Fabian Besche-Truthe
Research Interest
In his current research, Fabian Besche-Truthe focuses on historical and global comparisons of education systems. He pays particular attention to the dynamics of exclusion and inequality, such as access to education for marginalized groups. Another research interest lies in collecting original comparative data on the performance, inclusivity, and generosity of educational institutions and systems. In addition, he develops innovative methods and data bases for analyzing policy diffusion and transfer.
Title of doctoral thesis: “Global Transformation of Education Systems. Investigating Domestic, Relational, and Transnational Levels of Policy Drivers”
Vita
seit 02/2026: Post-Doc at the Professrship of Intercultural and Comparative Education at the Helmut-Schmidt-University Hamburg
01/2026 – 07/2026: Post-Doc at the Institut for Intercultural und International Studies (InIIS) at the University of Bremen
01/2022 – 12/2025: Post-Doc at the Collaborative Research Center 1342 „Global Social Policy Dynamics“ in the Projekt „ The Global Development of Inclusivity and Generosity of Public Education“ at the University of Bremen
04/2018 – 12/2021: Pre-Doc at the Collaborative Research Center 1342 „Global Social Policy Dynamics“ in the Projekt „The Global Development, Diffusion and Transformation of Education Systems“ at the University of Bremen
Academic Qualifications
04/2018 – 10/2021: Dissertation Dr. rer. pol. At the University of Bremen.Title: „Global Transformation of Education Systems. Investigating Domestic, Relational, and Transnational Levels of Policy Drivers“
10/2022 – 12/2022: Quest Researcher at University of Oxford: Department of Politics and International Relations
10/2014 – 09/2017: Master of Arts Political Science at the University of Bremen
10/2009 – 09/2014: Bachelor of Arts Social Sciences at Ruhr-University Bochum
Publications
Peer Review Journal Articles
Besche-Truthe, Fabian; Böger, Tobias; Fischer, Johanna (2025): Stages, Orders & Periods of Welfare State Development: A Global Sequence Analysis of Social Policy Dynamics. Journal of Public Policy 1–28, https://doi.org/10.1017/S0143814X25100676.
Besche-Truthe, Fabian; Seitzer, Helen (2025): Testing for the money: an analysis on the interdependence of participation in international large-scale assessments and development aid networks. Frontiers in Education 10 – 2025, https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2025.1429107.
Besche-Truthe, Fabian (2024): Die historische Entwicklung des Hochschulzugangs im globalen Süden und Norden. PERIPHERIE – Politik • Ökonomie • Kultur, 171+172, 378-401, https://doi.org/10.3224/peripherie.v43i2.08.
Besche-Truthe, Fabian (2023): Levels of policy drivers: Introducing and demonstrating an analytical framework for education policy spread. Research in Comparative and International Education, 18(4), 636-655, https://doi.org/10.1177/17454999231212965.
Edited Volumes
Windzio, Michael; Mossig, Ivo; Besche-Truthe, Fabian; Seitzer, Helen (Eds.), 2021: Networks and Geographies of Global Social Policy Diffusion. Culture, Economy and Colonial Legacies, Global Dynamics of Social Policy, Cham: Palgrave Macmillan, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-83403-6.
Chapters
Windzio, Michael, Besche-Truthe, Fabian, Seitzer, Helen (2025). Socialist Systems, Global Cultural Spheres and Female Participation in Education. In: Heinrich, A., Ewa Kaminska, M., Pleines, H., ten Brink, T. (eds) The Generosity of Social Policies in Socialist and Post-Socialist States. Global Dynamics of Social Policy, Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-86645-7_13.
Besche-Truthe, Fabian; Martens, Kerstin; Niemann, Dennis, Windzio, Michael, 2024: Towards global gender equality in education? Economic incentives, global cultures and international organizations’ policy recommendations, in: Brent E. D.; Verger, A.; McKenzie, M., Takayama, K. (Eds.), Researching Global Education Policies: Diverse Approaches to Policy Movement, Bristol: Bristol University Press.
Besche-Truthe, Fabian; Seitzer, Helen; Windzio, Michael, 2023: Diffusion of Mass Education: Pathways to Isomorphism, in: Mattei, P.; Dumay, X.; Mangez, E.; Behrend, J. (Eds.), Oxford Handbook on Education and Globalization, Oxford: Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780197570685.013.19.
