Research

The School is one of the leading social science research centres in Ireland. It brings together several groups of researchers with international profiles. Particular strengths are the study of comparative institutions and party competition within the Department of Political Science, and international economics and trade within the Department of Economics, which also has a concentration of strength in the area of competition, regulation and productivity. The Department of Philosophy focuses on the Philosophy of Mind and Word and the History of Philosophy. In the Department of Sociology there is a particular focus on the sociology of globalization, migration, ethnicity, and employment. Other research areas are environment, conflict resolution, information technologies, culture and identity, and attitudes to family formation. Across the School there is a particular interest in the European area, with Eastern Europe an important subfield.

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Economics

While members of the Department of Economics carry out research in a number of fields, there are three 'clusters' of activity in which the department is particularly prominent. The first is international economics, broadly defined, including work on the history of globalization, international macroeconomics, and policy analysis. The second is economic history and the history of economic thought. The third is industrial organization, with a focus on competition, regulation and productivity.

Economics Research Seminar Series

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Philosophy

Research in the Department of Philosophy covers metaphysics (pure and applied), the philosophy of religion, psychological philosophy, psychoanalysis, and political and social philosophy. Much of the Department's research is on the history of philosophy, in particular the work of Plato, Aristotle, medieval philosophy, Berkeley and Kant, 19th-century philosophers such as Hegel, Bolzano, Brentano and Frege, and 20th-century philosophers including Husserl, Russell, Wittgenstein, Heidegger, Carnap and Quine.

Philosophy Colloquium

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Sociology

The Department of Sociology’s research activities focus on globalization, migration and ethnicity; employment and the labour market, through the Employment Research Centre; environment; conflict resolution; information and communication technologies; development; culture and identity; and attitudes to family formation.  TCD sociologists are involved with TCD’s Institute of International Integration Studies (IIIS), the Trinity Imigration Initiative, the Social Attitude and Policy Research Group, and the Centre for Post-Conflict Justice.

• Employment Research Centre's Seminar Series

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Political Science

The Department of Political Science is known world-wide for its work on comparative politics and comparative political institutions, with an emphasis on voting behaviour, political parties, legislatures, elections, and electoral systems. It is also strong in the areas of public policy, Irish politics, international relations, and democratic theory. Regarding transition politics, the Department has a strong research focus on the countries of Central and Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union. In the area of European Union governance, the Department is at the forefront of research on elections to the  European Parliament, decision-making within the European Parliament and the Council, and European public policy.

Department of Political Science Friday Seminar Series

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Policy Institute

Social science research should contribute to public debate and policy formation at city, national and European levels. Accordingly, the School hosts the Policy Institute as a channel for communication between the research and policy communities.

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IIIS

While it is not formally part of the School of Social Sciences and Philosophy, many members of the School contribute to the activities of the Institute for International Integration Studies, which was established in 2002. The Institute is dedicated to the promotion of research on the myriad dimensions of global and regional integration.

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