GRK 2951:  Cross-border Labour Markets: Transnational Market Makers, Infrastructures, Institutions

• Subject Area: Social Sciences
• Term: since 2024
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 510706231

Cross-border labour mobility and migration have developed into key issues within globalization research. Remarkably, however, ‘cross-border labour markets’ have not yet been addressed as a phenomenon sui generis in this context. Global structures and dynamics are largely scrutinized as factors impacting national labour markets, and the terms ‘emigration’ and ‘immigration’ that dominate the relevant literature underscore this focus on national labour markets as units of analysis. The Research Training Group (RTG) takes a rather different approach, putting cross-border labour markets centre stage in its research programme. The emergence of cross-border labour markets can be observed in multiple sectors: in low-skilled labour (e.g. in domestic work or logistics) as well as among highly-skilled workers and professionals (e.g. academics, consultants, medical doctors), or in sports, the arts, and the entertainment industry at large. Why do cross-border labour markets emerge in some sectors, but not others? Why do they link particular countries, while others stay outside the network? And to what extent do they display social orders that differ from those of national labour markets. Questions such as these are addressed in the RTG. Its particular focus is on investigating what makes it possible for cross-border labour markets to emerge and be consolidated, i.e., how are the coordination problems that are amplified in border crossing markets ‘solved’? The main research questions to be scrutinized in the projected RTG are: What are the constitutive prerequisites or ‘enablers’ of cross-border labour markets? and How do actors draw upon these ‘enablers’ to enact, fashion and consolidate cross-border labour markets? We consider three types of ‘enablers’: transnational market makers, infrastructures, and institutions. They structure the research programme. The RTG aims to make substantial empirical and theoretical contributions to understanding the processes and dynamics underlying the emergence, operation and consolidation of cross-border labour markets. To this end, an interdisciplinary group of Principal Investigators rooted in sociology, economics, and social anthropology teamed up to bring their combined expertise in relevant research areas to bear on the RTG’s research and qualification programme. The RTG builds on preliminary collaborative groundwork of PIs across the participating universities. Offering outstanding doctoral researchers the opportunity to take part in an innovative research programme at the forefront of interdisciplinary labour market research with a global outlook, the RTG is committed to establishing a top-level, research-oriented qualification for early-career researchers, preparing them for outstanding academic and non-academic careers.

• DFG Programme: Research Training Groups
• Applicant Institution: Universität Bielefeld
• Co-Applicant Institution: Universität Duisburg-Essen
• Spokesperson: Professorin Dr. Ursula Mense-Petermann
• Participating Researchers: Professor Dr. Marcel Erlinghagen; Professorin Dr. Minh Nguyen; Professor Dr. Sebastian Otten; Professorin Dr. Sigrid Quack; Privatdozentin Dr. Alexandra Scheele-Baer; Professorin Dr. Helen Schwenken; Professorin Karen A. Shire, Ph.D.; Professorin Dr. Anja Weiß; Professor Dr. Tobias Werron; Professorin Dr. Anna Zaharieva