From 2016 to 2025, this overarching question was addressed by two interdisciplinary doctoral programs, sponsored by the WZB and the Hans-Böckler-Foundation and headed by Prof. Jutta Allmendinger Ph.D. The team consisted of eight WZB-based researchers and doctoral students with different disciplinary backgrounds such as sociology, economics, psychology and related areas. A coordination team and student assistants were supporting the work of both doctoral programs.

Research was structured along five thematic areas. They were covered by a cooperation of different research units and project groups of the WZB which gave the doctoral program a unique bridging function. The supervisors of the thematic areas represented different disciplinary and methodological focuses. Each of them supervised 1-2 doctoral students whose dissertations were closely linked to one of the thematic areas. The aim was to provide the doctoral students with a broad theoretical and empirical training in the sociology of work and labor markets. For this purpose, a number of colloquia at the research units of the WZB as well as other WZB-based and Berlin-based training opportunities was available to the doctoral students.

The first doctoral program „Good Work. Approaches to Shaping Tomorrow's World of Work“ started in November 2016.

Research focused on the following five thematic areas:

I. Good work in the digital economy (Head: Dr. Martin Krzywdzinski)

II. Migration and good work (Head: Dr. Susanne Veit)

III. Good work and quality of life (Head: Lena Hipp Ph.D.)

IV. Good incomes from good work (Head: Prof. Dr. Martin Ehlert)

V. Promoting good work (Head: Sigurt Vitols Ph.D.)

The second doctoral program "Lines of conflict in the context of digitalisation, globalisation, demographic change and ecological sustainability" started in June 2021.

Research focused on the following four thematic areas:

I. Good work for all in times of digitalisation? (Supervision: Prof. Dr. Martin Ehlert, Prof. Lena Hipp Ph. D., Prof. Dr. Martin Krzywdzinski, Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Schroeder, Dr. Philip Wotschack)

II. Good work for all in times of socio-structural and demographic change? (Supervision: Dr. Daniel Auer, Prof. Dr. Martin Ehlert, Prof. Lena Hipp, Ph. D., Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Schroeder, Dr. Susanne Veit, Dr. Philip Wotschack)

III. Good work for all in times of globalisation? (Supervision: Prof. Dr. Martin Krzywdzinski, Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Schroeder, Dr. Susanne Veit, Sigurt Vitols Ph. D.)

IV. Good work for all in times of climate change? (Supervision: Dr. Daniel Auer, Sigurt Vitols Ph. D.)