Research at Department of Social Sciences and Business
The Department of Social Sciences & Business focuses its research on societal changes and the impact of such developments and changes on the mode of function of different societies, whether they are Western democracies or fragile states in poor regions of the world.
The Department has throughout the years established solid relations to other knowledge institutions, companies and NGOs in both Denmark and abroad.
Research activities
Read more about the research activities and research strategi at the department.
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Global Political Sociology (GLOPS)
Head of Research Group: Sune Haugb?lle, Globalization og Europeanization Research Group (GERG)
Head of Research Group: Michael Kluth, International Development Research Group (IDRG)
Head of Research Group: Lone Riisgard, Management and organization (MANORG)
Head of Research Group: Jacob Dahl Rendtorff, Social Dynamics and Change (SODYC)
Head of Research Group: Hanne Warming, hannew@ruc.dk, Mailing list: sodyc@ruc.dk
Tranformation and Ordering of Political Institutions (TOPI)
Head of Research Group: Sevasti Chatzopoulou, seva@ruc.dk, Mailing list: topi@ruc.dk
Changing Societies – dilemmas, challenges and consequences (VELCI)
Head of Research Group: Tine Rostgaard (tiro@ruc.dk), Mailing list: velci@ruc.dk
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Centre for Gender, Power and Diversity
Head of Research Centre: Lise Lotte Hansen
Centre for Research on Public-Private Collabaration (COPS)
Head of Research Center: Ole Helby Petersen
Centre for Statecraft and International Order
Head of Research Center: Laust Schouenborg
Head of Research Center: Matias Thuen J?rgensen
Socio-Economic Research Centre (SECO)
Head of Research Center: Lars Buur
VELNET - The Danish National Network for Welfare State Studies
Head of Research Centre: Tine Rostgaard (RUC) and Christian Albrekt Larsen (AAU)
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ROBUST - Crisis Governance in Turbulent Times
The focus of European post-pandemic politics is currently on enhancing system capacities for ‘bouncing back’ from crisis to normalcy by building resilience. But what if going back is not what we want? The ROBUST project is about learning to "build back better" by innovating one's way through a crisis. The project combines historical and comparative analysis at EU, national and local levels to gather a multi-dimensional data set out of which we identify the configurations of factors that drive (or block) robustness in crisis governance.
The Standardisation of Transitional Justice: Consolidation, Innovation and Politics
Societies transiting away from war and repression often call for justice: By addressing past wrongs they may heal and enter a path of peace and democracy. Transitional justice (TJ) denotes institutional justice responses to past violence, such as trials, truth commissions, purges, reparations, reform, memorials and amnesty. Implemented globally since 1970, TJ has recently been internationally standardised. It is now defined as consisting of 4 essential mechanisms: criminal justice, truthseeking, reparations and reform. The standard, however, promotes institutions that struggle to demonstrate beneficial transitional impact. This begs the question: How, why, and by whom has TJ been standardised? The project investigates the international standardisation of TJ politically and legally by analysing and comparing it across cases.
The European field of Social-Scientific Knowledge Production
The project develops a field-analytical approach in order to analyse the emergence and structure of a European field of social science and the relations between European social science knowledge production and European political institutions. Thus, the project analyses social science research projects funded through European institutions and European research politics in order to explain both contemporary structures and historical changes in European social science knowledge production.
Based on a set of primarily qualitative comparative case study methodologies, the programme studies how investments into oil/gas, mining and agriculture in Tanzania, Uganda and Mozambique affect small-holders' rights to land. The project strives to offer input for local civil society, national governments, and multinational corporations on how to better manage disputes over land and natural resources and create conditions for inclusive growth and political stability. It also seeks to provide guidance for donors on how to harness development aid towards strengthening small-holders' rights and avoiding the resource curse in Sub-Saharan African countries undergoing resource booms.
Immigration and cultural integration have been at the top of the political agenda for decades, with almost automatic reference to Islam and Muslims. But in today's Denmark, there are at least as many immigrants with a Christian as a Muslim background. A large proportion of these immigrants are Catholics, but there is very little research on Catholicism in Denmark. The project uncovers global networks and examines how Catholicism is lived out in Denmark and analyzes how Catholic faith and practice are related to Catholic-inspired ethics that influence attitudes to morality, work, body, and identity.
The project is a collaboration with the Agency of Family Law (Familieretshuset) and University College Absalon. The objective of the project is to strengthen and qualify the family law work in general, and specifically the AFL's (Familieretshusets) support and involvement of children by producing new basic scientific knowledge about the dynamics that create children's welfare/distress, as well as research-based development and implementation of this knowledge and new methods.
