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HELLO AND WELCOME

I am Stefan Kühner, an Associate Professor in the Department of Sociology and Social Policy at Lingnan University, Hong Kong. I also serve as the Associate Dean in the Faculty of Social Sciences and direct both the BSocSci (Hons) Programme in Social Sciences and the MSocSci Programme in Comparative Social Policy (International). 

Additionally, I am one of the new editors of the Journal of International and Comparative Social Policy (Cambridge University Press), which is now affiliated with the UK Social Policy Association. You can read about our ‘future vision’ for the journal here.

ABOUT MY WORK

Research focus:

I specialise in comparative and international political economy of welfare, particularly the policies and politics of welfare state change over time. My work often delves into concepts like “welfare productivism” and “social investment,” exploring how different governments reform their social policies to respond to emerging social risks in contemporary society.

Current Research projects:

  • Future Pandemic Preparedness: This project examines the role that social policies played in alleviating the socio-economic consequences of lockdowns and other public health measures during the COVID-19 pandemic. 
  • Welfare Deservingness and Benefits Stigma: I’ve tried to better understand the legitimacy of social welfare benefits in East Asia and how the public’s narratives on welfare deservingness link to different types of benefits stigma. 
  • Family Policy and Child Well-Being: I’ve looked into how family cash benefits and services impact children’s well-being, family’s child-bearing intentions and gendered labour market outcomes.
  • Regional Focus – Asia and Pacific: My current research adapts these themes to the Asia and Pacific region, including Hong Kong, where I explore a range of social policy issues throughout people’s lives.

Key Areas of Study in Hong Kong:

  • Child Well-Being: Examining disparities and the social gradient in multi-dimensional child well-being.
  • Youth Transitions: Investigating how young people navigate the shift from school to work.
  • Family Support and Gender: Analysing how available family support impacts gendered labour market outcomes.
  • Old Age Poverty: Assessing the effects of zero pillar pensions on poverty and the stigma older adults face when receiving welfare benefits. 

Publications:
My latest research has been published in notable journals such as:

I also co-authored The Short Guide to Social Policy (2nd Edition, 2015, Bristol: Policy Press) and contributed to the Unicef Innocenti Report Card 13, Fairness for Children. A League Table of Inequality in Child Well-Being in Rich Countries (2016). Additionally, I co-edit the book series, Research in Comparative and Global Social Policy, launched together with the Policy Press/Bristol University Press. 

Professional Collaborations:

I have collaborated with various international organisations including:

  • The Social Security Department at the International Labour Organisation (2006) in Geneva,
  • The Directorate for Employment, Labour and Social Affairs at the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development in Paris (2012-14),
  • The Unicef Innocenti Research Centre in Florence in Italy (2015-16), and
  • The German Science Foundation’s Collaborative Research Center (CRC) 1342 “Global Dynamics of Social Policy” in Bremen (2020).

I am also an Executive Committee Member of the East Asian Social Policy Research Network. I am an Affiliate Fellow at the Institute of Policy Studies at Lingnan University, Hong Kong.

RESEARCH INTERESTS

My research spans a wide array of topics, including:

Comparative and global social policy analysis, comparative research methods, social investment, new social risks, old-age poverty, child well-being, youth transitions, work-family reconciliation policy, welfare stigma, social politics, and historical institutionalism.

CONTACT AND CONNECT

Feel free to reach out to me at stefankuehner@LN.edu.hk. You can also find my work and connect with me on various platforms:

Google Scholar – Lingnan Scholars – Orcid – Scopus – Researchgate – Twitter – Bluesky