Fields of Specialization:
- Social Stratification
- Welfare State
- Cultural Consumption
- Political Sociology
- Quantitative methods
| since 07/2019 | Assistant Lecturer, JGU Mainz |
| 05/2019-03/2022 | Head of Division at the Federal Statistical Office |
| 03/2021 | Ph.D (Dr. phil). Dissertation thesis: The Independent Variable Problem. Welfare Stateness as an Explanatory Concept (Prof. Dr. Gunnar Otte (Mainz), Prof. Dr. Patrick Sachweh (Bremen), Prof. Dr. Daniela Grunow (Frankfurt)) |
| 04/2014-07/2019 | Research Fellow at the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Institute of Sociology (Chair: Prof. Dr. Gunnar Otte (Social Stratification) |
| 04/2014-03/2019 | Adjunct lecturer at the Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf |
| 04/2017-04/2019 | Junior member of the → Gutenberg Academy (2018 junior speaker) |
| 08/2018 | Research stay at the → Swedish Institute for Social Research in Stockholm (funded by an InGRID-2 visiting grant) |
| 03/2014 | Master Studies in Social Sciences at the Heinrich-Heine-University Dusseldorf. Topic of the Master’s Thesis: „Gourmet or Gourmand?“ An Empirical Debate on Cultural Consumption and Social Distinction in Europe.” (with Debora Eicher). |
| 09/2011 | Bachelor Studies in Social Sciences at the Heinrich-Heine-University Dusseldorf. Topic of the Bachelor’s Thesis: “Differences in Individual Attitudes towards European Integration in the Context of Socio-Economic Status of the Country of Origin”. |
| 10/2008-03/2014 | Academic Studies in the study subjects Sociology, Political Sciences and Communication and Media Studies at the Heinrich-Heine-University Dusseldorf and the Karls-University in Prague/Czech Republic. |
Monographs
Kunißen, Katharina (2022): The Independent Variable Problem. Welfare Stateness as an Explanatory Concept. Wiesbaden: VS Verlag für Sozialwissenschaften.
→ Full text | Awarded the Peter A. Berger Prize of the Section for Social Inequality and Social Structure Analysis
Contributions to journals
Breznau, Nate/ Rinke, Eike Mark/ Wuttke, Alexander/ … / Kunißen, Katharina et al. (2022): Observing many researchers using the same data and hypothesis reveals a hidden universe of uncertainty. In: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) 119(44). DOI: https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2203150119.
→ Full text
Otte, Gunnar/ Boehle, Mara/ Kunißen, Katharina (2021): Social Inequalities – Empirical Focus. In: Sociological Review, Special Issue 2020 (“Sociology – Sociology in the German-Speaking World”): 361-380. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110627275-025.
→ Full text
Kunißen, Katharina (2019): From Dependent to Independent Variable: A Critical Assessment of Operationalizations of ‘Welfare Stateness’ as Macro-Level Indicators in Multilevel Analyses. Social Indicators Research 142(2): 597-616. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11205-018-1930-3.
→ Link | → Full text (read only)
Contributions to edited volumes
Eicher, Debora/ Kunißen, Katharina (2018): Bizet, Bach and Beyoncé. High-culture music in cross-border flavor combinations. In: Reuband, Karl-Heinz (ed.): Opera, Audience and Society. Wiesbaden: VS Verlag für Sozialwissenschaften, 119-142. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-658-12926-2_5.
→ Link
Kunißen, Katharina/ Eicher, Debora/ Otte, Gunnar (2018): Social status and cultural taste: A method-critical comparison of empirical reviews of the omnivore-univore thesis. In: Böcker, Julia/ Dreier, Lena/ Eulitz, Melanie/ Jakob, Maria/ Leistner, Alexander (eds.): On the relationship between empiricism and cultural sociological theorizing. Status and perspectives. Weinheim: Beltz Juventa, 209-235.
→ Full text | Awarded the ALLBUS Prize 2019
Eicher, Debora/ Kalcher, Julian/ Kunißen, Katharina (2015): United in diversity? The influence of individual value priorities and national contexts on the transfer of trust to the European Parliament. In: Scholz, Simon/ Dütsch, Julian (eds.): Crises, processes, potentials. Contributions to the 4th Student Sociology Congress. Bamberg: University of Bamberg Press, 319-346.
→ Full text
Other publications
Breznau, Nate/ Rinke, Eike/ Wuttke, Alexander et al. (2021). Observing Many Researchers using the Same Data and Hypothesis Reveals a Hidden Universe of Data Analysis. Preprint. DOI: 10.31222/osf.io/cd5j9
→ Full text
Breznau, Nate/ Rinke, Eike/ Wuttke, Alexander et al. (2019). The Crowdsourced Replication Initiative: Investigating Immigration and Social Policy Preferences. Preprint. DOI: https://10.31235/osf.io/6j9qb
→ Full text
Presentations at Scientific Congresses and Conferences (selection)
2019
“Social Policy Indicators as Macro-Level Independent Variables. Towards More Transparency and Comparability”. 8th Conference of the European Survey Research Association. Zagreb, July 2019.
“The Welfare State and Health Inequalities in Europe. Insights from Multilevel Analyses and Comments on Conceptual Issues”. 8th Conference of the European Survey Research Association. Zagreb, July 2019 (with Theresa Wieland).
2018
„A critical review of operationalisations of ‘welfare stateness’ as macro-level indicators in multilevel analyses”. ISA RC28 Spring Meeting. Seoul, May 2018.
