Social and economic change

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To understand the world around us, we need to understand what causes social and economic development. What drives and what hinders economic growth, climate change, gender equality and peaceful societies? And what makes some individuals and societies more resilient than others?

People are walking across a street. Photo. — To understand the world around us, we need to understand what causes social and economic development. Photo: Pixabay

Research at the Faculty of Social Sciences includes the economic and social development of regions and cities. Why do some peripheral, sparsely populated regions flourish while others languish?

Trade in goods and services is central to our society. And the changes over the last decade, as more and more of our consumption has moved online, have been transformative. Understanding the role of commerce in society requires knowledge of how it shapes both individuals and cities.

Demographic changes affect the world around us. Social scientists are studying the consequences of the growing proportion of older people and migrants, for example. They study the vulnerability of different groups and how demography affects the Swedish welfare state.

Crime and gang violence is a growing social problem. How to deal with it and how politics, media, new technology and social control affect it are issues that the university's social scientists study.