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Project C5

Conceptions of Global Inequality in World Society

Albert, Mathias, Prof. Dr.
Head of Project C5
Freistein, Katja, Dr.
Research associate Project C5
Koch, Martin, Dr.
Head of Project C5

This project deals with the emergence of a global semantics of inequality within world society. Through three comparative case studies it traces how ideas about global social inequality that draw on various aspects of heterogeneity have developed in international organizations, both programmatically and on the policy level. In addition, the project is particularly interested in the question of whether it is specific global discourses, e.g. on issues of justice, the climate, environmental protection, security etc., that serve as the main vehicles for the emergence of such a global semantics of inequality.

The main project goal is to describe shifts in semantics of inequality in world society and to map this shift in a detailed fashion in the context of the case studies. In particular, these case studies focus on reports, statistics, and policy statements of three international organizations (World Bank, UNDP, OECD). Changes in notions of inequality, which are reflected in semantics have effects on how ‘progress’ in development is quantified, and it has a tangible effect on the projects and measures of international organizations. These semantics emerge within a cycle of communication between national and international, public and private actors concerning problems in economic and social development.

The text corpus to be analyzed includes development-related reports, statistics, and policy statements of international organizations. These are supplemented by reports, policy proposals, and working papers ("nonpapers") written by administrative units within the organizations. Negotiation protocols will be analyzed in order to determine how specific ideas have gained entry to and shaped the semantics of inequality. In this process, the project will seek to identify more directly the different actors involved in the formation of particular notions of inequality, most particularly organizational staff, representatives of member states, representatives of other governmental and nongovernmental organizations, or experts from the academic community. These groups of actors do not only participate in the formation of certain ideas on inequality, but to some extent are also addressees of specific measures or proposals, e.g. member states which benefit from a programme and who then possibly also adopt these notions of inequality within their own programs and policy formulations. Such an approach is also able to account for the influence of NGOs on the forms of observation and the subsequent policy formulations by international organizations.

16 Publications

2014 | Working Paper | PUB-ID: 2709155
Are there any Global Imaginaries of Equality and Democracy in Discussions about Inequality?
Freistein K (2014) SFB 882 Working Paper Series; 38.
Bielefeld: DFG Research Center (SFB) 882 From Heterogeneities to Inequalities.
PUB | PDF
 
2014 | Working Paper | PUB-ID: 2709151
Institutional Mechanisms of Global Inequality Reproduction
Fehl C, Freistein K (2014) SFB 882 Working Paper Series; 37.
Bielefeld: DFG Research Center (SFB) 882 From Heterogeneities to Inequalities.
PUB | PDF
 
2014 | Working Paper | PUB-ID: 2651916
The effects of measuring poverty – indicators of the World Bank
Freistein K, Koch M (2014) SFB 882 Working Paper Series; 27.
Bielefeld: DFG Research Center (SFB) 882 From Heterogeneities to Inequalities.
PUB | PDF
 
2013 | Book Chapter | PUB-ID: 2562644
Internationale Beziehungen und Soziologie: das "Scharnier" der Differenzierung
Albert M, Mahlert B (2013)
In: Ordnung und Wandel in der Weltpolitik. Konturen einer Soziologie der internationalen Beziehungen. Stetter S (Ed); Leviathan. Sonderband, 28 Baden-Baden: Nomos: 59-77.
PUB
 
2013 | Book | PUB-ID: 2562634
Bringing Sociology to IR. World Politics as Differentiation Theory
Albert M, Buzan B, Zürn M (2013)
Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
PUB
 
2013 | Book Chapter | PUB-ID: 2562652
Die Transformation von Recht und Politik globaler Sicherheit
Albert M, Kessler O (2013)
In: Recht und Politik globaler Sicherheit. Fischer-Lescano A, Mayer P (Eds);350 Seiten Frankfurt am Main: Campus: 335-362.
PUB
 
2013 | Journal Article | PUB-ID: 2562638
International Relations Theory and the "Social Whole": Encounters and Gaps between IR and Sociology
Albert M, Buzan B (2013)
International Political Sociology 7(2): 117-135.
PUB | DOI | WoS
 
2012 | Book (Editor) | PUB-ID: 2460054
Handbuch Internationale Organisationen. Theoretische Grundlagen und Akteure
Freistein K, Leininger J (Eds) (2012) Lehr- und Handbücher der Politikwissenschaft, 1st ed.
München: Oldenbourg Verlag.
PUB | DOI
 
2012 | Working Paper | PUB-ID: 2550148
Global Inequality and Development : Textual Representations of the World Bank and UNDP
Freistein K, Koch M (2012) SFB 882 Working Paper Series; 12.
Bielefeld: DFG Research Center (SFB) 882 From Heterogeneities to Inequalities.
PUB | PDF
 
2012 | Book | PUB-ID: 2519359
Institutioneller Wandel im (Kon)Text. Sicherheitsgemeinschaft und Charta im Diskurs der ASEAN
Freistein K (2012) Hessische Stiftung Friedens- und Konfliktforschung, 1st ed.
Baden-Baden: Nomos.
PUB
 
2010 | Book (Editor) | PUB-ID: 2610498
New Systems Theories of World Politics
Albert M, Cederman L-E, Wendt A (Eds) (2010) Palgrave studies in international relations.
London: Palgrave.
PUB
 
2010 | Book Chapter | PUB-ID: 1925941
From three to five - The World Bank's pension policy norm
Wodsak V, Koch M (2010)
In: Owning Development. Park S, Vetterlein A (Eds); Cambridge: Cambridge University Press: 48-69.
PUB
 
2009 | Book (Editor) | PUB-ID: 1901461
Transnational Political Spaces. Agents - Structures - Encounters
Albert M, Bluhm G, Helmig J, Leutzsch A, Walter J (Eds) (2009) Historische Politikforschung, 18.
Frankfurt a.M.: Campus.
PUB
 
2009 | Book Chapter | PUB-ID: 1858536
Introduction: The Communicative Construction of Transnational Political Spaces
Albert M, Bluhm G, Helmig J, Leutzsch A, Walter J (2009)
In: Transnational Political Spaces. Agents - Structures - Encounters. Albert M, Bluhm G, Helmig J, Leutzsch A, Walter J (Eds); Frankfurt a. M.; New York: Campus: 7-31.
PUB
 
2009 | Journal Article | PUB-ID: 1794607
Autonomization of IGOs
Koch M (2009)
International Political Sociology 3(4): 431-448.
PUB | DOI | WoS
 
2009 | Book | PUB-ID: 1926486
Die Europäische Kommission als lernende Organisation?
Kopp-Malek T, Koch M, Lindenthal A (2009)
Wiesbaden: VS Verlag.
PUB | DOI