Institute for Advanced Social Studies (IASS)

Head of the Institute:
Full. Prof. Matevž Tomšič, Phd

matevž tomšič

Researchers:  Sicris

Areas of activity of the institute: 

Institute combines a variety of theoretical aspects and empirical approaches referring to social science research. On the one hand, it is based on the broad focus of social transformations in the contemporary world combining both macro and micro perspectives and combining the cultural, social, political and economic aspects. On the other hand, it also carries out research work in the sphere of politics, dealing with its cultural, structural and actional aspects. It is oriented toward different political phenomena as determined by value orientations, institutional settings and activities of political agents. The research focus is on multi-level governance that encompasses local, regional, national and global (also European) level. In addition, it is oriented toward four global trends: upgrading of the rationality of organizations, individualisation, spread of instruments activism, universalisation of ideas and institutional practices of sustainability and human rights.

Its methodological approaches are based on triangulation and thus include the combination of:

  • quantitative methods, including especially using survey data, official statistics and indices in regression models, hierarchical regression models, factor analyses, cluster analyses, network analyses as well as content analyses of different texts, especially from the media;
  • qualitative methods, such as interviews, focus groups and discourse analyses;
  • comparative methods (based on survey data, statistics and indices, analysed through fuzzy sets