DFG Research Network on the Interplay of Work and Politics Approved [08.06.26]
Prof. Dr. Ulrike Fasbender is a network partner in the newly approved DFG-funded research network “Leveraging the Role of Work and Organizational Psychology in the Work–Politics Nexus.”
Project period: September 1, 2026 - August 31, 2029
Total amount: 92.010,- € (administered by Saarland University; Principal Investigators: Denise Vesper & Cornelius J. König)
Funding Agency: German Research Foundation (DFG)
Abstract: Satisfaction with democracy in democratic countries is declining worldwide. In Germany, too, many citizens express dissatisfaction with the functioning of democracy. At the same time, populist and extremist parties are gaining influence. These developments highlight the urgent need to identify new strategies for strengthening democratic participation. Many political changes are closely related to work experiences, working conditions, and the ability of employment systems to create meaningful and secure livelihoods. While political psychology has been studying the mechanisms of political thinking since World War II, work and organizational psychology focuses primarily on experiences in the work context. Until now, the two disciplines have operated largely separately. Yet workplaces are central arenas of political socialization, where people with different values meet and develop attitudes. Empirical findings show that job quality, such as job insecurity, is related to political engagement and political attitudes. Conversely, political ideologies influence workplace practices and interactions. The planned network aims to close this research gap by bringing together researchers in work and organizational psychology from different specializations, countries, and career stages. The aim is to develop a joint research agenda on the interaction between work and political engagement. Political engagement is broadly understood as political behavior, attitudes, ideologies, and trust in institutions. Innovative theoretical and empirical approaches are to be developed through interdisciplinary exchange with political science, political psychology, and sociology. Joint publications, third-party funding applications, and the establishment of sustainable collaborations are planned. In the long term, the aim is to establish an independent line of research at the intersection of work and politics in occupational and organizational psychology, which will contribute to a better understanding of democratic processes in modern societies.
