Christopher Smith Ochoa

Dr. Christopher Smith Ochoa is a Research Associate at the University of Duisburg-Essen’s Institute for Social Work and Social Policy, focusing on inequality, social policy, and narrative/interpretive political analysis. His work bridges academic research with policy advocacy, particularly in poverty discourse and democratization processes.

• PhD in Political Science (2017-2022), supervised by Prof. Karl-Rudolf Korte (UDE) and Prof. Frank Nullmeier (Uni Bremen)
• Master’s in International Relations (Global Governance and Social Theory, 2011-2013) and BA in Political Science/French Cultural Studies (2008-2010)
• Key research themes: socioeconomic inequality narratives, policy discourse analysis, poverty representation, and crisis-driven social policy

His recent publications explore how welfare associations advocate during crises, the role of narratives in trivializing inequality, and legitimization strategies in surveillance debates. He collaborates with institutions like the Max Planck Institute and Hans Böckler Foundation.

• 2025: Policy Studies Journal (narrative advocacy during pandemics)
• 2024: FORUM Sozial (self-representation in poverty research)
• 2023: Springer VS (monograph on inequality narratives)

Awards include a doctoral scholarship from the Hans Böckler Foundation (2018-2021). He contributes to conferences on narrative policy frameworks and teaches courses on poverty discourses.