Social Constructions in Germany's Work-Related Policy since 1990

Tracy Corley, doctoral candidate in the Law and Public Policy program at Northeastern University in Boston, Mass. and guest researcher at the Institute for Skills, Labor, and Qualifications (IAQ) at the University of Duisburg-Essen and the Berlin Social Science Center (WZB), will present the progress of her doctoral study and current findings. Her research examines the effect of employment policy reform on social constructions of legitimate and illegal work in Germany. By focusing on the skill-crafts in the greater Düsseldorf area, she will analyze changes in social constructions of work since 1990 at the institutional, organizational, and individual levels. Her approach uses institutional approaches and the Social Construction Framework to conduct a discourse analysis, examining how burdens and benefits of employment policies are distributed among target groups and activities. This interdisciplinary study combines legal, public policy, sociological, political science, and economic theories to examine Germany’s legalist approach to addressing informal and illegal work.

 

Ms. Corley was an entrepreneur in Seattle, Wash. for 16 years before returning to graduate school in 2013. She worked with local, state, and federal governments to promote the interests of small and medium-sized business, clean technology, and sustainable urban development through policy advocacy, strategic consulting, and research. She has lectured and taught courses for multiple business programs in Washington state.