Completed projects
African-owned firms building capabilities in global value chains (AFRICAP)
AFRICAP examines industrialization in African countries in the context of increasingly globalized production networks coordinated through transnational inter-firm linkages. African-owned firms often struggle to enter new export sectors in manufacturing and agro-processing, to remain competitive within them, and to capture greater value. AFRICAP focuses on firm-level capability building and combines this firm level analysis with an understanding of global value chains and national institutional factors. The project analyzes various channels that facilitate learning among firms: industrial policies, foreign direct investment spillovers, and firm-specific networks and experience.
'GOVerning economic hubs and flows in Somali East Africa'. GOVSEA er et 4 ?rigt forskningsprojekt finansieret af FFU, som analyserer statsdannelsesdynamikker under d?rlige betingelser og vilk?r for statsdannelse. Projektet unders?ger styringen af ?konomiske knudepunkter og flows i det ?stlige Somalia samt deres effekt p? staten. Projektleder er lektor Tobias Hagmann (thagmann@ruc.dk)
DiasporaLink er et H2020 Marie Sklodowska-Curie udvekslingsprogram mellem 24 universiteter og forskningsinstitutioner fra EU, Amerika, Afrika og Asien. Den faglige projektkoordinator er lektor Shahamak Rezaei (shre@ruc.dk)
Forskningsprojektet er Danmarkshistoriens hidtil st?rste unders?gelse af erfaringerne med konkurrenceuds?ttelse af offentlige opgaver, og m?let er at kvalificere den offentlige debat om konkurrenceuds?ttelse via uafh?ngig og forskningsbaseret viden p? internationalt topniveau. Forskningsleder er Ole Helby Petersen (olehp@ruc.dk)
Exploring the policy dynamics of global antimicrobial resistance
This project analyzes the political dynamics that prevent antimicrobial resistance (AMR) from gaining greater traction on the global policy agenda. While around 700,000 deaths per year can be attributed to AMR, concerted transnational initiatives to combat the threat have been few and far between. By comparing the transnational initiatives to curb the spread of AMR to those of a similar transnational crisis, namely climate change, this project answers two interrelated question: (i) why are we only now experiencing a sudden surge in global policy interest in AMR and (ii) why does this interest not result in treaties with binding obligations and quantifiable targets.
HECAT – Disruptive Technologies Supporting Labour Market Decision Making
The Horizon 2020 project Hecat aims to investigate, demonstrate and pilot a disruptive technology to support labour market decision making by unemployed citizens and those seeking to help them. At one stage or another, almost half of all EU citizens will rely on a Public Employment Services (PES), and so this is a key touchpoint of a contemporary state and has impacts on citizen’s thinking about social cohesion, care and existential wellbeing. The ambition of the project is to improve citizen’s experience and outcomes of unemployment by offering real-time evidence-based insight into their personal position in the labour market.
Informal Worker Organisation and Social Protection
Financed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Denmark (Danida), this 4-year project is a Joint Research Initiative between Roskilde University, University of Nairobi in Kenya and Mzumbe University in Tanzania. The overall aim of the project is to generate new and urgently needed knowledge on emerging forms of informal worker organization, and their potential for enabling informal worker access to social protection measures in Kenya and Tanzania.
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ISE Policy Brief, May 2024
Challenging the formality bias: Enhancing social protection for informal workers in Kenya and Tanzania
Lone Riisgaard, Associate professor, Department of Social Sciences and Business, Roskilde University
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Researchers from the Department of Social Sciences and Business publish in a wide range of recognized journals and the department is also involved in the following journals:
Journal of Circular Economy
"Journal of Circular Economy” is an interdisciplinary journal that aims to provide practical advice to businesses, policymakers, and civil society on accelerating the transition towards a more circular economy. The journal is based at Roskilde University and Julian Kirchherr, Associate tt备用网址 at the Department of Social Sciences and Business, heads the group of editors.
For more information, visit the Journal of Circular Economy website
Read article about the collaboration on RUC news
Contact at Roskilde University: Associate tt备用网址 Julian Kirchherr(juliank@ruc.dk)
Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory (JPART).
"The Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory" (JPART) is the most esteemed journal in the field of public administration research worldwide. tt备用网址 Ole Helby Petersen from the Department of Social Sciences and Business is the editor in chief along with co-editor Associate tt备用网址 Kim Sass Mikkelsen
For more information, visit the JPART website
Read article about the appointment on RUC News
Contacts at Roskilde University:
- tt备用网址 Ole Helby Petersen, olehp@ruc.dk
- Associate tt备用网址 Kim Sass Mikkelsen, ksass@ruc.dk