Archived projects

Musicians' Lives

The “Musicians' Lives” study focuses on musicians in Switzerland. The objective of the study is to better understand their personal and professional careers, as well as their individual and collective experiences related to this occupation.

Measuring vulnerability

This project is designed to provide the participants in the NCCR LIVES with high methodological competences in data collection and data management and with advanced statistical tools for the analysis of vulnerability and resilience processes in the life course.

Trajectories within contexts

This project has the objective of developing a multidimensional, dynamic and contextualised model of vulnerability, defined as a lack of individual or collective resources that places individuals or groups at major risk of experiencing (1) negative consequences related to sources of stress; (2) the inability to cope effectively with a stressor; and (3) the inability to recover from a stressor or to take advantage of opportunities in a given period of time.

Relationships in later life

This project aims at investigating the processes of overcoming vulnerabilising factors in close relationships in middle- and old-aged adults. Specifically the project seeks to explore the various paths of psychological adaptation to major stressors related to marital relationship in the second half of life, and to identify resources and possibilities of psychosocial prevention and psychological intervention.

Old age

This project’s objective remains that of studying well-being among the elderly, notably based on the VLV survey data. Our interdisciplinary research is concerned with the dynamic interplays that take place in old age between health problems, psychological functioning and regulation, individual actions, and the interpersonal, institutional and cultural contexts in which elderly live.

Family configurations and the life course

The nuclear family, particularly within marriage, has been regarded for a long time as a resilient group against expectations, constraints and hazards stemming from the social context. The pluralisation of life courses has, however, made families change, becoming more diverse and less predictable.

Gender and occupations

This project aims to develop an interdisciplinary theoretically innovative perspective on gendered aspects of the life course that enables us to clarify the conceptual insights to be gained from the term “vulnerability,” as compared to more frequently used concepts (e.g. social exclusion, poverty, precariousness).

Education and employment

This project proposes a research programme to improve our understanding of the factors affecting the employment outcomes for individuals in potentially vulnerable states: job seekers, mothers of new-born children, teenagers and young adults entering working life as well as mature adults with vocational education.