Introduction

History

The Institute of Sociology of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences was founded by the president of the Academy in 1963. The Institute was headed by András Hegedüs from 1963 until 1968. Academician Kálmán Kulcsár was Director from 1968 till 1983, who was followed by László Cseh-Szombathy till 1988 and Csaba Makó till 1990. A new institute called Centre for Social Conflict Research was launched in 1991 headed by Pál Tamás. The Plenary Session of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, held on 12 December 1997, ruled to merge the Institute of Sociology and the Centre for Social Conflict Research under the name Institute of Sociology from 1 July 1998. The Director was Pál Tamás. From 1 January 2011 the Director is Imre Kovách.

Present

The Institute, with more than 50 associates is currently the biggest research establishment of Hungarian sociology. The researchers of the Institute conduct the empirical study of social processes with aspirations of developing sociological theories and methodology. As experts they participate in the management of the society, in elaborating the different sociological contexts of the social policy and economy, in the development of different types of reform concepts and also in their critical analysis. The associates of the Institute organize workshops, national and international conferences for the discussion of scientific issues.

The following themes of research have emerged out of the merger of the profile of the two former institutions:

Research into the society and social policy.
Lifestyle, life strategies, the pluralism of cultures.
The study of social structure, of poverty and minorities.
Study of culture, the cultural relations of daily life.
The set of political institutions, political culture, European integration.
The organisation of civil society.
Changes of social consciousness and set of values.
Inter-cultural comparative economic studies.
Studies of the economy, of organisations and of the sociology of labour.
Study of the spatial structure and systems of settlements of the society.
The study of the economic, political and cultural factors influencing the emergence of regions.
Study of the systems of the social production and distribution of knowledge (science, innovation, technology, communications), the analysis of the development of information society.
Study of welfare policies.
Study of problems of aging.
Researches into environmental sociology, eco-politics and health care.
Study of social movements, etc.

Research areas

In the past few years, the great international projects and the data surveys of the strategic work dominated the institute’s research. A prominent role has been designated to risk management and the preservation of the environment as well as the technology and knowledge economy, work and organization sociology and the research of culture. Considerable time has been devoted to research concerning social roles and politics as well.

Research Departments

The Institute has three research departments:

Department of Research on Social Inequalities

The Department of Research on Social Inequalities aims to continue and continously renew traditions represented by outstanding researcher of Sociology and Social Policy. This tradition is one, that is not defined by one sociological school or a commitment to one single methodological approach, but signifies a scientific habitus that may be identified by solidarity and social responsibility. The most significant broader research area of the department is the study of the reproduction of social inequalities.

Presently running research projects include research topics such as: Social and socio-economic inequalities and poverty; Lack of equal opportunities for various social groups defined by age, gender, social class and ethnic background; Research on family and chaning role of families as well as changing family roles; Migration; Realization of the principle of equal treatment and antidiscrimination; Social determination of social policy and its institutions.

Research in the Department of Research on Social Inequalities include basic research, as well as applied research which promote decision making in the field of social policy, education, family and employment. Members of the Department are involved in numerous international comparative reseach projects.

Department of Research on Knowledge, Values, and Culture

Research tasks (in key words): information/knowledge society, information and communication technology, risk assessment and treatment, non-profit organisations, political cultures, technology and knowledge-economy, value, culture and media research

Department of Research on Integration and Social Change

Research tasks (in key words): power/authority and social stratification, elites, local government and local power relations, sustainable consumption, governance and global warming, environment and regional development, development policies, social consequences of the EU developmental policies, the new system of redistribution, urban policy, urban and rural competitiveness, urban and rural development, urban and rural social change, inequalities and organisations, inequalities in the world of work

Department of Research on Theory and Methodology

The Department of Research on Theory and Methodology aims to provide an overview – and eventually even a toolkit – of the theories and methods applied by the international and Hungarian practitioners of sociology and interdisciplinary social sciences, in order to continue Hungarian social science research traditions with new and renewed research tools as well as to make previously under-represented yet socially relevant issues in Hungarian sociology more accessible. A characteristic feature of the working style of the department is the application of a critical approach to the researchers’ own positions, recognising the importance of doing research not only about the researched social groups but also doing research for them and together with them. The work of the department is characterised by mostly interpretivism (epistemologically) and social constructionism (ontologically) both in the fields of inductive and deductive empirical studies, applying qualitative and quantitative methods.

Research aims

The basic aims of the Institute are twofold: to conduct 'classical' > sociological research, that is, basic research into theoretical and methodological issues; as well as to examine the dynamics of changes in Hungarian society and to work out methods for solving current social problems and conflicts. Consequently, it carries out empirical and interdisciplinary social researches on the one hand, while it also pursues policy-oriented researches on the other. It applies both analytical and normative research methods. Involvement of international co-operation is a priority of the researches.

