FMG earmarks funds for interdisciplinary research projects
Edward de Haan, dean of the Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences (FMG), has designated two interdisciplinary research focal areas. These research projects, Institutions and Inequality and The Entertainization of Society will run for a period of four years.
Edward de Haan, dean of the Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences (FMG), has designated two interdisciplinary research focal areas. These research projects, Institutions and Inequality and The Entertainization of Society will run for a period of four years.In accordance with the 2009-2012 Covenant and FMG 2009 Framework Policy Document, FMG will set up an incentive fund in order to finance the research priority areas and focal areas. The FMG's research priority and focal area budget - made up of contributions from the budgets of the various research institutes and the faculty and university policy budget - will be applied to this end.
Stringent selection criteria
Research focal areas and research priority areas are intended to serve as an incentive, stimulating research institutes and faculties to take part in interdisciplinary initiatives. This will allow researchers to develop new research projects into interdisciplinary programmes. Financial support for the focal areas is intended to help further improve high-quality research groups; the quality improvement initiative should focus on innovation and improvement.The focal areas were designated on the basis of a competition issued by the faculty, whereby research groups and institutes were given the opportunity to submit proposals. These proposals were subjected to stringent selection criteria, such as academic excellence and the compelling and creative nature of the proposal. The FMG then selected the two most promising proposals from the competition entries: Institutions and Inequality and The Entertainization of Society.
In addition to the focal areas designated by the FMG dean, FMG also participates in three research priority areas designated by the Board, namely Global Health and Development, Brain and Cognitive Sciences and Urban Studies.
Institutions and Inequality (Stratification, Politics, and Living Arrangements) focal area
The Institutions and Inequality (INSTINE) focal area is centred around inequalities in industrial and post industrial societies with a specific focus on the impact of variables such as social class, education, gender and ethnicity in three specific areas: socio-economic attainment (education, labour market, income), politics (views with regard to inequality, political choices) and living arrangements (housing, household demographics). The researchers will focus on the role of national institutions and structures in reducing or increasing inequality.The focal area - based around close collaboration between the University of Amsterdam and VU Amsterdam - involves co-operation between sociologists, political scientists, geographers/demographers, educational scientists and economists. Collaborations will also be initiated with the Centre for Global Health and Inequality and the Amsterdam Institute for Advanced Labour Studies (AIAS) in an effort to establish a leading international centre for inequality studies.
The focal area was originally initiated by Professor of Sociology Dr Herman van de Werfhorst.
The Entertainization of Society focal area
The Entertainization of Society focal area focuses on the societal effects of "entertainisation": the embellishment of information, education and advertising with entertainment-related elements (emotions, dramatic conflicts, sensational content). Entertainisation is generally assumed to have a significant impact on the general public: many believe it can be used to raise interest in current affairs programmes and political information, weaken resistance to advertising and improve learning capacity. The researchers aim to determine whether these assumptions are correct. They will also be studying the potential unintended effects of entertainisation. For example, some scientists are worried that this form of embellishment is resulting in cynicism, mental laziness and passivity. The target area is intended to help fill in these knowledge lacunas, while positioning the University of Amsterdam and Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences as a centre of excellence. The focal area - based on close collaboration between the Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences, FNWI Faculty of Science, Amsterdam Business School, Nijmegen Radboud University, Netherlands Open University, VU Amsterdam and Tilburg University - involves co-operation between communication scientists, psychologists, economists, and information experts.The focal area was initiated by communication scientist Professor Patti Valkenburg.