The Rewards from Deliberation: Researching the Feedback of our Workshops
by Hans Blokland and Raíssa Silveira Since 2016 Social Science Works has organized and implemented almost forty rows of deliberative workshops with refugees and German natives. Together with the participants, in our workshops we try...
The Loneliness of Germans and their Refugees
For several years now, Social Science Works has been conducting in-depth interviews with refugees, asking them about their backgrounds, future plans, and problems. Their lives in temporary refugee shelters (Übergangswohnheime”), where they often stay for...
The Limits Of Survey Data: What Questionnaires Can’t Tell Us
All research methodologies have their limitations, as many authors have pointed before (see for example Visser, Krosnick and Lavrakas, 2000). From the generalisabilty of data to the nitty-gritty of bias and question wording, every method...
The Identity Politics Of Being A Foreign Body
Quickly after moving to Berlin I assumed the title of ‘expat.’ Being an American expat became part of my identity. For better or worse, it was something I was stuck with. For better, it established...
The French “Crisis of Authority” Is A Crisis Of The Authorities
In France, you lose count of how many times you’ve heard about the “crisis of authority”. It has become a central preoccupation, amongst and spread by, a wide range of influential people. First of all...
The failing integration of newcomers in Germany: can Artificial Intelligence help?
Since 2016, Social Science Works has carried out dozens of integration projects with and for refugees for a wide range of clients. In addition, we have conducted extensive quantitative and qualitative research, particularly in Brandenburg...
The Crisis of Masculinities – A Brief Overview
The so-called crisis of masculinity has drawn much attention and concern by politicians, academics, the public, and most dominantly, the media. This crisis is characterised by a widely perceived fear, uncertainty, and hysteria about the...
The Center Does Not Hold: The Supply & Demand of the New Right’s Success
The year 2016 experienced unheard of electoral turbulence. While many thought that Brexit would mark the political event to be remembered for a generation, ‘The Donald’ put paid to that. These processes have tempted some...
Ted Cruz, Global Warming, & The Need For Data Transparency In Politics
by Namwan Leavell Republican Senator and prospective presidential candidate Ted Cruz doesn’t believe in global warming. “Many of the alarmists on global warming, they’ve got a problem because the science doesn’t back them up,” Cruz...
Talking straight to youngsters in Hamburg
We are in a less affluent part from Hamburg for a two-day Workshop. About 70% of our 32 participants have a migration background. We talk for about 10 hours with two different groups of about...
Taking people seriously: a new approach for countering populism and furthering integration
In our deliberative democracy and integration projects we treat our participants – natives as well as migrants – as citizens, able and willing to discuss in a rational way the big themes like democracy, freedom...
Some Countries Are More Corrupt Than Others And We Shouldn’t Be Afraid To Say So
At Social Science Works we are interested in giving second opinions on research, to help enable policy makers make informed choices about policy and empower decision makers to make the best possible use of science...