The international correspondent network of our Institute is expanding to include the United States of America. We are delighted to have gained Prof. Andrew Hammond, an expert in U.S. social security law from the Maurer School of Law, Indiana University. His first report provides a comprehensive and enlightening overview of the U.S. social benefits system. As with all correspondent reports, this contribution is available for download on our website.

As SSRN is will close institutional research paper series by the end of 2026, the final issue of our MPISOC SSRN e-journal (Vol. 4 No. 1) has now been published. It contains articles on the future of social law, the implementation of non-invasive prenatal testing in the German statutory health insurance, and the contraceptives scandal in Chile. Another article examines the requirements under EU law and the scope for national discretion in determining the genuine and effective work of EU migrant workers. The MPISOC page on SSRN has been discontiuned as of 31 July 2026. However, the articles that have already been published are available for download on our website.