Sigrun Kahl

Sigrun Kahl received her PhD from Humboldt University (Berlin, Germany) in 2006. She is interested in how religion became embedded into the institutions of the modern state, in particular how religion has influenced the welfare state. Her dissertation, “Saving the Poor: How Religion Shapes Welfare-to-Work Policy in Europe and the United States” shows the developmental ties between historically dominant Christian denominations (Catholic, Lutheran, Calvinist/Puritan) and contemporary welfare reform in the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Italy, Denmark, Sweden, and Germany. Publications: “The Religious Roots of Modern Poverty Policy: Catholic, Lutheran, and Reformed Protestant Traditions Compared,” in: European Journal of Sociology (Archives Européennes de Sociologie) Vol. 45, 1 (2005), pp. 91-126; and “Social Doctrines and Poor Relief: A Different Causal Pathway,” forthcoming in: Kees van Kersbergen and Philip Manow (eds.): Religion, Class Coalitions, and Welfare State Regimes, Cambridge University Press. Courses she teaches include “Welfare States across Nations,” “Religion and Politics,” and “Historical Analysis in the Social Sciences.” She also runs the “Religion and Politics” Colloquium organized by the MacMillan Center Initiative on Religion, Politics, and Society.

Campus address: 115 Prospect St., Rosenkranz Hall, Room 405
Phone: 432-0280
Email: sigrun.kahl@yale.edu