New Opportunities for Research Funding Agency Cooperation in Europe (NORFACE) is a partnership of national research funding agencies in Europe dedicated to leading and developing opportunities for scientists in the area of social and behavioural sciences. NORFACE plays an important part in responding to the grand societal challenges by promoting research of the highest quality, sharing best practices among research funders and especially by making international collaboration between social scientists in Europe possible. From challenges brought on by migration and inequality to preparing for the impact of an aging society, researchers in the social sciences in Europe are looking at the behaviour of individuals and groups, and the dynamics of institutions and societies within Europe to understand and address these societal challenges.
Management team
New NORFACE programme on democratic governance: ‘Democratic governance in a turbulent age’12/10/18
NORFACE announces a new transnational research programme on democratic governance. The main focus of this research programme will be on understanding the precise nature of the recent turbulence in democratic politics and governance in Europe, how European states can negotiate it and how they can dev
Journal of European Public Policy Special Issue “Free Movement and Non-discrimination in an Unequal Union31/08/18
Special Issue edited by Susanne K. Schmidt, Michael Blauberger and Dorte Sindbjerg Martinsen The European Union’s fundamental principles of free movement of persons and non-discrimination challenge the traditional closure of the welfare state. Whereas this appeared largely unproblematic before Easte
HiNEWS Umbrella Review of Public Health Policies31/08/18
by Katie Thomson (HiNEWS) Welfare states use a variety of policy mechanisms – namely public health policies, social policies and healthcare services – to improve the health of their citizens. Policies such as minimum alcohol pricing, tobacco taxation or banning junk food advertising aimed at childre
HESTIA’s Nina Biehal and Helen Baldwin Presenting Findings to Social Work Professionals, Managers and Researchers21/07/18
by Nina Biehal On July 2nd Nina Biehal and Helen Baldwin presented the findings of the HESTIA study to a regional workshop for social work professionals, managers and researchers held in the city of York. The first strand of the study compared the development and current nature of child protection p
New WelfSOC Book “Attitudes, Aspirations and Welfare. Social Policy Directions in Uncertain Times”20/07/18
by Peter Taylor-Gooby and Benjamin Leruth After the publication of After Austerity (Oxford University Press) last year, this is the second volume produced by the “Welfare State Futures: Our Children’s Europe” (WelfSOC) project team. This book summarizes the main findings of the project, which uses D
WSF Researchers at the XIX ISA World Congress of Sociology19/07/18
The XIX ISA World Congress of Sociology is taking place this week in Toronto, Canada. The Welfare State Futures programme is an interdisciplinary programme, with researchers from the fields of political science and economics, but also sociology. Researchers from five WSF projects will be contributin
Transformations to Sustainability
Climate change, environmental degradation and resource pressures have created unprecedented situations for societies worldwide. Consequently, there is growing attention to the need for fundamental transformations in the way societies interact with each other and with the natural environment as the b
Dynamics of Inequality Across the Life-course: structures and processes (DIAL)
Existing and rising inequalities pose fundamental challenges to European societies and economies. The increasing gap between rich and poor, exacerbated by the recent financial and economic crises, is a key concern. The NORFACE transnational research programme on “Dynamics of Inequality Across the Li
Welfare State Futures
The development of welfare systems was one of the defining characteristics of the 20th century, especially in Europe. However, in times of change, it is important to re-think the concept of the welfare state. The title of the NORFACE transnational research programme on “Welfare State Futures” emphas
Migration in Europe – Social, Economic, Cultural and Policy Dynamics
Migration is an important topic on the European agenda due to the large-scale flows of asylum seekers. At the same time, migration has been part of Europe’s history, evidenced by Europe’s substantial share of immigrant (first and second generation) populations. The NORFACE transnational research pro
Re-emergence of Religion as a Social Force in Europe?
The NORFACE transnational research programme on “Re-emergence of Religion as a Social Force in Europe?” probed the condition of religion in Europe against the background of European secularism. Also the programme investigated the re-kindling of religious activity brought about by the political and s
Seminar series
The NORFACE Seminar Series scheme was set up to support research networking in social sciences within strategically chosen themes. The funding enabled researchers working within the seminar group to meet regularly and to exchange information and ideas with the aim of advancing research within their