The EQUALSOC Network of Excellence has been created to mobilise and develop research expertise across Europe on economic change, quality of life and social cohesion.
Its aim is to stimulate high quality comparative European research on social cohesion and its determinants; encourage the development of additional research centres; provide an infrastructure for training the rising generation of young researchers in the skills of comparative research; and facilitate access to the most recent results of research for the wider research community and for policy makers.
The central focus is on social cohesion and its dependence on social differentiation, assessing the relationships between the growing importance of knowledge in the economy, the different chances that individuals and groups experience with respect to the quality of life, and social cohesion.
Drawing upon the organisational experience acquired in previous successful EU networks, EQUALSOC is using a rich array of data from national research programmes and a European Social Survey module it participated in constructing.
Leading researchers across Europe in economics, political science, social policy and sociology are involved in EQUALSOC activities; particular emphasis has been put on integrating female researchers in the network’s research.