Claus Offe
Encyclopedia
Professor Claus Offe is a political sociologist
of Marxist orientation. Once a student of Jürgen Habermas
, the left-leaning German academic is counted among the second generation Frankfurt School
. He currently teaches at a private university in Berlin, the Hertie School of Governance
.
He has made substantive contributions to understanding the relationships between democracy
and capitalism
. His recent work has focused on economies
and states
in transition to democracy.
He has been married to Ulrike Poppe
since 2001. He taught at The New School
.
Political sociology
Contemporary political sociology involves much more than the study of the relations between state and society . Where a typical research question in political sociology might have been: "Why do so few American citizens choose to vote?" or even, "What difference does it make if women get elected?" ...
of Marxist orientation. Once a student of Jürgen Habermas
Jürgen Habermas
Jürgen Habermas is a German sociologist and philosopher in the tradition of critical theory and pragmatism. He is perhaps best known for his theory on the concepts of 'communicative rationality' and the 'public sphere'...
, the left-leaning German academic is counted among the second generation Frankfurt School
Frankfurt School
The Frankfurt School refers to a school of neo-Marxist interdisciplinary social theory, particularly associated with the Institute for Social Research at the University of Frankfurt am Main...
. He currently teaches at a private university in Berlin, the Hertie School of Governance
Hertie School of Governance
The Hertie School of Governance is a private university in Berlin, in the historic Quartier 110 of Friedrichstraße. The school is regarded as one of the leading policy institutes in Europe...
.
He has made substantive contributions to understanding the relationships between democracy
Democracy
Democracy is generally defined as a form of government in which all adult citizens have an equal say in the decisions that affect their lives. Ideally, this includes equal participation in the proposal, development and passage of legislation into law...
and capitalism
Capitalism
Capitalism is an economic system that became dominant in the Western world following the demise of feudalism. There is no consensus on the precise definition nor on how the term should be used as a historical category...
. His recent work has focused on economies
Economy
An economy consists of the economic system of a country or other area; the labor, capital and land resources; and the manufacturing, trade, distribution, and consumption of goods and services of that area...
and states
Sovereign state
A sovereign state, or simply, state, is a state with a defined territory on which it exercises internal and external sovereignty, a permanent population, a government, and the capacity to enter into relations with other sovereign states. It is also normally understood to be a state which is neither...
in transition to democracy.
He has been married to Ulrike Poppe
Ulrike Poppe
Ulrike Poppe was a member of the East German opposition. In 1982 she founded the "Women for Peace" network and in 1985 joined the Initiative for Peace and Human Rights...
since 2001. He taught at The New School
The New School
The New School is a university in New York City, located mostly in Greenwich Village. From its founding in 1919 by progressive New York academics, and for most of its history, the university was known as the New School for Social Research. Between 1997 and 2005 it was known as New School University...
.
Fields of research
- Political sociologyPolitical sociologyContemporary political sociology involves much more than the study of the relations between state and society . Where a typical research question in political sociology might have been: "Why do so few American citizens choose to vote?" or even, "What difference does it make if women get elected?" ...
- Social policySocial policySocial policy primarily refers to guidelines, principles, legislation and activities that affect the living conditions conducive to human welfare. Thus, social policy is that part of public policy that has to do with social issues...
- Democratic theory
- Transformation studies
- Dual allocation problem
Career movements
- 2006 - Joint Professor of Theories of the State, Hertie School of GovernanceHertie School of GovernanceThe Hertie School of Governance is a private university in Berlin, in the historic Quartier 110 of Friedrichstraße. The school is regarded as one of the leading policy institutes in Europe...
, Berlin (with Ulrich K. PreussUlrich K. PreussUlrich K. Preuß teaches Theories of the State at the Hertie School of Governance.He holds a PhD from Gießen University and worked as Professor for Public Law at the University of Bremen from 1972 to 1996. Since 1996, Preuß has been a Professor of Public Law and Politics at Freie Universität Berlin...
