Project description

Trust is an indispensable basis for social cohesion. The joint project SoVE is dedicated to the relationships of trust between European populations, as these open up deeper insights into the preconditions, forms and limits of European cohesion and research into this topic can reveal ways of strengthening these relationships of trust.

The project has three objectives. The first is to determine the extent to which people in Europe trust each other ('horizontal' social trust). In addition, it must be clarified whether this social trust is also linked to political trust in other member states and the institutions of the EU ('horizontal' and 'vertical' political trust). Secondly, the social, cultural and political factors that shape, promote or inhibit transnational social trust should be identified. Thirdly, proposals and recommendations for action will be developed and discussed with stakeholders from academia, politics and civil society.

The project work comprises research and practice-oriented modules that aim to closely link research, practical reflection and knowledge transfer. The research methodology is qualitative. Problem-centered interviews and group discussions are used as a form of data collection and interpretative methods of text analysis. The research design is comparative and will include field research in Germany, Poland and Italy in order to be able to include horizons of experience from different countries in the analyses.

The project, which is funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research as part of the "Cohesion in Europe" program, is based on close cooperation between two partners (the Chair of European Political Sociology at the University of Siegen and European Alternatives Berlin), whose previous work has already focused intensively on the research and practice-related aspects of the topic.en through sustainable greening concepts.

The SoVE team:

• Johannes Kiess, who is responsible for coordinating the project and carrying out the research work as a postdoc,
• Christian Lahusen, the project manager, and
• Sonja Lück, who supported the team as a student assistant with the literature research.

The project is funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) as part of the "Sustainable Universities" program. The aim of the funding is to develop and implement innovative concepts for environmentally friendly and resource-conserving campus design.

Important partners in the project are the city of Siegen, which provides support in the areas of mobility and climate protection, and the Institute for Environmental Research NRW, which provides scientific analysis and expertise. Siegen's municipal utilities are also involved in the implementation of sustainable energy solutions.