Besche-Truthe, Fabian; Seitzer, Helen; Windzio, Michael, 2022: Global ‘cultural spheres’ and the introduction of compulsory schooling around the world, in Nullmeier, F.; González de Reufels, D., Obinger, H. (Eds.), International Impacts on Social Policy Short Histories in Global Perspective, Cham: Palgrave Macmillan, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-86645-7_13.
Mossig, Ivo; Windzio, Michael; Besche-Truthe, Fabian Seitzer, Helen, 2021: Networks of Global Social Policy Diffusion: The Effects of Culture, Economy, Colonial Legacies, and Geographic Proximity, in: Windzio, M.; Mossig, I.; Besche-Truthe, F., Seitzer, H. (Eds.), Networks and Geographies of Global Social Policy Diffusion. Culture, Economy and Colonial Legacies, Global Dynamics of Social Policy, Cham: Palgrave Macmillan, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-83403-6_1.
Besche-Truthe, Fabian, 2021: The Global Diffusion of Adult Basic Education, in: Windzio, M.; Mossig, I.; Besche-Truthe, F.; Seitzer, H. (Eds.), Networks and Geographies of Global Social Policy Diffusion. Culture, Economy and Colonial Legacies, Global Dynamics of Social Policy, Cham: Palgrave Macmillan, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-83403-6_4.
Besche-Truthe, Fabian, 2021: The Global Trajectories of Compulsory Education, in: Martens, K.; Windzio, M. (Eds.), Global Pathways to Education. Cultural Spheres, Networks, and International Organizations, Cham: Palgrave Macmillan, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-78885-8_3.
Seitzer, Helen; Besche-Truthe, Fabian; Windzio, Michael, 2021: Networks of Global Policy Diffusion. The Introduction of Compulsory Education, in: Windzio, M.; Mossig, I.; Besche-Truthe, F., Seitzer, H. (Eds.), Networks and Geographies of Global Social Policy Diffusion. Culture, Economy and Colonial Legacies, Global Dynamics of Social Policy, Cham: Palgrave Macmillan, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-83403-6_3.
Seitzer, Helen; Besche-Truthe, Fabian; Windzio, Michael, 2021: The Introduction of Compulsory Schooling Around the World: Global Diffusion between Isomorphism and ‘Cultural Spheres’, in: Martens, K.; Windzio, M. (Eds.), Global Pathways to Education. Cultural Spheres, Networks, and International Organizations, Cham: Palgrave Macmillan, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-78885-8_2.
Working/Technical Papers
Global Social Policy Digest, “Education” in Global Social Policy. (Author from 2019-2024)
Lischka, Michael; Besche-Truthe, Fabian, 2022: Introducing RED – The Relational Export Dataset SFB 1342 Technical Paper Series, 14/2022, Bremen: SFB 1342.
Windzio, Michael; Besche-Truthe, Fabian; Seitzer, Helen, 2021: Historical Education System Data (HESDat), SFB 1342 Technical Paper Series/12/2021, Bremen: SFB 1342. https://www.socialpolicydynamics.de/f/d89734af3a.pdf.
Mossig, Ivo; Heuer, Hendrik; Lischka, Michael; Besche-Truthe, Fabian, 2021: Measuring global competition in export markets and export sectors, SFB 1342 Technical Paper Series/8/2021, Bremen: SFB 1342. https://socialpolicydynamics.de/f/ed360e64ff.pdf.
Besche-Truthe, Fabian; Seitzer, Helen; Windzio, Michael, 2020: Cultural Spheres – Creating a dyadic dataset of cultural proximity, SFB 1342 Technical Paper Series/5/2020, Bremen: SFB 1342. https://socialpolicydynamics.de/f/2ab52155ea.pdf.
Data
Lischka, Michael; Besche-Truthe, Fabian, 2022: RED – The Relational Export Dataset. https://doi.org/10.7802/2394.
Besche-Truthe, Fabian, 2022: Total duration of compulsory education. https://doi.org/10.7802/2379.
Teaching
- Vergleichende Politikwissenschaft (2024, 2025)
- Quantitative Methoden der Politikwissenschaft (2021, 2023, 2024)
- Advanced Research Methods (2020, 2021, 2022, 2023)
- The Diffusion of Education Policy (2020)
- Einführung in das wissenschaftliche Arbeiten (2019)
Letzte Änderung: 24. February 2026