Intermediary Structures and the Welfare State: The Role of the Churches in Western Europe

Project Directors Prof. Dr. Peter Flora Project Staff Dr. Birgit Fix DFG-funded 1999 – 2004

Research question/goal:

Research on the welfare state has rather neglected the role of intermediary structures in the production of social welfare. In particular the churches have been playing a major role in the provision of social welfare long before the modern welfare state was founded. Still, there are huge variations in the welfare production of the churches to be be found across Western Europe. These will be analysed and explained from a comparative perspective.


Publications

Books

  • Fix, Birgit, Elisabeth Fix (2005): Kirche und Wohlfahrtsstaat. Soziale Arbeit kirchlicher Wohlfahrtsorganisationen im westeuropäischen Vergleich. 208. Freiburg, Lambertus. More
  • Fix, Birgit (2001): Religion und Familienpolitik: Deutschland, Belgien, Österreich und die Niederlande im Vergleich. 224. Wiesbaden, Westdeutscher Verlag. More

Book Chapters

  • Pfenning, Astrid, Thomas Bahle (Eds.) Fix, Birgit (2000): Church-state relations and the development of child care in Austria, Belgium, Germany, and the Netherlands. 305-321. Frankfurt, Peter Lang. More

Journal Articles

  • Fix, Birgit (2003): Social Work of Relgious Welfare Associations in Western Europe. EURODATA NEWSLETTER, 16/17, 1-6. More
  • Fix, Birgit, Elisabeth Fix (2002): From charity of client-oriented social services production: a social profile of religious welfare associations in Western European comparison. European Journal of Social Work, 5, 1, 55-62. More
  • Fix, Birgit, Elisabeth Fix (2002): Europa ante portas. Chancen und Risiken für die Caritas. Caritas-Mitteilungen, 1, 23-35. More
  • Fix, Birgit, Elisabeth Fix (2002): Sozialmarkt fördert Kundenorientierung. Neue Caritas, 103, 14, 27-32. More
  • Fix, Birgit, Elisabeth Fix (2001): Schulterschluß der katholischen Sozialarbeit. Neue Caritas, 102, 7, 18-22. More