). - 2005 — Retired in April.
- 1995-2005 — Professor of Political SciencePolitical sciencePolitical Science is a social science discipline concerned with the study of the state, government and politics. Aristotle defined it as the study of the state. It deals extensively with the theory and practice of politics, and the analysis of political systems and political behavior...
at the Humboldt University of BerlinHumboldt University of BerlinThe Humboldt University of Berlin is Berlin's oldest university, founded in 1810 as the University of Berlin by the liberal Prussian educational reformer and linguist Wilhelm von Humboldt, whose university model has strongly influenced other European and Western universities...
. - 1989-1995 — Teacher at University of BremenUniversity of BremenThe University of Bremen is a university of approximately 23,500 people from 126 countries that are studying, teaching, researching, and working in Bremen, Germany...
and served as visiting professor at various academic institutions in USUnited StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, NetherlandsNetherlandsThe Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
, CanadaCanadaCanada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, AustriaAustriaAustria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
, SwedenSwedenSweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
, AustraliaAustraliaAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
and ItalyItalyItaly , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
. - 1973 — HabilitationHabilitationHabilitation is the highest academic qualification a scholar can achieve by his or her own pursuit in several European and Asian countries. Earned after obtaining a research doctorate, such as a PhD, habilitation requires the candidate to write a professorial thesis based on independent...
from the University of KonstanzUniversity of KonstanzThe University of Konstanz is a university in the city of Konstanz in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It was founded in 1966, and the main campus on the Gießberg was opened in 1972. As one of nine German Excellence Universities today University of Konstanz is counted among Germany's most prestigious...
. - 1968 — Received a doctorateDoctorateA doctorate is an academic degree or professional degree that in most countries refers to a class of degrees which qualify the holder to teach in a specific field, A doctorate is an academic degree or professional degree that in most countries refers to a class of degrees which qualify the holder...
from the University of Frankfurt. - 1965 — Graduated from the Free University of BerlinFree University of BerlinFreie Universität Berlin is one of the leading and most prestigious research universities in Germany and continental Europe. It distinguishes itself through its modern and international character. It is the largest of the four universities in Berlin. Research at the university is focused on the...
.
Recent publications
- 2005 — ”Reflections on America: Tocqueville, Weber and Adorno in the United States”, CambridgeCambridgeThe city of Cambridge is a university town and the administrative centre of the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It lies in East Anglia about north of London. Cambridge is at the heart of the high-technology centre known as Silicon Fen – a play on Silicon Valley and the fens surrounding the...
: University PressCambridge University PressCambridge University Press is the publishing business of the University of Cambridge. Granted letters patent by Henry VIII in 1534, it is the world's oldest publishing house, and the second largest university press in the world...
, ISBN 0-7456-3505-9. - 1998 — ”Institutional Design in Post-Communist Societies. Rebuilding the Ship at Sea.” (with Jon ElsterJon ElsterJon Elster is a Norwegian social and political theorist who has authored works in the philosophy of social science and rational choice theory...
and Ulrich K. Preuss), Cambridge: University Press, ISBN 0-521-47386-1 - 1996 — ”The Varieties of Transition: the East European and East German experience” (with Jeremy Gaines), Cambridge: Polity Press, ISBN 0-7456-1608-9.
- 1996 — ”Modernity and The State: East and West.” (with Charles Turner and Jeremy Gaines), Cambridge: Polity Press, ISBN 0-7456-1674-7.
- 1982 — with Volker Gransow. "Political Culture and the Politics of the Social Democratic Government". TELOSTELOS (journal)Telos is an academic journal published in the United States. It was founded in May 1968 to provide the New Left with a coherent theoretical perspective. It sought to expand the Husserlian diagnosis of "the crisis of European sciences" to prefigure a particular program of social reconstruction...
53 (Fall 1982). New York: Telos Press
External links
- Homepage of Claus Offe at the Hertie School of Governance