Research
In research and development at the School of Governance, Law and Society (SOGOLAS), we aim to gain an understanding of the changing social processes and support the development of the welfare society of the 21st century in the light of the changing institutions, governance and legal systems and the promotion of the welfare of communities and individuals.
We combine political sciences, international relations and future studies, and the academic knowledge in the areas of law, sociology, demography and social protection in research and development projects, studies, high-level publications and at science events. We support the introduction of open governance practices on the local government and national levels and offer science-based and innovative solutions to the public service, politicians, law practitioners, private enterprises and non-governmental organisations.
The academic employees of our School take part in the work of the Centre of Excellence in Interdisciplinary Lifecourse Studies. The structure of the School includes the Estonian Institute for Population Studies and the Institute of International Social Studies which conduct research and development in the areas of demography and sociology. In addition, we carry out research and development activities in the study areas of political science and international relations, law, sociology and social protection.
We organise monthly research seminars, the traditional annual conference of the SOGOLAS in February, as well as numerous other research events (project and cooperation meetings, methodology courses, etc.). We contribute to the activities of the doctoral schools of behavioural, social and health sciences and economics and innovation.
Our high-level peer-reviewed research journals (Studies of Transition States and Societies, Acta Politica Estica, East-West Studies, East European Yearbook on Human Rights) are published once or twice a year and information about the terms for submitting contributions is available on the webpages of the journals. The SOGOLAS is currently working on 50 R&D projects and we are the lead partner in two H2020 programme projects (YouhtLife and LABOUR) and three COST programme projects (YOUNG-IN, SHIINE, GDHRNet). We also implement 2 starting grants and 1 post-doctoral grant within the framework of personal research funding.
In the coming years, we shall turn our special attention to developing R&D activities in the field of research and areas of responsibility of the focus field Society and Open Governance. We shall focus on research groups and their mutual cooperation, the promotion of academic capacity and new generation as well as the development of supportive research infrastructure and the support system. We shall contribute to the promotion of the University’s focus fields and international cooperation, and to the appreciation of international consortiums and professional networks.