Department of Political and Social Sciences
The active contribution of the Department of Political and Social Sciences to gender equality policies and, more broadly, to social inclusion—both of which represent primary objectives of the strategic direction of the University of Cagliari—has always been a key area of interest for researchers across various disciplinary fields. These perspectives, though diverse, remain deeply interconnected, spanning sociology, history, political science, law, and psychology.
Research in the field of gender studies includes: the analysis of women's participation in politics and society, focusing on the resources employed to uphold women's rights and promote gender equality policies; studies on women leaders in higher education and issues related to gender equality and female empowerment; investigations into the impact of socioeconomic determinants on the physical, psychological, and social well-being of both men and women; analyses of gender and generational dynamics in the definition of family businesses; studies on citizenship asymmetries based on gender, age, and family status in the redistribution of resources (labor market, informal solidarity networks, and public service institutions) in relation to national and local welfare models; research on policies aimed at addressing gender inequalities in academia and higher education; and studies on the evolution of family structures, both in a diachronic perspective at the local level and in a comparative synchronic perspective at the international level.
Research Projects on Gender Studies and Social Inclusion
- Since 2021, DiSPOL has also been involved in the European international project UNISafe (GENDER-BASED VIOLENCE AND INSTITUTIONAL RESPONSES: BUILDING A KNOWLEDGE BASE AND OPERATIONAL TOOLS TO MAKE UNIVERSITIES AND RESEARCH ORGANISATIONS SAFE), representing the University within a partnership of 35 international RPOs, coordinated by the European Science Foundation, on the topic of countering gender-based violence in academia and higher education institutions. The three-year project includes, among its initial activities, the design and administration of a survey on gender-based violence in academia, following a comparative international approach.
- Since December 2020, DiSPOL has also been the Italian representative for the three-year international project SMILE (SOCIAL MEANINGFUL IMPACT THROUGH LIFELONG LEARNING UNIVERSITIES IN EUROPE), under the Erasmus+ KA3 Social Inclusion and Common Values program, coordinated by EUCEN. Specifically, DiSPOL is responsible for Pillar 2, focused on “Women in Leadership”.
- 2021-2024, Representative for the University of Cagliari in the European project “UniSAFE” (ENDING GENDER-BASED VIOLENCE. GENDER-BASED VIOLENCE AND INSTITUTIONAL RESPONSES: BUILDING A KNOWLEDGE BASE AND OPERATIONAL TOOLS TO MAKE UNIVERSITIES AND RESEARCH ORGANISATIONS SAFE).
- 2021-2022, Consultant on behalf of the University of Cagliari for the European project “CASPER. Certification-Award.”
- SYSTEMS TO PROMOTE GENDER EQUALITY IN RESEARCH. Horizon 2020 Programme, Science with and for Society. Grant Agreement: 872113.
- The international project SUPERA (SUPPORTING THE PROMOTION OF GENDER EQUALITY IN RESEARCH AND ACADEMIA), funded by the Horizon 2020 programme (2008-2022), was carried out in partnership with UniCa (University of Cagliari, Italy), UCM (Complutense University of Madrid, Spain), YW (Yellow Window, Belgium), Sciences Po (Fondation Nationale des Sciences Politiques, France), CEU (Kozep-Europai Egyetem, Hungary), UC-CES (Centre for Social Studies, Portugal), MINECO (Spanish Ministry of Economy, Industry and Competitiveness), RAS (Autonomous Region of Sardinia)
- DiSPOL also participated in the European project DON’T KNOCK ON THE WRONG DOOR: CHARTERCLICK! (A user-friendly tool to detect violations falling within the scope of the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights), funded by the European Commission under the “Fundamental Rights and Citizenship” programme (JUST/2013/FRC/AG). The two-year project ran from February 2015 to January 2017 and was carried out in cooperation with the Universities of Bordeaux, Florence, Leicester, Konstanz, and Uppsala, the Centre for Judicial Cooperation at the European University Institute, a specialized legal informatics institute (ITTIG-CNR), 17 organizations engaged in the protection of fundamental rights at the national level, participating as associated partners (www.charterclick.eu).
As evidence of the quality of research at DiSPOL, recently, a researcher in the field of Political Science, who is completing her ERC in Tampere (Finland), won the Rita Levi Montalcini grant with the project “Post-pandemic politics of gender equality: social policy, democratic backsliding, and intersectional inequalities” and has chosen Cagliari as the location to carry out the project.