What are the social sciences?
The social sciences are key to the understanding of many of Europe’s societal issues such as the balance between economic growth and impact on the environment. In other words the social sciences examine what it means to be a social being, ranging from the minutiae of human behaviour and brain functions, to large scale social movements, demographics, economics and politics.
The ESF aims to advance social sciences on a European level by supporting innovative research ideas and approaches driving from the scientific community. The social sciences encompass a range of disciplines that examine and explain human functioning on a variety of interlocking levels, ranging from neural foundations to individual behaviour, group processes and the functioning of entire societies.
The social sciences at ESF cover the following fields:
- psychology and the cognitive sciences
- pedagogic and education research
- social anthropology
- sociology
- gender studies
- economics
- business and administrative sciences
- geography
- demography
- environmental sciences
- law
- political sciences
- communication sciences
- international relations
- social statistics and informatics
