Laboratory of Social & Political Institutions

The Laboratory of Social and Political Institutions of the Department of Sociology at the University of the Aegean was established in 2002. Its purpose is to study contemporary politics and governance, and the ways in which their transformations affect democracy, society, and institutions. A range of issues are examined concerning the modern state and the relationship between state, market, and society; the various dimensions of public policy (social policy, welfare policy, etc.); the development, strategies, and policies of the European Union and a series of international organizations; globalization (its phases and transformations); political behavior; and perceptions surrounding social problems and phenomena. Among the Laboratory’s objectives is the study of the major crises of the last decades (economic, refugee, pandemic, etc.), the policies developed to address them, the political discourses surrounding them, the emotional politics they generate, and their social consequences. At the same time, the Laboratory investigates broader values and sociopolitical trends that shape the organization of social life.