Track 3: Social inequality, vulnerability and marginalization

WELMA will focus on how legal regulation can both contribute to the development of and serve as protection against social inequality, marginalization and poverty. A combination of individual and cross-sectional analysis of central tenants of welfare law can show trends and patterns in legal regulation that increase social inequality.

The welfare society is expected to benefit the weak and vulnerable and to contribute to reducing social inequality and marginalization. However, several of the centre's projects have shown that the welfare state and social regulation struggle to address basic welfare phenomena such as poverty, inequality and marginalization of already disadvantaged citizens.

Increased digitalization and globalization create a particular risk that unskilled and low-paid work will be challenged by new robotic technology and increasing international division of labour – which can contribute to increased marginalization and polarization. Similarly, there is a risk that minority groups will not benefit from the introduction of personalized medicine in the healthcare system because the groups are so small that there is insufficient data to develop more targeted treatment. The trends must be assessed in the light of fundamental rights and taxation.