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Social Sciences

Dr Matteo Bonfanti says that we cannot rely on repressive measures alone to solve terrorism. Image credit - Dr Matteo Bonfanti
social sciences | interview
06 July 2017

Understanding links between terrorists and organised crime can thwart attacks – Dr Matteo Bonfanti

Investigators should capitalise more on the fact that terrorist cells often work with criminal organisations to achieve their goals, according to Dr Matteo Bonfanti, a senior researcher at the Center for Security Studies at ETH Zurich in Switzerland.

Adolescents born after 1995 may spend as much time socialising with friends on social media as they do face-to-face. Image credit: CC0
health | social sciences
30 June 2017

Social media peer pressure used to help adolescents live healthier lives

By identifying the most influential kids in small social media circles, researchers can create positive peer pressure that persuades young people to live healthier lives.

Low socio-economic status takes 2.1 years off life. Credit: ‘Camden town 2’ by Misterzee is licensed under CC BY 3.0
health | social sciences
24 April 2017

Blood samples give clues to social inequality

More than a decade’s worth of blood samples in Portugal and Ireland are being analysed to look for clues about the health impacts of socio-economic inequalities on children.

Most of the research on migrants entering the EU has focused on men. Image credit – Agelos Kalodoukas
social sciences
13 April 2017

The invisible women of Europe’s migration crisis

The plight of a growing number of female migrants remains undocumented as studies focus primarily on men, despite the fact that women are often more vulnerable, dealing with unwanted pregnancies, sexual assault and associated illness and mental health problems.

Journalists are testing a fake news-detecting program developed by European researchers. Image credit: Pexels
social sciences
31 March 2017

Science vs fake news – the fight is on

Call it fake news, false content, or propaganda, either way we are in a new era of misinformation and it’s influencing elections and fuelling extremism all around the world. Now, researchers are tackling the challenge head on by helping journalists and social media platforms verify video content and understand how 21st-century propaganda works.

Europe has a wealth of historical documents about the Holocaust but they are distributed over many archives in many countries. Image courtesy of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
social sciences
27 January 2017

Holocaust research ‘more important than ever’ – MEP

Research into the Holocaust helps to ensure that the mass extermination of Jewish people by German Nazis during World War II is not just seen as something that belongs to the past, according to Christian Ehler, member of the European Parliament (MEP), who said it can also help to put the genesis of the European Union into context.

The Bristol Pound is an alternative currency designed to support independent businesses in the southwestern UK city. Image credit: ‘Bristolpound’ by Ratoncito Perez is licensed under CC0 1.0
social sciences
24 January 2017

Alternative currencies in rapid growth phase – researchers

In the province of Limburg, in northeastern Belgium, residents earn points by helping out in the community which they can spend on cinema tickets or trips to the local swimming pool.

Air quality in Paris reached such dangerous levels in December 2016 that the government made public transport free in a last ditch effort to get cars off the road. Image credit: Damián Bakarcic/Flickr
environment | social sciences
12 January 2017

Reducing air pollution begins at home, say scientists

Technology alone is not enough to reduce air pollution in Europe, we all have to change our habits and behaviour if we are to improve air quality and reduce health problems, say scientists who are looking at how to encourage people to act.

Your car-sharing membership could extend to another provider when you're away from your hometown thanks to new software under development. Image credit: Flickr/ mariordo59
social sciences | ict
10 January 2017

Roaming for car-sharers on the horizon as ‘access economy’ accelerates

People who use car-sharing services could soon be able to roam with different providers when travelling, much in the same way as people do with their mobile phone networks, thanks to a new piece of software which its inventor says will also help make car sharing economically viable in smaller cities and rural areas.

We should prevent banks from being too big to fail in order to avoid another financial crisis, according to Prof. Eckhard Hein. Image courtesy of Prof. Eckhard Hein
social sciences | interview
04 January 2017

Banks should be small and boring – Prof. Eckhard Hein

We need to return to a diverse, small-scale banking system in order to reduce the risk of another financial crisis, according to Professor Eckhard Hein from the Berlin School of Economics and Law, Germany, who was involved in the EU-funded FESSUD project examining the causes and consequences of the 2008 - 2009 financial and economic crisis.

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