Social science research in Austria: Where? How? What?

06.05.2019

A new AUSSDA publication analyses the structure of domestic social science research.

There is a trend to support social science research via national research infrastructures, which ensure that research data is stored safely and available for further use. In 2016, AUSSDA—The Austrian Social Science Data Archive was established to fulfill this role in Austria. However, there was only limited information available on how many social science research projects are even conducted in the country and which disciplines may contribute to the Archive. As this information is crucial for sustaining and strategically positioning AUSSDA in the Austrian context, it was decided that Dimitri Prandner and Ahmed Tabakovic may carry out the project “Mapping the Field".

The first results and analysis are now published in a journal article by Dimitri Prandner, Otto Bodi, Ahmed Tabakovic and Franz Höllinger in the Austrian Journal of Sociology. The German article is available via open access: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs11614-019-00324-9

Research Infrastructure for Empirical Social Research in Austria - Between Demand and Need

Abstract:

There is a trend to support social science research via national research infrastructures, which ensure that research data is stored safely and available for further use. In 2016, AUSSDA - The Austrian Social Science Data Archive was established to fulfill this role in Austria. The first part of the research note illustrates the benefits such an institution offers, while the second part gives insight into potential users of such an infrastructure. Using data from a recent research project it illustrates that since 2016 around 3000 Austrian social scientists conducted more than 800 empirical research projects.

Keywords: Data archiving · Social Sciences · Empirical social research · Science studies

 

Future projects:

Currently we are conducting a network analysis of the social science research projects to gain a deeper understanding of how the social sciences in Austria interact with each other (see graphic).

Graphic: Network analysis of Social Science research projects in Austria since 2016

Figure: Network analysis of Social Science research projects in Austria since 2016 (CC BY 4.0 Dimitri Prandner and Alexandra Schürz, AUSSDA - The Austrian Social Science Data Archive)