The University of Konstanz’s Cluster of Excellence “The Politics of Inequality” has secured a continuation of its funding through the highly competitive German Excellence Strategy for an additional seven years, beginning January 1, 2026, and extending through December 31, 2032. This announcement, made on May 22, 2025, by the German Research Foundation (Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, DFG) and the German Council of Science and Humanities (Wissenschaftsrat, WR), underscores the global significance and academic rigor of the cluster’s interdisciplinary research into the political dimensions of inequality. The cluster successfully applied for approximately 52 million euros in research funding, a testament to its groundbreaking contributions and future potential.
Clusters of Excellence represent some of the most ambitious research frameworks in Germany, designed to foster transdisciplinary collaborations that address pressing scientific and societal questions. These networks mobilize expertise across multiple disciplines and unite researchers around common themes that have substantial international relevance. The Politics of Inequality cluster operates at the nexus of political science, sociology, economics, and linguistics to dissect the complex mechanisms underlying inequality and to explore their political ramifications both domestically within Germany and on a global scale.
At the heart of this cluster’s research agenda lies the interrogation of inequality not only as an economic or social condition but also as a political phenomenon that shapes participation, representation, and policymaking. Katharina Holzinger, Rector of the University of Konstanz, emphasizes the contemporary urgency of the cluster’s investigative focus, noting that the dynamics of inequality profoundly influence political behavior and institutional outcomes in democratic and autocratic regimes alike. This political dimension is crucial to understanding how inequalities persist or are challenged within societies under various governance systems.
An essential feature of the cluster’s ongoing work is the examination of perception: How do individuals and groups perceive inequality, and how do these perceptions influence political engagement? The cluster’s research sheds light on the cognitive and discursive frameworks through which inequality is understood and contested. These insights are critical to disentangling the self-reinforcing processes that can entrench disparities in power and resource distribution, potentially leading to the deterioration of democratic norms or the escalation of social unrest.
Looking to the future, the second funding phase will intensify its focus on preventing inequality from becoming self-perpetuating. The research team led by Marius R. Busemeyer, Claudia Diehl, and Gabriele Spilker is committed to unpacking how collective beliefs about the origins of inequality influence policy responses and social movements worldwide. Their work intersects with growing global phenomena such as the resurgence of social protests and demands for structural transformation in economic and political systems.
One of the cornerstones of the cluster’s methodology is its commitment to social responsibility and public engagement. Its scholars are actively involved in advising policymakers, grounding their analysis in empirical data that transcend academic debate to inform real-world decisions. A flagship project in this regard is the Konstanz Inequality Barometer, a longitudinal and representative survey that captures public perceptions of inequality across Germany. This initiative’s expansion to other countries, particularly in the Global South, promises to generate comparative insights that highlight global patterns and regional specificities in inequality discourse.
Supporting this effort, the cluster is developing an Inequality Discourse Observatory, a sophisticated platform utilizing computational data analysis to monitor and dissect political and media narratives around inequality. This innovative tool leverages natural language processing and machine learning algorithms to track how inequality is framed by media outlets and political actors, providing a dynamic understanding of discourse evolution and its potential to influence public opinion and policy.
Despite its significant achievements, the University of Konstanz faces a bittersweet moment in the current funding cycle. While “The Politics of Inequality” cluster has secured continued support, the equally prominent Konstanz Cluster of Excellence “Centre for the Advanced Study of Collective Behaviour” (CASCB) will not receive additional funding. The CASCB has been a pioneering center investigating the principles governing collective phenomena, from animal swarms and human crowd dynamics to autonomous robotic collectives, positioning Konstanz as a global leader in the study of collective behavior with some of the most widely cited research in the field.
Rector Holzinger expressed profound disappointment about the loss of funding for CASCB, highlighting the long-term repercussions for the university’s strategic priorities. The termination of funding not only curtails ongoing research but also disrupts the university’s eligibility for the prestigious “University of Excellence” status, which requires hosting at least two Clusters of Excellence. This status brings considerable prestige and financial support, essential for sustaining high-level research ecosystems and attracting talent.
The University of Konstanz’s experience highlights the challenges small and medium-sized universities face in maintaining competitive research infrastructures amid increasingly rigorous selection procedures. Founded in 2007 as the smallest institution to receive the University of Excellence designation, Konstanz has continually punched above its weight, securing funding across successive phases of Germany’s Excellence Initiative and Excellence Strategy programs. However, sustaining multiple Clusters of Excellence simultaneously strains institutional resources and necessitates strategic prioritization.
As a consequence of this funding outcome, the university must now confront the formidable task of preserving the scientific structures and research momentum built over the past two decades without the financial guarantees previously afforded by cluster funding. Rector Holzinger poignantly acknowledged the gratitude for nearly twenty years of excellence designation and the challenge ahead to uphold the cluster-based research infrastructure amid financial uncertainty.
Overall, the renewed funding for the Cluster of Excellence “The Politics of Inequality” marks a strategic investment into a globally relevant field that combines rigorous empirical analysis with societal impact. Through its interdisciplinary approach and innovative use of computational methodologies, the cluster is poised to deepen scientific understanding of how inequalities shape, and are shaped by, political processes. This research not only advances academic knowledge but also informs policy frameworks aimed at fostering more equitable societies worldwide—a mission that resonates strongly against the backdrop of rising global disparities and political polarization.
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Subject of Research: Political causes and consequences of social inequality, interdisciplinary analysis combining political science, sociology, economics, and linguistics.
Article Title: University of Konstanz’s Cluster of Excellence “The Politics of Inequality” Secures Seven-Year Funding Renewal Under German Excellence Strategy
News Publication Date: May 22, 2025
Web References: Press release from the University of Konstanz, German Research Foundation (DFG), and German Council of Science and Humanities (WR)
Image Credits: Not provided
