Thirteen Questions for Research in Social Science
AS SOCIAL SCIENCES ARE FORCED TO DEAL WITH EVER MORE PRESSING ISSUES, BASIC RESEARCH BECOMES INCREASINGLY IMPORTANT, SAYS RECTOR SIRONI. RESEARCHERS EDUCATED AT BOCCONI ARE AT THE FOREFRONT IN THEIR RESPECTIVE FIELDS, DUE TO THE INTERNATIONAL OPENNESS OF THE UNIVERSITY'S TEACHING AND RESEARCH ENVIRONMENT. A SIMILAR MODEL IS FOLLOWED BY CERN, THE RESEARCH INSTITUTION THAT PUSHES FORWARD THE FRONTIER OF KNOWLEDGE IN PARTICLE PHYSICSHow can we stimulate the creation of businesses and economic development in the poor countries of the world such as Nigeria, Congo or Zimbabwe? What monetary policy instruments must be activated to encourage economic growth in an environment of zero interest rates such as the one characterizing the Eurozone? What factors make family firms more competitive and capable of overcoming crises with respect to public companies? Which tools and policies enable the promotion and dissemination of innovative processes and resulting patenting activity in firms? How can we spur technological innovation and thus foster productivity growth? What social policies can help boost birth rates and restore population growth in countries like Italy, now characterized by negative demographic trends?
How can a company leverage Big Data to design effective marketing policies? What forms of regulation should be adopted to reduce the likelihood of banking crises such as those that have hobbled many EU economies since 2008? What behavioral models describe the actions of individuals, be they investors, consumers or entrepreneurs, and what kind of implications do they have for the design of appropriate economic policies and business strategies? What forms of corporate governance ensure greater efficiency in decision-making and at the same time greater resilience to periods of crisis? What policies should be adopted to address the humanitarian crisis related to migration flows from Africa to Europe in recent years? What are the appropriate legislative tools to counter the risk of monopolistic behavior and tax avoidance by large corporations such as Apple, Google or Facebook? How can we correctly measure a company’s business performance and thus assess its actual market value? How do you measure the risk borne by a financial institution and the consequent need for it to raise capital? What reforms should be adopted to facilitate a more efficient justice system, while still ensuring fairness and protection of the weakest? What algorithms can we use to make predictions about phenomena such as bankruptcies and business failures?
➜ Reaping the fruits of teamwork
All these are examples of questions that are investigated daily by those conducting research in social sciences such as economics, management, law, finance, sociology, demography and political science. These are the issues that have taken on a growing importance over the last decades, partly in response to a host of socio-economic problems, whose gravity has increased rather than decreased in recent years. To be properly addressed, these issues require rigorous and robust analysis – based on an examination of empirical data and on the formulation and testing of theoretical models – which are capable of producing results that can support the design of appropriate policies.
Today in the social sciences, as in the natural sciences, the work of a good researcher is now rarely the effort of a single individual, but rather the result of the collaboration of a research team which often consists of individuals based in different countries. Continuous exchange of ideas and mutual criticism are crucial to obtaining the results that advance knowledge in a given discipline. In the social sciences, as in the natural sciences, we now turn not only to theoretical and empirical analysis, but also to experiments, which in this case concern the behavior of individuals taken in isolation or in their social interaction with others.
Those who do research are not driven solely by personal ambition, but by the desire to understand the causes of social phenomena, so as to contribute to the advancement of knowledge, and this way, directly or indirectly, offer a contribution, small or large, to the solving of important problems faced by a community.
Scientific research is also an important driver of economic and social progress, as shown by numerous works that highlight the link between investment in research and economic growth. A partial demonstration of this is given by the progress made by now developed countries such as China and South Korea, which have invested a high share of GDP in scientific research over the past decades and, in parallel, have posted growth rates well above countries starting from similar economic conditions.
➜ The role of universities
In such a context, universities play a crucial role for research. They are the natural place to bring skilled human resources together, by providing an environment favorable to the exchange of ideas, where international openness is increasingly significant. The latter promotes the diffusion of information and knowledge, the production of innovation, and the development of science. In OECD countries, more than three quarters of basic research is performed by institutions of higher education, i.e. universities. The current issue of Via Sarfatti 25 reports the stories of researchers who have trained at our University and now do their research work at prestigious universities, international institutions, and research centers around the world. As you can infer from reading these brief portraits, these are researchers who have usually completed their training by earning a PhD from a prestigious international university, and have gotten their research published in the most respected scientific journals of their fields today. They are people who had the good fortune to meet teachers who guided them effectively in the early stages of their scientific careers, and are now simply driven by passion for their work.
The idea of ​​presenting the stories of researchers educated at Bocconi arose from the desire to devote special attention to research, an activity which has a special importance within our University. This is not surprising, because among Bocconi’s priorities, the pursuit of research is paramount, as the carved-in-stone mission that has characterized the University since its foundation in 1902 recites: "To advance the frontiers of knowledge in social sciences through rigorous and relevant research, thus providing a solid contribution to the international scholarly community and the betterment of society."
Contributing to the advancement of knowledge is an essential objective for a university, which is joined by the objective of imparting and disseminating knowledge. Research and education are closely linked with one another: the dissemination of knowledge is functional to the production of knowledge.
➜ Young people must work together
The attention towards scientific research is also reflected by the invitation Bocconi University has extended to a great scientist, Fabiola Gianotti, to be keynote speaker at the inauguration of Academic Year 2016-2017, which will be held on October 8. Appointed Director General of CERN, the world’s largest laboratory for particle physics, in November 2014, Fabiola Gianotti is an Italian scientist of great international prestige who has contributed to important discoveries in the physics of elementary particles.
Her speech at this academic year’s opening ceremony will delve into the subject of fundamental research and the model followed by CERN, a scientific institution which, like Bocconi, has been attracting researchers from all over the world for many years. It is a model which, by promoting cooperation between young people of different nationalities, cultures, religions and social backgrounds, contributes not only to the advancement of knowledge and economic and social development, but also to mutual understanding and respect. In this way, it contributes to peace, in a historical phase unfortunately marred by tensions and conflicts in various areas of the world.
by Andrea Sironi
Translated by Alex Foti
