end of August 2022.

The Requamo study to measure the sustainability of medical rehabilitation has come to an end after 10 years with a final symposium in March 2022. The project, which has been presented in over 50 publications, is considered a milestone in rehabilitation research. With a follow-up of up to 6 years, the rehabilitation effects were examined for the first time on an individual and on an economic level. The Multiple Outcome Criteria Index (MOC) developed is now available for routine monitoring of rehabilitation in Germany.

Research is also being conducted in our comparatively young Department of Social Policy and Social Security Studies. In the following, we introduce the doctoral candidates and their supervisors.