Social Platform on reserarch for families and families policies
Social Platform on reserarch for families and families policies
The overall objective of the FAMILYPLATFORM is to elaborate a focused research agenda that will address fundamental research issues and key policy questions for future research and family policies in Europe. The activities of the FAMILYPLATFORM will refer to all 27 member states. The FAMILYPLATFORM is not a research project. The research agenda and its results will develop the possible base for the SSH research Roadmap 2012-2013. Therefore, the platform will match three relevant perspectives: The perspective of the scientific community, of European families which is represented by members of civil society and important stakeholders such as family and children's rights associations, and the perspective of policy-makers and social partners.
In this context, it has to be considered that regarding the living conditions for families there are still significant cross-national differences between European societies. Legal systems, welfare structures, education systems, health-care systems and economic systems vary from country to country. As a consequence, European family structures and family forms, as well as respective trends and developments are quite diverse. Thus, it is crucial to first generate a comprehensive overview of various existential fields of family life and family policies in order to derive conclusions for political practice and further research. In the long run, the aim of the social platform will be to generate key policy questions and to define fundamental research issues.
In order to reflect upon the different thematic aspects and their interconnectedness, a broadly defined, international, interdisciplinary, and participative approach is required. This approach must be critically evaluated by relevant stakeholders and political actors. Given the need for a broad overview of the characteristics of family life and its legal and socio-economic context, the FAMILYPLATFORM will identify key research topics and areas relevant to families. This will be done with reference to vital aspects which are important for national reform programs of the EU member states, for example gender equality (see A Roadmap for equality between woman and man 2006-2010), improvement in reconciliation of work and family life, increasing care services and family orientated service provision over the life course, intergenerational solidarity, immigration and integration (see Renewed social agenda: Opportunities, access and solidarity in 21st century Europe 2008).
Another important topic of the FAMILYPLATFORM is the key concept "well-being of families". The social platform will identify research tasks by pointing out existing research and knowledge gaps. Special attention will be paid to the continuous critical discussion of scientific findings with a wide range of stakeholder representatives from family associations, children's rights organizations, policy-makers, and social partner representatives. Thus, generated results will be based on an iterative process relying on a broad informational and social basis.
The FAMILYPLATFORM focuses on four areas:
1. Catching up with the current state of family research and elaboration of significant
trends, differences between countries, research gaps and methodological problems of existing family research from the point of view of the research community (area 1).
2. A critical review of existing research from the perspective of a wide range of stakeholder representatives such as family associations, children's right associations and policy-makers and social partners (area 2).
3. Generating key policy questions for future European policy and research issues and tools focused on "well-being of families" as key concept in European policy (area 3).
4. Working out a research agenda with fundamental research issues, research areas and tasks of long-term studies, methodological tools based on step 1-3 (area 4).
Sociology; Family and Family Change; Public Policy; Research Agenda
The overall objective of the FAMILYPLATFORM is to elaborate a focused research agenda that will address fundamental research issues and key policy questions for future research and family policies in Europe. The activities of the FAMILYPLATFORM will refer to all 27 member states. The FAMILYPLATFORM is not a research project. The research agenda and its results will develop the possible base for the SSH research Roadmap 2012-2013. Therefore, the platform will match three relevant perspectives: The perspective of the scientific community, of European families which is represented by members of civil society and important stakeholders such as family and children's rights associations, and the perspective of policy-makers and social partners.
In this context, it has to be considered that regarding the living conditions for families there are still significant cross-national differences between European societies. Legal systems, welfare structures, education systems, health-care systems and economic systems vary from country to country. As a consequence, European family structures and family forms, as well as respective trends and developments are quite diverse. Thus, it is crucial to first generate a comprehensive overview of various existential fields of family life and family policies in order to derive conclusions for political practice and further research. In the long run, the aim of the social platform will be to generate key policy questions and to define fundamental research issues.
In order to reflect upon the different thematic aspects and their interconnectedness, a broadly defined, international, interdisciplinary, and participative approach is required. This approach must be critically evaluated by relevant stakeholders and political actors. Given the need for a broad overview of the characteristics of family life and its legal and socio-economic context, the FAMILYPLATFORM will identify key research topics and areas relevant to families. This will be done with reference to vital aspects which are important for national reform programs of the EU member states, for example gender equality (see A Roadmap for equality between woman and man 2006-2010), improvement in reconciliation of work and family life, increasing care services and family orientated service provision over the life course, intergenerational solidarity, immigration and integration (see Renewed social agenda: Opportunities, access and solidarity in 21st century Europe 2008).
Another important topic of the FAMILYPLATFORM is the key concept "well-being of families". The social platform will identify research tasks by pointing out existing research and knowledge gaps. Special attention will be paid to the continuous critical discussion of scientific findings with a wide range of stakeholder representatives from family associations, children's rights organizations, policy-makers, and social partner representatives. Thus, generated results will be based on an iterative process relying on a broad informational and social basis.
The FAMILYPLATFORM focuses on four areas:
1. Catching up with the current state of family research and elaboration of significant
trends, differences between countries, research gaps and methodological problems of existing family research from the point of view of the research community (area 1).
2. A critical review of existing research from the perspective of a wide range of stakeholder representatives such as family associations, children's right associations and policy-makers and social partners (area 2).
3. Generating key policy questions for future European policy and research issues and tools focused on "well-being of families" as key concept in European policy (area 3).
4. Working out a research agenda with fundamental research issues, research areas and tasks of long-term studies, methodological tools based on step 1-3 (area 4).
