Sociology

How can sociology research help to solve the world’s most pressing problems?

How can sociology research help to solve the world’s most pressing problems?

Sociology can improve our understanding of social behaviours, functioning of human societies, as well as the culture and institutions associated with it. Being highly interdisciplinary, it has the potential to address several global problems by shedding light on what guides human behaviour and decision-making, both at the individual and the organizational level. Additionally, it can also inform the development and evaluation of effective interventions. 

Understanding how social movements can change the world for the better is an impactful application of sociology. This can be achieved by investigating which factors determine a movement’s success or by pinpointing effective strategies. Important lessons can be learned from current and past movements and communities (e.g. Effective Altruism, the LGBTQ+ movement and other socio-political groups). Further, ethnographic profiles could lead to useful insights on the role of culture and diversity in this space.

At the intersection with psychology, the field of decision-making also offers several important research questions. Which factors influence prosocial behaviour? What determines our attitude towards social issues (e.g., global poverty or climate change)? What are the main social determinants leading to consumption of animal products? How do people react to different marketing approaches (for instance in the context of alternative protein, or donating to charities)? What are successful strategies to promote attitudinal change and how can these be applied at the institutional level?

Lastly, sociology can be instrumental to assess what determines people’s approach toward caring for the long-term future. For instance, you could further our understanding on common preconceptions on the topic of bioweapons, nuclear weapons or AI. How did they emerge, and how might they change in the future? Are there cultural differences in thinking about the long-term future? Should this effect the manner or language we employ when communicating about these issues? Alternatively, you could investigate what factors have historically functioned as a catalyst for progress or, conversely, have led to societal collapse. This can be a used as a stepping stone for developing novel interventions.

Your thesis might present different structures and methods, depending on your degree level and the requirements of your institution. Most commonly it might look like an in-depth critical review — in which you compile and evaluate a large body of evidence on a specific research question. It is also possible to conduct secondary analysis, where you investigate a novel question using data which has already been collected (e.g. in a university or institutional setting).  Alternatively, you might collect your own primary data, for example employing surveys, questionnaires or interviews; or more rarely you could run a novel experiment in your area of interest. Data analysis can span from quantitative, to semi-quantitative or qualitative —  focusing on people social experiences, which might benefit from being recorded in a non-numerical manner.  

• Further examples of work on some of the research directions we recommend

  Sociology papers:

  • Altruism, Solidarity and Responsibility from a Committed Sociology: Contributions to Society (Gualda, 2022).

  • Beyond altruism: Sociological foundations of cooperation and prosocial behavior (Simpson & Willer, 2015).

  • A Sociological Approach To The Study Of Altruism: The Case Of Amnesty International (Del Pozo, 2002).

  • Sociology and Climate Change (Urry, 2009).

  • Climate change and society (book by Dunlap and Brulle).

  • Climate change and society (Dietz et al 2020).

  • Vegan diet: motives, approach and duration (Kerschke-Risch  2015).

  • Hygiene and Biosecurity: The Language and Politics of Risk in an Era of Emerging Infectious Diseases (Brown et al., 2009).

• Research agendas and potential sources for research questions

  Research Agendas

  Global health and wellbeing

  • Global priority: Mental Health from the Happier Lives Institute

  Prioritisation research

  • Some research ideas on the history of social movements

  • Prioritization Questions for Artificial Sentience

  
  Sociology-related discussions from the EA forum:

  • Towards A Sociological Model of EA Movement Building: includes a series of posts outlining the case and possible models of EA movement building. 

  • Effective altruism as a lifestyle movement (A Master’s Thesis): Sociology Master’s thesis explaining why EA can be described as a lifestyle movement as defined by Haenfler, Johnson, Jones (2012).

  • Project Ideas in Biosecurity for EAs (see Sociology-related section).

  • Career Guide for Ending Factory Farming(see Sociology-related section).