Le Centre Interdisciplinaire pour la Recherche Comparative en sciences sociales - CIR

Contact: Bertrand Wert:
Tel: (Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday: +33 (0)3 20 13 43 52)
b.wert@iccr-international.org
http://www.iccr-international.org

The location of your organization

Paris

The CIR - Centre Interdisciplinaire de Recherche Comparative en Sciences Sociales, Paris, France
The CIR is a private non-profit research institution based in Paris. Since its creation in September 2000, the CIR has established a solid profile and achieved financial independence as a result of its ability to attract contract funding, of which the European Union is currently the principal source. As of September 1 2004, the CIR had a salaried research staff of eight, in addition to the unpaid contributions of its board members and associated graduate students.

The CIR focuses on comparative political analysis, with particular emphasis on the politics and policies of the European Union and its member states. The cross-cutting theme of current activities is a better understanding of the dynamics of scale, scope and mode that are reshaping European democracies, not just between national and EU levels, but also at local and regional levels, as well as in transnational and global fora. Research objectives are organised around 4 main thematic priorities:

I.      Public spaces, political spaces

The objective is to combine the political philosophy of the public sphere with the political sociology of participation, mobilisation and contestation. Surprisingly, perhaps, these two areas of enquiry often fail to meet. An important aspect of this programme is to relate the social basis of citizenship to the territorial scales of governance. One recently completed project (EUROPUB, funded by the European Commission under the 2nd Call of the 5th Framework Programme [contract n° HPSE-2001-00069]) derived from this priority, which also involves a range of basic research and project development on the local dynamics of participation and consultation, the relation between governance and territoriality, and the transformed role of political parties in contemporary democracies. The project “SEPTENTRION: from fortified to sustainable towns” (Interreg IIIB Program) give to the CIR the opportunity of articulating approaches on citizenship, while offering innovating intervention techniques that integrate the limits now well-known of traditional ways of participating and consulting in the local democratic space. For the evaluation all along the project, based on systematically cross-reference, according to innovating methods, the technical evaluation (with European tools such as the Management Project Cycle and the Logical Framework) the CIR is focusing on the impact on the dynamism and democracy in the city. The CIR is also involved in the diffusion of the project’s results, simultaneously towards populations and towards the scientific community.

II.     Identities and conflicts

This priority is central to the CIR’s work because it relates closely to the personal research of many of the staff. It focuses particularly on analysis of group-formation and of the possible conflicts that may arise from the reciprocal dynamics of recognition and mis-recognition. In addition to a wide range of personal research, the « identities and conflicts » priority is represented by CIR participation in the RAXEN network (established and funded by the European Monitoring Centre on Racism and Xenophobia) in the 5th Framework Programme XENOPHOB project [HPSE-CT-2002-00135], as well as by research programmes currently under development on community conflicts and on antiracism and multiculturalism.

III.    Welfare and public services

The main objective of this priority is to improve understanding of the restructuring of contemporary states in the context of the ideological, sociological, and political shifts associated with « neo-liberalism » in the broadest sense. The distinctive approach that the CIR wishes to promote is based on stressing the Institutional thickness of welfare societies, and therefore the inadequacy of any approach to “restructuring” that remains solely at the level of ideology and detail. With two ongoing projects funded under the 3rd Call of the 5th Framework Programme (ACTIVAGE [HPSE-CT-2002-00102] and BASIC [HPSE-CT-2002-00138]), these issues are of growing importance in the CIR’s work.

IV.     Science and society

Research on research policy involves close cooperation between CIR and ICCR. It aims at improving understanding of ongoing change in research systems as they relate to the emerging European Research Area. Two projects have been funded on these subjects (INNOCULT [SOE1-CT98-1101] and Semmering [HPSE-CT-2001-60026]) and the CIR is currently closely involved in efforts to integrate European research in conjunction with academic institutions as well as international institutions and associations.

Cooperation with ENTP
We have been collaborating with ENTP since 2003.

Our extensive research and expertise in European policy issues enables us to support ENTP and its members.

We co-operate in two ways: First, in the development of European projects with a research component (Project Knowledge Network, Interreg IIIC Program, various Asia-Urbs and Asia-ProEco proposals); Second, we provide external knowledge and methodological input for the organization of meetings and professional events (the conference on “Towns & Environment” Craigavon, UK 2003; “European Projects & the support of ENTP” Stevenage, UK 2003; “The stakes of housing: the case of Zoetermeer”, Zoetermeer NDL 2003; “Sustainable Mobility”, Tatabanya Hungary 2004).

Generally speaking, we also exchange information, knowledge and research results on various European research projects dealing with urban studies (Project “Septentrion: from fortified to sustainable towns” Interreg IIIB Program), mobility, and environmental studies.