Project acronym ANALYTICAL SOCIOLOGY
Project Analytical Sociology: Theoretical Developments and Empirical Research
Researcher (PI) Mats Peter Hedström
Host Institution (HI) LINKOPINGS UNIVERSITET
Call Details Advanced Grant (AdG), SH2, ERC-2012-ADG_20120411
Summary This proposal outlines a highly ambitious and path-breaking research program. Through a tightly integrated package of basic theoretical work, strategic empirical research projects, international workshops, and a large number of publications in leading journals, the research program seeks to move sociology in a more analytical direction.
One part of the research program focuses on the epistemological and methodological foundations of analytical sociology, an approach to sociological theory and research that currently receives considerable attention in the international scholarly community. This work will be organized around two core themes: (1) the principles of mechanism-based explanations and (2) the micro-macro link.
The empirical research analyzes in great detail the ethnic, gender, and socio-economic segregation of key interaction domains in Sweden using the approach of analytical sociology. The interaction domains focused upon are schools, workplaces and neighborhoods; domains where people spend a considerable part of their time, where much of the social interaction between people takes place, where identities are formed, and where important resources are distributed.
Large-scale longitudinal micro data on the entire Swedish population, unique longitudinal data on social networks within school classes, and various agent-based simulation techniques, are used to better understand the processes through which schools, workplaces and neighborhoods become segregated along various dimensions, how the domains interact with one another, and how the structure and extent of segregation affects diverse social and economic outcomes.
Summary
This proposal outlines a highly ambitious and path-breaking research program. Through a tightly integrated package of basic theoretical work, strategic empirical research projects, international workshops, and a large number of publications in leading journals, the research program seeks to move sociology in a more analytical direction.
One part of the research program focuses on the epistemological and methodological foundations of analytical sociology, an approach to sociological theory and research that currently receives considerable attention in the international scholarly community. This work will be organized around two core themes: (1) the principles of mechanism-based explanations and (2) the micro-macro link.
The empirical research analyzes in great detail the ethnic, gender, and socio-economic segregation of key interaction domains in Sweden using the approach of analytical sociology. The interaction domains focused upon are schools, workplaces and neighborhoods; domains where people spend a considerable part of their time, where much of the social interaction between people takes place, where identities are formed, and where important resources are distributed.
Large-scale longitudinal micro data on the entire Swedish population, unique longitudinal data on social networks within school classes, and various agent-based simulation techniques, are used to better understand the processes through which schools, workplaces and neighborhoods become segregated along various dimensions, how the domains interact with one another, and how the structure and extent of segregation affects diverse social and economic outcomes.
Max ERC Funding
1 745 098 €
Duration
Start date: 2013-03-01, End date: 2018-02-28
Project acronym CACTUS
Project developmental social Cognition and ACTion UnderStanding
Researcher (PI) Kjell Gustaf Gredebäck
Host Institution (HI) UPPSALA UNIVERSITET
Call Details Starting Grant (StG), SH4, ERC-2012-StG_20111124
Summary Humans are social creatures throughout life. This proposal aims to advance our knowledge of the mechanisms that mediate understanding of others’ actions from a developmental perspective. A special emphasis will be devoted to mirror neuron and teleological frameworks. The former framework focuses on reciprocal motor activation during action execution and observation whereas the later framework emphasizes the application of abstract principles to observed events. The mechanisms that guide both processes will be investigated in isolation, but special attention will also be devoted to understanding how these diverse forms of action understanding jointly contribute to action understanding. The project encompasses three essential research objectives, illustrated by three research questions. How do mirror neuron and teleological processes influence action understanding? How does action understanding enable social action evaluation (empathy and pro-social preferences)? How is action understanding expressed during real-life social interactions? These questions will be addressed by presenting infants and toddlers with social events of varying complexity (from simple actions and animated sequences to complex everyday social events), relating empirical findings to predictions derived from the teleological and motor cognitive frameworks. The overarching aim is to provide a computational model of early emerging social cognitive capabilities, with a focus on action understanding and action evaluation, while passively observing others and while partaking in social interactions with others.
Summary
Humans are social creatures throughout life. This proposal aims to advance our knowledge of the mechanisms that mediate understanding of others’ actions from a developmental perspective. A special emphasis will be devoted to mirror neuron and teleological frameworks. The former framework focuses on reciprocal motor activation during action execution and observation whereas the later framework emphasizes the application of abstract principles to observed events. The mechanisms that guide both processes will be investigated in isolation, but special attention will also be devoted to understanding how these diverse forms of action understanding jointly contribute to action understanding. The project encompasses three essential research objectives, illustrated by three research questions. How do mirror neuron and teleological processes influence action understanding? How does action understanding enable social action evaluation (empathy and pro-social preferences)? How is action understanding expressed during real-life social interactions? These questions will be addressed by presenting infants and toddlers with social events of varying complexity (from simple actions and animated sequences to complex everyday social events), relating empirical findings to predictions derived from the teleological and motor cognitive frameworks. The overarching aim is to provide a computational model of early emerging social cognitive capabilities, with a focus on action understanding and action evaluation, while passively observing others and while partaking in social interactions with others.
Max ERC Funding
1 498 920 €
Duration
Start date: 2013-01-01, End date: 2017-12-31
Project acronym EUROEMP
Project Employment in Europe
Researcher (PI) Christoforos Pissarides
Host Institution (HI) UNIVERSITY OF CYPRUS
Call Details Advanced Grant (AdG), SH1, ERC-2012-ADG_20120411
Summary "The first part of this project is about employment in Europe, including the new members of the European Union. Both the level of employment and the type of jobs created will be examined. A thorough study of institutional structures and policies is proposed, with a view to arriving at conclusions about their influence on job creation and about the best policy needed to achieve national or European-level employment objectives. Job creation is investigated at the two-digit level and male and female employment, wage inequality and the role of policy will be studied in depth. The research will build on solid theoretical microfoundations taking into account the choices available to firms and workers/consumers about working at home or in the market and buying domestic or foreign goods. The project has a second part about unemployment, with special emphasis on recession. The same emphasis on institutions and policies as for employment is given to this part. A key component of the project is new theory on the evolution of institutions and policies in markets with friction, and on the impact that the policy changes that took place after the recession of the 1980s have had on the responses of European labour markets to the recent recession. Special attention will be given to the formerly planned economies and the reasons for their slow convergence to the western economies."
Summary
"The first part of this project is about employment in Europe, including the new members of the European Union. Both the level of employment and the type of jobs created will be examined. A thorough study of institutional structures and policies is proposed, with a view to arriving at conclusions about their influence on job creation and about the best policy needed to achieve national or European-level employment objectives. Job creation is investigated at the two-digit level and male and female employment, wage inequality and the role of policy will be studied in depth. The research will build on solid theoretical microfoundations taking into account the choices available to firms and workers/consumers about working at home or in the market and buying domestic or foreign goods. The project has a second part about unemployment, with special emphasis on recession. The same emphasis on institutions and policies as for employment is given to this part. A key component of the project is new theory on the evolution of institutions and policies in markets with friction, and on the impact that the policy changes that took place after the recession of the 1980s have had on the responses of European labour markets to the recent recession. Special attention will be given to the formerly planned economies and the reasons for their slow convergence to the western economies."
Max ERC Funding
2 200 143 €
Duration
Start date: 2013-06-01, End date: 2018-05-31
