Cross-Border Labor Markets in times of economic globalization

Nation states increasingly have labour markets with borders that no longer correspond to their own. Labour is consequently taking place in changing contexts, which is creating new challenges for participants in the labour market as well as for governments, trade unions and employers' associations. How can labour be organized under such circumstances? How is work perceived? And what is the basis of “good work”?

Cross-Border Labor Markets

Since 2011 the main research area funds coordinated applications to the German Research Fund (DFG) of UDE scientists, which focus their research on “Transnational Labout Markets”. Peers from different faculties of the university have conceived projects from the angle of their own field of research, focusing however on the mentioned topic. Currently three research projects benefit of DFG-funding, others are in the drafting phase or are headed for assessement.

The conglomerate of the main research area and the project "Transnational Labor Markets" aims to assess and examine phenomenon of transnationalisation of labor in three respects: 1. the regard of transnational mobility of labor force, 2. the aspect of transnationalisation of production sites and place of employment and lastly 3. the respect of mobility of labor activity. The approved and planned research projects focus on one of these key topics in respect to the overall questions on formation of transnational institutions or the continuity of regionally diverse forms of labor.

Within the scope of the main research area “Transformation of Contemporary Societies” this emerging research focus benefits not only from the expertise in labor and labor market research but also by receiving access to profound experiences with regional scientists and research of comparative societies. This profound knowledge is found in the different institutes, faculties and central reesearch institutions.

Projekt Management
Prof. Dr. Ingo Schulz-Schaeffer, Institute of Sociology, University of Duisburg-Essen
Prof. Karen Shire, PhD, Institute of Sociology, University of Duisburg-Essen
Prof. Dr. Petra Stein, Institute of Sociology, University of Duisburg-Essen

Alternative forms of poverty reduction: the new economy of pity. Inventory and exploration.

The research project aims on comprehensively overviewing the shapes of alternative forms of poverty reduction (such as food banks, charity stores or soup kitchens). The central question is to what extent and in what ways a parallel system has been established - alongside the existing system of poverty reduction.

Project Management
Prof. Dr. Fabian Kessl, Institute of Social Work and Social Policy, University Duisburg-Essen
Prof. Dr. Axel Groenemeyer, Institute of Social Education , Adult Education and Early Childhood Education , University of Dortmund