Skip to content

Young researchers’ award for labour sociology, industrial relations and trade union research in Switzerland

Young researchers’ award for labour sociology, industrial relations and trade union research in Switzerland Article Image

11. April 2024

Since 2020, young talent prizes for "Sociology of Work, Industrial Relations and Trade Union Research" have been awarded every two years. In 2024, Oliver Nachtwey, Professor at the Institute of Sociology at the University of Basel, and Alessandro Pelizzari, Director of the School of Social Work and Health (HETSL) in Lausanne, will be responsible for the jury and the organization of the competition. The prizes for the 2024 competition are once again sponsored by the Unia trade union. The award ceremony will take place on December 13, 2024 at the University of Zurich. It will take place as part of a conference organized jointly by the "Laboris (Swiss Labor Research Network)" association and the "work" research network of the Digital Society Initiative (DSI). Deadline for the submission of abstracts is 30 June 2024. For details see flyer in French or German below.

Prize competition 2024:
“Young Talent Award for Labor Sociology, Industrial Relations and Trade Union Research in Switzerland”
Sponsored by the trade union Unia

Habilitations, dissertations and master’s theses as well as all other academic theses that deal with issues of the sociology of work, industrial relations and trade union research and are related to the history and present of labor policy in Switzerland are eligible for the “International Main Prize” of CHF 4,000. In addition, a young talent prize of CHF 1000 will be awarded to a Master’s or Bachelor’s thesis written at a Swiss university or university of applied sciences.

The aim of the prizes is to give visibility and public recognition to excellent work by young academics in the field of labour research. In addition, the prize is intended to promote cooperation between the Academy and current players in the field of labor policy, in particular the trade unions in Switzerland.

Evaluation of the submitted theses
The theses submitted will be evaluated in terms of the theoretical, methodological and empirical insights they provide for academic research. In addition, value is placed on the relevance and innovativeness of the research results both for university teaching and for trade unions and other labor policy actors. A jury consisting of representatives from sociological university institutes and trade union experts will decide on the submitted work.

Call for entries 2024 – application formalities
Anyone with a thesis in the social sciences, cultural studies, humanities, political science or economics (habilitation, dissertation, master’s thesis, etc.) that deals with issues of the sociology of work, industrial relations and trade union research can apply. A reference to the reality of labor policy in Switzerland, possibly also in a comparative manner, is desired. Only work completed at a university after July 1, 2022 will be considered.

Please apply with your documents by June 30, 2024. The documents include in electronic form

  1. the thesis
  2. a max. two-page abstract of the thesis
  3. if available: an indication of the evaluation or an evaluative report
  4. an academic curriculum vitae of the applicant.

Please submit your documents in electronic form only to: oliver.nachtwey@unibas.ch

The award ceremony will take place on December 13, 2024 at the University of Zurich. It will take place as part of a conference organized jointly by the “Laboris (Swiss Labor Research Network)” association and the “work” research network of the Digital Society Initiative (DSI).

Flyer DE | Flyer FR