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Research field

My research interests are within comparative-historical sociology and comparative political economy. I have done comparative-historical research on education politics and reforms, prostitution politics and on labor unions, with a focus on Scandinavia.

I currently lead a NFR-financed research project on "The Salmon Elite - its politics, self-understanding, networks and wealth" (start date April 2025). Despite the industry's significant economic role, there is little research on those who hold elite positions in the salmon industry. There are several reasons why the salmon farming industry is particularly interesting to study; it is characterized by particularly large private fortunes, a high degree of family ownership, the companies are locally based but have global reach, and the industry is subject to intense political debate, not least visible through the recent debate on resource rent tax. This project connects the academic fields of aquaculture, elites and power. It consists of three work packages, concerned with 1) tax policy, 2) the salmon elites self-understanding and legitimization of influence and 3) economic power, social networks, and family connections.

I have also been involved in the NFR-funded research project "Admission Impossible? School Choice in European Cities" (October 2021-December 2025). Within this project, I am responsible for project 2, which investigates different models of school choice in Norway, making use of a combination of survey data, qualitative interviews and focus groups with parents and students of different socio-economic backgrounds to gain an insight into their experiences and preferences regarding school choice.

I have published the book "" (2022, Cambridge University Press, open access) [published in by Beltz Juventa in 2024]. In the book, I compare reforms in secondary education in Norway and Germany in the 1960s and 1970s and analyze debates and power struggles surrounding the reforms, focusing on collective actors such as political parties and teachers' organizations, their power resources, ideology, coalitions, and conflicts.

Short biography

Studied at the University of Cologne and graduated with a diploma degree in economics and sociology in 2012. PhD-Candidate at the Department of Sociology at the University of Bergen, 2013-2018. Associate professor (40%) at the University of Stavanger and researcher in the WAGEREG project (PI: Georg Picot) (30%) 2018-2019; postdoctoral fellow at the Department of Sociology, University of Bergen, 2019-2021, Associate Professor at the Department of Sociology since 2021. Two children. 

Research stays abroad

2023: NFR-funded research stay: Visiting researcher in Prof. Gudrun Hentges' education policy group, University of Cologne/Germany, fieldwork for the Admission Impossible project, interviews with education policy actors in Cologne and Munich (4 months)
2017: Meltzer Scholarship: Visiting researcher in the comparative political economy group of Prof. Marius Busemeyer, University of Konstanz/Germany (4 months)
2015: Meltzer Scholarship: Visiting researcher at the Max Planck Institute for the Study of Societies, Cologne/Germany (3 months)
 

I have previously taught the BA module SOS100 (Invitation to Sociology), the MA module SOS322 (Work, Class and Education) and the BA module SOS108 (Education and Society).

Katharina Sass (2022): The Politics of Comprehensive School Reforms: Cleavages and Coalitions. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Available with . (Published in German in 2024: )

Katharina Sass, Stein Kuhnle (2022): The Gender Cleavage: Updating Rokkanian Theory for the Twenty-First Century, Social Politics: International Studies in Gender, State & Society,   

Katharina Sass (2020): , in: History of Education, 49 (5), pp. 636-660,

Katharina Sass (2018). Sass, Katharina. Cleavages and Coalitions. Comprehensive School Reforms in Norway and North Rhine-Westphalia/Germany (1954-1979). University of Bergen 2018 (ISBN 978-82-308-3747-4) 414 s.

Katharina Sass (2016): , in: Blätter für deutsche und internationale Politik, 2/16, pp. 113-120.

Katharina Sass (2015): , in: European Educational Research Journal (online), 14(3-4), pp. 240-256.

Katharina Sass (2014): , in: Nordic Journal of Working Life Studies, 4(3), pp. 79-98.

(4/2014):Cornelia Heintze, 2013: Die Straße des Erfolgs. Rahmenbedingungen, Umfang und Finanzierung kommunaler Dienste im deutsch-skandinavischen Vergleich. Marburg: Metropolis-Verlag.  

Katharina Sass (2014): Philosophy of Science Essay, June 2014, University of Bergen, Department of Sociology.

Katharina Sass (2012): Diplomarbeit im Fach Soziologie. Universität zu Köln.

«Admission Impossible? Skolevalg i europeiske byer» | ºÚÁϳԹÏ×ÊÔ´

SALELITE: The salmon elite - its politics, self-understanding, networks and wealth | ºÚÁϳԹÏ×ÊÔ´