Research
The School is one of the leading social science research centres in Ireland. It brings together several groups of researchers with international profiles.
Across the School there is a particular interest in the European area, with Eastern Europe an important subfield. Particular strengths at a departmental level are outlined below:
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.
Back to TopPhilosophy
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.
Sociology
The Department of Sociology’s research activities focus on migration, conflict and social movements, employment and work in Europe and digital lives, social networks and popular culture. These themes link to Trinity College’s key area of ‘European and International Integration’. TCD sociologists are involved with TCD’s Institute of International Integration Studies (IIIS), the Trinity Immigration Initiative, the Employment Research Centre and the Centre for Post-Conflict Justice.
Back to TopPolitical 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.