ESRC-funded Seminar Series, 2003–2004
Award reference:

Co-ordinated by Linda HANTRAIS, Loughborough University, UK
With Susanne MACGREGOR, Department of Public Health and Policy,
London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, UK
Steen MANGEN, Department of Social Policy, London School of Economics and Political Science, UK
Leena ALANEN, Department of Early Childhood Education, University of Jyväskylä, Finland
Ana GUILLÉN, Área de Sociología, Departamento de Economía Aplicada,
Universidad de Oviedo, Spain
Dagmar KUTSAR, Unit of Family and Welfare Studies, University of Tartu, Estonia
Marie-Thérèse LETABLIER, Centre d’Études de l’Emploi, Noisy-le-Grand, France
Rossana TRIFÍLETTI, Dipartimento di Scienza della Politica et Sociologia, Università degli Studi di Firenze, Italy

The six seminars in the series addressed the theoretical, methodological, managerial and practical problems arising in comparative social science research across EU member states and candidate countries. The overall aim was to contribute to a better understanding of the research process, to improve the quality of international social science, and to encourage dialogue and transfer of knowledge between researchers and policy practitioners.

The central theme of the seminars was the modernisation of the European social model within the context of socio-economic change, European integration and enlargement, and the policy challenges they present for governments.

The seminars were informal occasions designed to allow maximum opportunity for fruitful exchange of ideas and experience of conducting research that crosses national boundaries.

The seminars took place every three months at venues in Loughborough, London, Paris and Tallin from September 2003. The first five seminars were structured around invited papers on a substantive theme, including at least one non-UK contributor and one postgraduate research student, followed by comments from two discussants, one of whom was a policy practitioner.

The final seminar took the form of a dialogue between researchers and end users. The edited papers from the seminars have been published as a web journal.

A special issue of the papers (in print) brings together a selection of the contributions.

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