Call for NRP "Welfare and Coercion - Past, Present and Future" is open
NRP 76 aims to generate scientific insights into past and future developments as well as the social repercussions of welfare and coercion in Switzerland.
In the years before 1981, as part of the state welfare and guardianship system, Swiss authorities carried out measures against adults and minors publicly referred to as Fürsorgerische Zwangsmassnahmen und Fremdplatzierungen (compulsory social measures and placements (CSMP)) according to cantonal practices and with practically non-existent procedural rights. The measures repeatedly led to drastic interference in the lives of the persons affected.
Analysing Swiss welfare policy and practice
The new National Research Programme conducted by the SNSF aims to analyse the characteristics, mechanisms and effects of Swiss welfare policy and practices in their various contexts. It investigates the social impact of welfare and coercion from a historical perspective and based on recent developments, including the experience of persons affected by non-administrative measures. The subject of the investigation are the requirements for and differences in welfare practices within Switzerland’s federalist system focusing on the substantive law, procedures, administrative and court jurisdictions and the legal remedies available to the persons affected.
NRP 76 will complement the work of the Independent Expert Commission (UEK), set up by the Federal Council in 2014 to examine the history of administrative detention, in particular. The results of the NRP should contribute to the continued development of specific welfare practices, the related legislation, and the ways in which the authorities organise themselves and in which their measures are funded..
Submitting pre-proposals
This research programme "Welfare and Coercion - Past, Present and Future" is endowed with a budget of CHF 18 million. The research phase will last five years. Researchers interested in participating in the programme can submit their pre-proposals until 26 June 2017. Detailed information on the participation requirements and project selection can be found in the call document. An information event for interested researchers will be held at the premises of the SNSF in Bern on 25 April 2017 from 2.15 pm to 4 pm.