Research topics

These phenomena are increasingly redrawing the relationships between individuals and core institutions such as the state, the market, civil society, communities, the family, as well as between individuals themselves. This creates new, complex issues whose outcomes are often difficult to predict in the long term and which involve a large number of actors with unequal power. These issues constitute so-called "grand challenges" or “wicked problems” for society, challenges for which there is no simple solution. However, they simultaneously offer new opportunities to redesign society and its core institutions, with a view to increasing dignity, equality, inclusion, and sustainability.

Multidisciplinary

R4D's research draws on three core disciplines - communication studies, sociology, and public administration. In addition, depending on the research project, we engage with other disciplines, including political science, law, organizational studies, architecture, and computer science. Because the social reality is multiple, no single discipline can fully capture it. This multidisciplinary approach allows the phenomenon under investigation to be uncovered from multiple perspectives.

Multidisciplinary research allows for more richness to be built into the analysis and for the underlying assumptions of the different disciplinary perspectives to be made visible. By integrating multiple elements, it becomes possible to outline more realistic scenarios and formulate policy recommendations that identify boundary conditions and potential undesirable effects. In this way, this approach increases the relevance and usefulness of the scientific knowledge produced - both theoretical insights and empirical findings - for stakeholders in society.

Civic

All research activities of R4D start from the civic mission of Hasselt University as an important anchor institution in the surrounding region and beyond, as well as from the public value of the generated knowledge. In our academic practice, we facilitate the participation of involved actors in the research process in different ways, if possible from the early design phases and for the co-creation of knowledge. In collaboration, we pay particular attention to the inclusion of the knowledge and perspectives of less powerful actors (e.g., individual citizens, disadvantaged communities, smaller governments, and non-profit organizations).

The research group is committed to valorizing the knowledge not only through academic publications but also by systematically translating it into practice. In this regard, we are strongly committed to the integration of research into the teaching mission of our researchers. This intertwining allows us to train students to apply social scientific knowledge to create social impact in their own later professional practice.