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	News News archive Institute » Introduction Hegedüs Award Library Transparency programme Research areas » Climate change Research of values, ESS Equal opportunities, poverty Environmental policy, sociology Cultures, policies, lifestyle Political cultures, institute systems, European integration Sociology of work and organisations Gender and social minorities Social structure, welfare policy Urban development policy Knowledge and innovation Aging Departments » Department of Research on Social Inequalities Department of Research on Knowledge, Values, and Culture Department of Research on Integration and Social Change Department of Research on Theory and Methodology Staff » Directorate Financial Department Researchers Former Researchers Research projects » National International Institute's publications » socio.hu Community and Culture (KÉK) Social Science Research Archive socio.hu Finished research projects National National Office for Research and Technology (NKTH) Hungarian Scientific Research Fund (OTKA) Hungarian Academy of Sciences (HAS) Prime Minister's Office (MEH) Other research projects International EU Framework Programmes Other research projects	Introduction History The Institute of Sociology of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences was founded by the president of the Academy in 1963. The Institute was headed by András Hegedüs from 1963 until 1968. Academician Kálmán Kulcsár was Director from 1968 till 1983, who was followed by László Cseh-Szombathy till 1988 and Csaba Makó till 1990. A new institute called Centre for Social Conflict Research was launched in 1991 headed by Pál Tamás. The Plenary Session of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, held on 12 December 1997, ruled to merge the Institute of Sociology and the Centre for Social Conflict Research under the name Institute of Sociology from 1 July 1998. The Director was Pál Tamás. From 1 January 2011 the Director is Imre Kovách. Present The Institute, with more than 50 associates is currently the biggest research establishment of Hungarian sociology. The researchers of the Institute conduct the empirical study of social processes with aspirations of developing sociological theories and methodology. As experts they participate in the management of the society, in elaborating the different sociological contexts of the social policy and economy, in the development of different types of reform concepts and also in their critical analysis. The associates of the Institute organize workshops, national and international conferences for the discussion of scientific issues. The following themes of research have emerged out of the merger of the profile of the two former institutions: Research into the society and social policy. Lifestyle, life strategies, the pluralism of cultures. The study of social structure, of poverty and minorities. Study of culture, the cultural relations of daily life. The set of political institutions, political culture, European integration. The organisation of civil society. Changes of social consciousness and set of values. Inter-cultural comparative economic studies. Studies of the economy, of organisations and of the sociology of labour. Study of the spatial structure and systems of settlements of the society. The study of the economic, political and cultural factors influencing the emergence of regions. Study of the systems of the social production and distribution of knowledge (science, innovation, technology, communications), the analysis of the development of information society. Study of welfare policies. Study of problems of aging. Researches into environmental sociology, eco-politics and health care. Study of social movements, etc. Research areas In the past few years, the great international projects and the data surveys of the strategic work dominated the institute’s research. A prominent role has been designated to risk management and the preservation of the environment as well as the technology and knowledge economy, work and organization sociology and the research of culture. Considerable time has been devoted to research concerning social roles and politics as well. Research Departments The Institute has three research departments: Department of Research on Social Inequalities The Department of Research on Social Inequalities aims to continue and continously renew traditions represented by outstanding researcher of Sociology and Social Policy. This tradition is one, that is not defined by one sociological school or a commitment to one single methodological approach, but signifies a scientific habitus that may be identified by solidarity and social responsibility. The most significant broader research area of the department is the study of the reproduction of social inequalities. Presently running research projects include research topics such as: Social and socio-economic inequalities and poverty; Lack of equal opportunities for various social groups defined by age, gender, social class and ethnic background; Research on family and chaning role of families as well as changing family roles; Migration; Realization of the principle of equal treatment and antidiscrimination; Social determination of social policy and its institutions. Research in the Department of Research on Social Inequalities include basic research, as well as applied research which promote decision making in the field of social policy, education, family and employment. Members of the Department are involved in numerous international comparative reseach projects. Department of Research on Knowledge, Values, and Culture Research tasks (in key words): information/knowledge society, information and communication technology, risk assessment and treatment, non-profit organisations, political cultures, technology and knowledge-economy, value, culture and media research Department of Research on Integration and Social Change Research tasks (in key words): power/authority and social stratification, elites, local government and local power relations, sustainable consumption, governance and global warming, environment and regional development, development policies, social consequences of the EU developmental policies, the new system of redistribution, urban policy, urban and rural competitiveness, urban and rural development, urban and rural social change, inequalities and organisations, inequalities in the world of work Department of Research on Theory and Methodology The Department of Research on Theory and Methodology aims to provide an overview – and eventually even a toolkit – of the theories and methods applied by the international and Hungarian practitioners of sociology and interdisciplinary social sciences, in order to continue Hungarian social science research traditions with new and renewed research tools as well as to make previously under-represented yet socially relevant issues in Hungarian sociology more accessible. A characteristic feature of the working style of the department is the application of a critical approach to the researchers’ own positions, recognising the importance of doing research not only about the researched social groups but also doing research for them and together with them. The work of the department is characterised by mostly interpretivism (epistemologically) and social constructionism (ontologically) both in the fields of inductive and deductive empirical studies, applying qualitative and quantitative methods. Research aims The basic aims of the Institute are twofold: to conduct 'classical' > sociological research, that is, basic research into theoretical and methodological issues; as well as to examine the dynamics of changes in Hungarian society and to work out methods for solving current social problems and conflicts. Consequently, it carries out empirical and interdisciplinary social researches on the one hand, while it also pursues policy-oriented researches on the other. It applies both analytical and normative research methods. Involvement of international co-operation is a priority of the researches.
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