On April 23 and 24, the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB) hosted the third edition of the Early Career Workshop in Comparative Social and Public Policy (COSPPO), an innovative initiative that aims to foster collaboration among academics at different stages of their professional careers.
The workshop, organized by early-career and doctoral researchers from the UAB’s Institute of Government and Public Policy (IGOP) with support from the WHOCOUNTS project, attracted researchers from 16 universities and 9 countries.
The goal of COSPPO is to promote collaboration and discussion among doctoral researchers, early-career students, and senior researchers by providing researchers with a supportive environment to present their work, either as a presentation or poster. Each paper is allotted sufficient time for presentation, discussion, and detailed feedback from peers and senior academics.
The field of analysis encompasses all aspects of comparative social and public policies in an international context. In this sense, it offers a unique opportunity for doctoral and postdoctoral researchers to critically examine the ongoing transformation of social citizenship, inequality and welfare in diverse contexts. The proposals presented address a wide range of topics across various disciplines, including poverty and social exclusion, housing, public service reform and administration, social security, labour market policies, public attitudes, family, health, social assistance, and migration.
Professor Hannah Zagel (TU Dortmund University), an expert in comparative sociology focused on social inequality, poverty, reproduction, and family policies, delivered the keynote address: “Reproduction Regimes: Institutions, Norms, and Inequalities.”
This year marked the third edition of the conference, following those held in 2024 (UAB) and 2025 (UPF).
