English title: Conditions of Acceptance for a Wealth Social Policy – Social Cleavages and Policy Design Options
Lead project as part of the collaborative research centre of the German Institute for Interdisciplinary Social Policy Research (DIFIS-SOFO)
Funded by: Federal Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs (BMAS)
Parent Project: Sonderforschungszentrum des Deutschen Instituts für Interdisziplinäre Sozialpolitikforschung (DIFIS-SOFO)
Funding period: 7/2026 – 6/2030
Das Projekt „Akzeptanzbedingungen einer Vermögenssozialpolitik” untersucht, welche Gestaltungsoptionen einer Vermögenssozialpolitik in Deutschland mit einer mehrheitlichen Akzeptanz in der Bevölkerung rechnen können. Als Vermögenssozialpolitik werden sozialpolitische Maßnahmen bezeichnet, die Vermögen „von oben“ begrenzen und Vermögensaufbau „von unten“ fördern. Angesichts einer – auch demographisch bedingten – Verschärfung von Vermögensungleichheiten gewinnt deren sozialpolitische Bearbeitung an Brisanz, wobei digitale Technologien neue Gestaltungsoptionen eröffnen und Regulierungsbedarfe aufwerfen.
Das Projekt verfolgt das Ziel, empirisch fundierte und gesellschaftlich tragfähige Politiken zu identifizieren, die politische Entscheidungsträger*innen bei der sozial gerechten Regulierung und Gestaltung von Vermögensverhältnissen unterstützen. Im Rahmen eines explorativ-sequentiellen Mixed-Methods-Designs untersuchen die Forschenden zunächst öffentliche Debatten, gesellschaftliche Konfliktlinien und die Rolle digitaler Technologien – mittels Expert*inneninterviews und Fokusgruppen. Anschließend analysieren sie in Vignettenexperimenten Akzeptanzmuster für unterschiedliche Maßnahmen sowie die Wirkung ökonomischer Interessen, gesellschaftlicher Narrative und politischer Gestaltungsformen.
„Akzeptanzbedingungen einer Vermögenssozialpolitik” ist ein Leadprojekt des Sonderforschungszentrums des Deutschen Instituts für Interdisziplinäre Sozialpolitikforschung (DIFIS-SOFO), das durch das Bundesministerium für Arbeit und Soziales (BMAS) gefördert wird. DIFIS-SOFO ist ein gemeinsames Vorhaben der Universität Duisburg-Essen und der Universität Bremen und wird getragen von Wissenschaftler*innen unterschiedlicher Disziplinen der Sozialpolitikforschung an Hochschulen und Forschungseinrichtungen in ganz Deutschland.
The project investigates which forms of wealth social policy are likely to be accepted by a majority of Germany’s population. ‘Wealth social policy’ includes social policy measures that limit wealth from the top and promote wealth accumulation ‘from the bottom’. Given the rising wealth inequality, which is also linked to demographic developments, social policy measures addressing this inequality gain in topicality. Digital technologies open up new design options while also raising regulatory demands.
The project aims to identify empirically based and socially acceptable policies which support political stakeholders in regulating and governing wealth relations in ways that are socially just. The researchers will use an explorative sequential mixed-methods design to examine public debates, social cleavages and the role of digital technologies. Methods include expert interviews and focus groups. As a second step, they conduct vignette analyses in order to identify patterns of acceptance for different measures and examine the effects of economic interests, societal narratives, and forms of policy-making.
„Akzeptanzbedingungen einer Vermögenssozialpolitik” is a lead project of the collaborative research centre of the German Institute for Interdisciplinary Social Policy Research (DIFIS-SOFO), which is funded by the Federal Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs (BMAS). DIFIS-SOFO is a joint project of the University of Duisburg-Essen and the University of Bremen and is supported by scholars working in different disciplines of social policy research at universities and research institutions throughout Germany.
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© UDE / A. Wälischmiller
Prof. Florian Fastenrath
Junior Professor | Research Group 'Political Economy of Inequality'
Phone: +49 201 183 65 62
Florian Fastenrath is Junior Professor of Comparative Political Economy, with a research focus on inequality. His work sits at the crossroads of public policy analysis, comparative and international political economy, and political sociology. He is particularly interested in how socio-economic and political inequalities intersect, especially in the context of political representation.
His research explores both sides of the representation process: how citizens form policy priorities and preferences, and how political elites perceive and respond to public demands through policymaking. He is committed to methodological innovation, blending qualitative approaches such as elite interviews, focus groups, and deliberative polling to better understand public opinion and political responsiveness.
His broader research interests include the politics of inequality and redistribution, public finance, and financialisation. His work has been published in journals such as Comparative Political Studies, Journal of European Public Policy, and Review of International Political Economy.
Before taking on his current role, Florian Fastenrath held postdoctoral positions at the universities of Bonn (2023–25) and Duisburg-Essen (2020–23), and research positions at the University of Cologne, where he completed his PhD in 2019. He also served as Substitute Professor for Policy Analysis and Political Economy at RPTU Kaiserslautern-Landau (2024–25).
Anna Doumanas
Doctoral Researcher | Research Group 'Political Economy of Inequality'
E-mail: anna.doumanas@college-uaruhr.de
Anna Doumanas is a doctoral researcher in the research group ‘Political Economy of Inequality’ at the College as of August 2026. She studied socio-economics at the University of Duisburg-Essen. Her research interests focus on sustainable social policy and the significance of meritocratic beliefs in political discourse. Her current work examines how role identity shapes meaning-making processes around wealth, particularly in the context of broader trends such as financialisation.