The SoFRiED research project

The image shows a map of Europe in which EU member states are colored in four different shades. The map is titled “Far-right parties in EU governments, January 2026.” The legend explains the color coding as follows: yellow indicates “not represented,” orange indicates “opposition,” dark magenta represents “coalition partner,” and dark blue represents “governing party.” The map illustrates that in two EU countries far-right parties lead the government: Fratelli d’Italia in Italy and Fidesz in Hungary. In four additional countries—Finland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Croatia—far-right parties participate in government as coalition partners. In only two EU member states, Ireland and Slovenia, far-right parties are not represented at all, neither in government nor in opposition. The data shown reflect the situation as of January 2026. The map was created by Stephen Albrecht.

In recent years, several European democracies have experienced a political shift towards the far right. This raises important questions about the impact on welfare states and, consequently, on social work as a profession, theory- and research-based practice, and academic discipline. 

When dealing with government policies, social workers in many EU countries face the challenge of defending their discourse, services, institutions and practices, which align with human rights–oriented, professional, ethical, theoretical and transnationally agreed standards (IFSW, 2014, 2018). 

The research project Social Work and the Far Right in European Democracies (SoFRiED), provides comparative empirical insights into the influence of far-right politics on social work in three EU member states: Germany, Austria and Hungary.
Project duration: February 2025–January 2027
Funding: Hans-Böckler-Foundation (Germany)
Co-ordination: Neubrandenburg University of Applied Sciences

Far-right parties have gained varying degrees of political power in the three EU states involved. They either act as opposition parties (e.g. the Alternative for Germany (AfD) in Germany), participate in federal state governments (e.g. the Freedom Party of Austria (FPÖ)), or are part of the government and parliament (e.g. the Fidesz-KDNP coalition in Hungary, which has been in power since 2010, and the Our Homeland party). 

Taking a mixed-methods approach, this study builds on the first systematic empirical investigations concerning the influence of the far right on social work in the German federal states of North Rhine-Westphalia (Gille & Jagusch, 2019) and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania (Gille, Krüger & Weber, 2022). It analyses the transformation of social work in the context of far-right influences from an international comparative perspective. 

The project intends to raise awareness and inform social work professionals, professional associations, academic communities, and civil society actors about the scope and relevance of far-right discourses and practices that are rooted in racist and exclusionary ideologies. The SoFRiED research group is collaborating with professional associations and social work networks in the three countries involved to develop institutional responses and countermeasures to far-right ideologies and activities. The goal of the project is to promote human rights and democratic coexistence, in line with the global definition of social work and its professional ethics.

Methodology

In the first project phase, a common questionnaire was developed in Germany, Austria and Hungary. A quantitative survey was carried out in each EU state using LimeSurvey in the summer of 2025. It focused on manifestations of far-right influence in and on social work. The perspective of social work professionals was taken into account. 

The second part of the research project involved conducting problem-centred interviews (Witzel, 2000) with social workers from various fields in selected federal states and regions, particularly in rural areas. The third component involves analysing parliamentary materials from far-right parties that address issues relevant to social work. In Germany and Austria, the study period is four years (2020 to 2025), capturing political changes in the post-Covid era and current discourses of the far right. For Hungary, the document analysis covers the period from 2018 to 2025 to reflect the current (second) term of the Orbán government. The analysis focuses on changes in constitutional and social law, as well as social policy. The text-based data obtained from these three components will be evaluated using explanatory and structuring content analysis (Kuckartz & Rädiker, 2023).

References: 

Gille, C.; Jagusch, B. (2019): Die Neue Rechte in der Sozialen Arbeit in NRW [The New Right in Social Work in North Rhine-Westphalia]. Düsseldorf: FGW.

Gille, C.; Krüger, C.; Wéber, J. (2022): Einflussnahmen der extremen Rechten – Herausforderung für die Soziale Arbeit in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern [Influence of the far right – a challenge for social work in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania]. Weinheim/Basel: Beltz Juventa. 

IFSW – International Federation of Social Workers (2014): Global Definition of the Social Work Profession. Melbourne: IFSW General Meeting / IASSW General Assembly. www.ifsw.org/what-is-social-work/global-definition-of-social-work/ (accessed 19 March 2026).

IFSW – International Federation of Social Workers (2018): Global Social Work Statement of Ethical Principles. Dublin, Ireland: General Meetings of the IFSW /General Assembly of the IASSW. https://www.ifsw.org/global-social-work-statement-of-ethical-principles/ (accessed 19 March 2026).

Kuckartz, U.; Rädiker, S. (2023): Qualitative Content Analysis: Methods, Practice and Software. 2nd ed. Los Angeles et al.: Sage.

Witzel, A. (2000): The Problem-centered Interview. https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:0114-fqs0001228 (accessed 19 March 2026).