The European Centre is an applied social research centre that engages in policy studies in areas of social policy, labour market, health and more.

The European Centre for Social Welfare Policy and Research (European Centre) was established in 1974 in Vienna, under an Agreement between the United Nations and the Federal Government of Austria. Legally, the Centre is set up as a non-profit institution subject to the laws and jurisdiction of Austria as the host country. Its Member States belong to the European Region of the United Nations and are all represented by their respective National Liaison Officials (NLOs), who are senior civil servants or recognised researchers and who take care of the working relationships with the European Centre. The NLOs thus form an important network, enabling the European Centre to carry out its main activities, which are comparative research and policy advice in the areas of social policy and welfare.
The European Centre is an international social science research, policy, training, and information centre. Its main purpose is to promote international cooperation in the fields of welfare, health, care and social development by providing research, policy expertise, training, international exchange, the transfer of know-how and consultancy.
The European Centre provides expertise in the fields of welfare and social policy development in a broad sense - in particular in areas where multi- or interdisciplinary approaches, integrated policies and inter-sectoral action are called for. European Centre expertise includes issues of demographic development, employment, incomes, poverty and social exclusion, social security.

Project Type: International / European Commission, DG Employment, Social Affairs & Inclusion
Function: Partner
Project Title: Social Situation Monitor
Acronym: Social Situation Monitor
Specific Theme: Analysing trends in income distribution, poverty, social exclusion and material deprivation as well as health across the European Union.
Project website: http://ec.europa.eu/social/main.jsp?catId=1049&langId=en
Coordinator: Applica (Terry Ward), internal coordinator at the European Centre (Orsolya Lelkes)

Project Type: National
Function: Coordinator
Project Title: How to Build a Health-promoting Public Sphere for Young People and Adults? (AGORA) (Wie lässt sich die Öffentlichkeit für Jugendliche und Erwachsene gesundheitsfördernd gestalten?)
Acronym: AGORA
Specific Theme: The project aims to put policy-relevant results of the first study Juvenile Alcohol Scenes into practice and to contribute to the establishment of sustainable structures of collaboration between the stakeholders shaping the public sphere, i.e. mainly the police and mobile social services but also the gastronomy and the media. The focus of interest is the collaboration with regard to the consumption of illegal and legal psychoactive drugs including tobacco and its consequences such as intoxication and nuisance; and with regard to violence, also if it is not related to drug consumption.
Project website: http://www.euro.centre.org/agora/
Coordinator: European Centre for Social Welfare Policy and Reseearch (Irmgard Eisenbach-Stangl)

Project Type: National
Function: Coordinator
Project Title: Measures for the Labour Market Integration of Persons with Disabilities (Maßnahmen zur Arbeitsmarktintegration von Personen mit Behinderung)
Acronym: -
Specific Theme: Target of the project is to analyse selected blocks of measures on the side of employees, employers and relevant institutions, which could reduce barriers to employment for disabled persons. Especially comprehensive measure packages in European countries with high employment rates of disabled persons (e.g. Sweden, Denmark, United Kingdom, the Netherlands) are evaluated – also on the possibility of being transferred to Austria.
Project website: http://www.euro.centre.org/detail.php?xml_id=1969
Coordinator: European Centre for Social Welfare Policy and Reseearch (Michael Fuchs)

Project Type: International / World Bank
Function: Coordinator
Project Title: Winners and losers of the crisis in Latvia
Acronym: -
Specific Theme: The European Centre team explored how poverty and income inequality have changed in Latvia during the financial and economic crisis also drawing on comparison with other EU Member States. In particular, we focused on identifying the specific social groups which were most affected by the crisis in order to raise awareness among policy makers. The results were compiled into a World Bank report, which is published in 2013.
Project website: http://www.euro.centre.org/detail.php?xml_id=2120
Coordinator: European Centre for Social Welfare Policy and Reseearch (Orsolya Lelkes)

Project Type: International, European Commission, DG Employment, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities
Function: Team member
Project Title: Study on Child Poverty
Acronym: -
Specific Theme: The project aims to assist the development of more coherent and integrated policies to combat child poverty and social exclusion in Member States in the context of the European Social Inclusion Strategy.
Project website: http://www.euro.centre.org/detail.php?xml_id=1439
Coordinator: Applica (Terry Ward); Tárki (István György Tóth), internal coordinator at the European Centre (Orsolya Lelkes)

2014-01-23 / 2014-02-11