Integrating Digital Technology
Utilising and exploring the impact of rapidly evolving technologies to design a better future.
Spotlights
Sustainable Societies
Reimagining the way we live
UCD researchers are engaging with communities and legislators to create a more equal and fair society in Ireland and around the globe. Our multi-disciplinary experts are influencing national and European policy to build social structures that foster inclusivity and resilience.
Achieving the UN SDGs
A new UCD study tracking the UN Sustainable Development Goal's (SDGs) progress across the EU demonstrates that European governments need to considerably accelerate action if the 2030 Agenda is to be achieved. Read the study's findings below, or press play to hear Prof. Paul Walsh, who represented global academia in the SDGs negotiations, discuss the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda and how it is changing behaviours around the world.
Read paperSocial Science Perspectives
The idea of sustainability is increasingly woven into public discourse, including the equitable transition to more sustainable ways of living. UCD researchers are demonstrating the human, social and behavioural aspects of societal transitions, and how they must be embedded in concerns for equality, social justice, and human flourishing.
Hear from the expertsDo the public trust experts?
Why is trust in expertise important for democracies? The major EU project PERITIA explores why trust in expertise is crucial to progress, well-being, and democratic governance. The PERITIA podcast: The Trust Race delves into scandals and controversies that have impacted our trust in science.
Listen to the PodcastIncluding citizen voices in constitutional reform
Led by Professor David Farrell, The Irish Constitutional Convention (ICC) brought together a group of political scientists to successfully establish the state’s first ever citizen’s forum. The aim of this forum was to bring citizens into the heart of debates over constitutional reforms to improve how our representative system of democracy operates. This work led to the establishment of Ireland's Citizen's Assemblies. Over the last decade, citizens’ assemblies have become an important part of the Irish democratic process, they play a meaningful role in informing wider public debate on important issues and have profoundly impacted our society at all levels.
Learning from lived experiences
Longitudinal studies provide us with comprehensive insights into how environment effects potential. Two landmark UCD-led studies are giving policy-makers valuable, comparable information on the development of wellbeing in our society. Children's School Lives (CSL) is Ireland’s first in-depth study of primary schools, informed by the voices of children, their families, and school leaders, contributing to improvement of national policy. The Growing up in Digital Europe (GUIDE) study will be Europe’s first comparative birth cohort survey and will support the development of social policies to enhance the wellbeing of young people and their families across Europe.
Publications
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June 2001
New Tools in Comparative Political Economy: The Database of Political Institutions
The World Bank Economic Review
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September 2017
Algorithmic governance: Developing a research agenda through the power of collective intelligence
Big Data and Society
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