2008 - 2011
Voluntary associations and local development: public policies, social capital and citizenship
This project aims to study the voluntary associations that develop their activity in specific contexts (urban or rural), seeking to contribute to an improvement in the quality of life, namely by dynamizing or revitalizing (social, cultural and economically) the areas where they are sited. This study will identify and analyse the different moments in the course of a local development project, within the generic formulation of public policies (European and/or national programmes), field implementation strategies, and also, the consequences drawn from local formation of social capital networks.
Observatory of inequalities The Observatory of Inequalities is an independent structure formed by the Centre for Research and Studies in Sociology at Lisbon University Institute (CIES, ISCTE-IUL), which is responsible for its daily running and scientific coordination. Its partner institutions are the Sociology Institute at the Faculty of Arts of University of Porto (ISFLUP) and the Social Studies Centre at the University of Azores (CES-UA). The Observatory is sponsored by the Presidency of the Council of Ministers, the Ministry of Labour and Social Solidarity and the Ministry of Education. A cooperation agreement was signed for the purpose with the Centre for Research and Studies in Sociology at a public ceremony on 17 October 2008. The Observatory focuses on social inequality issues. In addition to fostering scientific knowledge in this area, it is in a position to contribute to the reasoning and evaluation of Portuguese public policies and plays a decisive role as a scientific research and communication tool. Social inequalities are multidimensional and are rarely limited to a single factor. We can address inequalities in a number of spheres, such as employment, income, school, qualifications and competences, gender, ethnicity, age and health, among others. This multidimensionality is one of the main features of contemporary societies. Portuguese society is no exception to this general framework. The undeniable multidimensional progress achieved in recent decades has not completely overcome traditional forms of inequality, while others have arisen or became more visible and unacceptable during the country's development and modernisation. The aim of the Observatory is to study inequality, analyse its different dimensions and compare available information and statistical data from different international contexts. This website is designed to be a platform for a wide variety of information about social inequality issues. It is a portal providing access to different kinds of contents, such as indicators, studies and projects, statistical and bibliographic databases, reviews, links, news, etc. |
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