2017
“Cultural consumption as explanatory concept? Unravelling the link between cultural intolerance and the fear of foreigners”. 7th conference of the European Survey Research Association. Lissabon, July 2017 (with Debora Eicher, Matthias Lehmann and Katharina Kunißen).
2016
“The Welfare State as an Explanatory Concept in the Comparative Analysis of Social Inequalities: Conceptualization, measurement and findings”. 38th Congress of the DGS. Bamberg, September 2016 (with Gunnar Otte).
“Social space and political positioning. How explanatory is Bourdieu’s social space model in comparison with alternative approaches?”. 38th Congress of the DGS. Bamberg, September 2016 (with Gunnar Otte).
“Changing structures of cultural taste? A critical assessment of international research on the omnivore-univore thesis”. ISA RC28 summer meeting. Bern, August 2016 (with Gunnar Otte, Debora Eicher and David Binder).
“Where typologies reach their limit: A critical discussion about operationalizing welfare policies as independent variables”. ECPR Graduate Student Conference. Tartu, July 2016.
2015
“Gibt es eine Transformation des kulturellen Geschmacks? Eine kritische Bilanz der internationalen Forschung zur Omnivore-Univore-These“. Tagung der DGS Sektion “Kultursoziologie“. Leipzig, Oktober 2015 (mit David Binder, Debora Eicher und Gunnar Otte).
“Explanations for the transfer of trust to the EU level: A multilevel approach”. 12th Conference of the ESA. Prague, August 2015 (with Debora Eicher).
2014
„Das Zusammenspiel von Religiosität und Wertorientierungen bei der Erklärung von Vorurteilen gegenüber Homosexuellen“. 5. Tagung des AqR. Leipzig, Juni 2014 (mit Debora Eicher, Mira Hassan, Pascal Siegers und Anne-Katrin Henseler).
2013
„In Vielfalt geeint? – Zum Einfluss von individuellen Werteprioritäten und nationalem Kontext auf den Transfer von Vertrauen auf das Europäische Parlament”. 4. studentischer Soziologiekongress. Bamberg, Oktober 2013 (mit Debora Eicher und Julian Kalcher).
“How the joint effect of religion and value orientations determines prejudice towards homosexuals”. 26th Conference of the FFP, Bremen, June 2013 (with Tilo Beckers, Debora Eicher, Mira Hassan, Anne-Kathrin Henseler and Pascal Siegers).
SoSe 2026
Courses from previous semesters
Winter semester 2022/2023
- MA- & BA-Seminar: “Cultural Consumption and Social Inequality” (University of Zurich, Sociological Institute)
Summer semester 2020
- MA seminar: “Functions and Consequences of Social Policy in International Comparison” (JGU Mainz, Institute for Political Science)
Winter semester 2019/2020
- BA seminar: “Computer-aided data analysis” (JGU Mainz)
Sommersemester 2019
- BA practice class “Social Structure and Comparison of Societies” (JGU Mainz)
Winter semester 2018/2019
- BA advanced seminar “Sociology of Religion” (JGU Mainz)
- Advanced course “DATA plus – Multivariate analysis methods with SPSS” (HHU Düsseldorf)
Sommersemester 2018
- MA specialization “Current Research on Social Structure and Culture” (JGU-Mainz) (with Mara Boehle)
- BA practice class “Social Structure and Comparison of Societies” (JGU Mainz)
- Advanced course “DATA plus – Multivariate analysis methods with SPSS” (HHU Düsseldorf)
Winter semester 2017/2018
- BA advanced seminar “Comparative Research on Values and Attitudes” (JGU Mainz)
- Advanced course “DATA plus – Multivariate analysis methods with SPSS” (HHU Düsseldorf)
Sommersemester 2017
- BA practice class “Social Structure and Comparison of Societies” (JGU Mainz)
- Advanced course “DATA plus – Multivariate analysis methods with SPSS” (HHU Düsseldorf)
Winter semester 2016/2017
- BA advanced seminar “Social Contexts of Individual Action and Social Inequality” (JGU Mainz)
- Advanced course “DATA plus – Multivariate analysis methods with SPSS” (HHU Düsseldorf)
Sommersemester 2016
- BA practice class “Social Structure and Comparison of Societies” (JGU Mainz)
Winter semester 2015/2016
- MA Advanced Seminar “Comparative Social Structure Analysis” (JGU Mainz)
- Advanced course “DATA plus – Multivariate analysis methods with SPSS” (HHU Düsseldorf)
Sommersemester 2015
- BA teaching research project “Theoretical and empirical analysis of the field of practice” (JGU Mainz)
- Advanced course “DATA plus – Multivariate analysis methods with SPSS” (HHU Düsseldorf)
Winter semester 2014/2015
- BA practice class “Cultural Sociology” (JGU Mainz)
- MA Advanced Seminar “Lifestyle Research” (JGU Mainz)
- Advanced course “DATA plus – Multivariate analysis methods with SPSS” (HHU Düsseldorf)
Sommersemester 2014
- BA practice class “Social Structure and Comparison of Societies” (JGU Mainz)
- BA Advanced Seminar “Comparative Social Structure Analysis” (JGU Mainz)
- Advanced course “DATA plus – Multivariate analysis methods with SPSS” (HHU Düsseldorf)
Winter semester 2013/2014
- BA Basic Seminar “Sociological Theory” (HHU Düsseldorf) (Co-Teaching with Tilo Beckers and Debora Eicher)
