CEU Research Areas

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CEU aims to foster interdisciplinary and policy-relevant research focused on the critical issues of the 21st century and rooted in the best traditions of both Central European and American scholarship. Our flagship research areas are listed in the table below: these cover both broad themes and niche topics where CEU has developed specific excellence. Note that the list of research areas is constantly evolving. To see research profiles, academic units, programs, courses, projects, publications and other content related to a particular area, click on the link in the left column. CEU faculty and staff who wish to contribute to the discussion of the Research Areas may post to the Research areas forum.
Arts and Culture Innovation, meaning, sovereignty, organization, ownership and cultural processes. Cultural policy.
Media and communications Innovation, meaning, sovereignty, organization, ownership and cultural processes, in the context of media and communication. Free speech, journalism and media in a global world. Media policy and communication regulation. Internet and other information and communication technologies.
Gender Studies Feminist and Social Theories; Gender Dimensions of Post-State Socialism; Nationalism, the State, Citizenship and Imperialism; Political and Economic Transnational Processes; Intersections of Identities (e.g. race, class, sexuality); Feminist Knowledge Production; Sexuality and Queer Theory; Politics of Memory; Women's and Social Movements; Literary and Cultural Studies; Women's History.
Global governance Rules and regulations exerting authority of transnational scope, created to manage problem areas such as climate, energy, security and other global issues.
Governance for Science and New Technology Law and policy on bioethics, biomedicine, nanotechnology and other science and frontier technology issues
Democracy and Political Institutions Variety and challenges of democractic regimes. Political regime transition. Nature of non-democracies and hybrid regimes. Qualities of democracies. Political accountability. Political communication. Voting behavior.
Public Policy Public welfare regimes, social policy, corruption and corruption control, fiscal policy, public administration and management
Higher Education CEU is pioneering and researching many innovative approaches to higher education (concepts, history, policy and management, the role of Universities in the 21st century) with specific relevance to Central and Eastern Europe and beyond
Environmental Studies Environmental policy, governance and management. Environmental justice. Environmental security. Sustainable development. Climate change. Environment, markets and democracy. Environment and livelihoods.
Energy Studies Sustainable energy policies and practices including on energy efficiency and renewable energy. Energy governance and energy security.
Historical Studies Comparative history; history of Central, Southeastern and Eastern Europe; recent history; history and nature of communist regimes; theory of historical studies; social history; cultural history; history of ideas; history and social memory; history didactics and history textbooks; history of religion; literature; language; science; empires; symbolic geographies
Jewish Studies Jewish history, study and society in Central and Eastern Europe and beyond
Religious Studies Religious phenomena from a historical point of view and from a variety of interdisciplinary perspectives. Focus on in-depth engagement with religious thought and traditions especially in the three monotheistic religions, in a historically and conceptually grounded way, comparative study of their social, societal, institutional, cultural, intellectual, and political contexts and implications.
Medieval Studies Hellenic tradition; historical environmental research;medieval monasteries; religion and rulership; saints and hagiography.
Mathematics and its Applications Algebra, algebraic geometry, approximation theory, biological and ecological models, combinatorics, computational geometry, computer science, cryptology, evolution equations, dynamic systems, differential equations, differential geometry, ergodic theory, functional analysis, graph theory, homological algebra, information theory, logic, number theory, numerical analysis, optimization,probability theory, set theory, singular perturbation theory, statistics, stochastic processes.
Human Rights and Social Inclusion International protection of human rights; minority rights; human rights and criminal justice; freedom of religion; Roma rights; welfare rights in welfare states; constitutional protection of basic rights.
Minorities and Integration Diversity management, migration, social integration
Regional and local development Development and related issues at the regional and local level including natural resource and land management and conservation, social capital, demographics and de-population of rural areas.
Urban Studies Urban theory and history; studies of public space and public sphere; the relation of urban spaces to global structures, flows and processes; the relation of urban processes to migration and citizenship; urban anthropology; mediterranean and Middle Eastern cities; gated communities; symbolic appropriation, memory and historic preservation of/in urban space.
Nationalism Studies Interdisciplinary study of issues of nationalism, self-determination, problems of state-formation, ethnic conflict, minority protection and the related theme of globalization from a critical and non-sectarian viewpoint. Special focus on placing problems of nationalism in the context of economic and political transition as well as constitution building in post-1989 Central and Eastern Europe, with a comparative outlook on regime transitions outside the region.
European Studies Lessons and effects of the recent European enlargement and future scenarios; politics and theories of European integration; European neighborhood policies; the transatlantic dimension of the EU; governance in the new EU member states.
Security Studies Security and defence policies, particularly in Europe. Linkages between conventional, environmental and energy security.
Labor Studies Labor markets and other applied microeconomic issues in Central and Eastern Europe. Causes of structural and institutional change and the consequences of restructuring for firms and workers.
Political Economy Political economy of reforms; international political economy; varieties of capitalism in new Europe.
Philosophy Questions of metaphysics, both in a contemporary and historical perspective; including, among others, issues about the freedom of the will and ancient philosophy of nature; the philosophy of mind, with special focus on arguments against physicalism and externalism;moral and political philosophy.
Cognitive Development Ontogenesis of human cognitive capacities, especially action interpretation, emotional development, social cognition and basic cultural learning mechanisms
Network Science With origins in anthropology, and deep roots in sociology, network approaches were recently re-invigorated by a massive interest in the natural sciences. This is an area where ideas from physics (such as phase transition dynamics) is applied to social phenomena (such as social movement mobilization). As an interesting recent development, ideas from social sciences (such as group cohesion) are being applied to biology (in the area of protein-protein interactions). Over the recent years the results of this encounter is becoming visible in major journals in sociology.
International Affairs
Sustainable Development Research and education on sustainable development at CEU focus on the interaction of social, economic and environmental aspects of development for the benefit of both the present and future generations.
Other Academic content not designated in any of the key academic areas at the moment.