Research

Bringing together over 250 researchers, Sciences Po’s 11 research centres generate new approaches and new research in law, economics, history, political science and sociology.

In addition, the School of Research provides training through- and for- research for master's degree and doctoral students in these five disciplines.

THE CENTRE FOR SOCIO-POLITICAL DATA - CDSP 

Founded in 2005, the Centre for Sociopolitical Data (UMS 828) provides a range of data-related infrastructures and services for the social sciences.

An active contributor to open science, it coordinates and contributes to the development of facilities and platforms for the academic Social Sciences community.

THE CENTRE FOR EUROPEAN STUDIES AND COMPARATIVE POLITICS - CEE

The Centre for European Studies and Comparative Politics (UMR 8239) is a multidisciplinary research centre affiliated with Sciences Po and the CNRS (the French National Centre for Scientific Research).

Its research focus is on the comparative analysis of politics and policy. Europe provides the geographical an institutional locus of its work. The researchers team covers a wide range of themes, structured  around four interlocking dimensions: the transformation of capitalism; cities, borders, and mobilities; states and public policies; strains in representative democracy. 

THE CENTRE FOR INTERNATIONAL STUDIES - CERI

Founded at Sciences Po in 1952, the CERI (UMR 7050) is today France’s principal research center dedicated to the study of international/transnational relations and regional area studies. The Center has enjoyed the status of joint research entity (UMR 7050) under the combined auspices of Sciences Po and the CNRS, since 2002.

The CERI’s research agenda is based on the conviction that the study of the globalized world must proceed through a two-pronged approach: area studies and international and transnational relations.

THE  CENTRE FOR POLITICAL RESEARCH - CEVIPOF

CEVIPOF (Centre for Political Research at Sciences Po - UMR 7048) was founded in 1960 by Jean Touchard. It became a joint Sciences Po-CNRS research centre in 1968.

Ever since it was first created, CEVIPOF has been considered to be one of the major centres for research in political science as demonstrated by academic appraisal, feedback from the public debate arena and the expertise it provides to government. While it offers an in-depth focus on the political sphere in France, much of the work carried out at the centre adopts a comparative approach while other themes are global in scope.

THE CENTRE FOR HISTORY - CHSP

The Sciences Po Centre for History (EA 113) was founded in 1984 and brings together all research and teaching in history at Sciences Po, doctoral studies included. The CHSP is primarily concerned with political history, understood in the broadest sense and approached from a transnational and comparative perspective.

THE CENTRE FOR RESEARCH ON SOCIAL INEQUALITIES (CRIS - EX OSC)

The Centre for Research on social InequalitieS (CRIS) is a joint Sciences Po / CNRS  research centre.
Its members are attached to the Sciences Po's Sociology Department, and the Department of Economics for their teaching. CRIS is devoted to research that covers the multidimensionality of social inequality in contemporary societies. CRIS’ research program seeks to describe patterns and trends of inequality, analyze their mechanisms and inform and contribute to policy analysis in a world where inequality has become a major threat.
The center has a strong tradition of comparative sociology highlighting the role of welfare state policies, institutional mechanisms and national narratives related to inequality.

THE CENTRE FOR THE SOCIOLOGY OF ORGANISATIONS - CSO

The Centre for the Sociology of Organisations (CSO - UMR 7116) – a joint research unit affiliated with Sciences Po and the CNRS – is an academic centre that built its reputation on organisational studies and has progressively broadened its scope. Today, the centre is well-known for research in the fields of economic sociology, the sociology of organisations, of public action, of professions, of social movements, and of law.

The research carried out at the CSO covers a wide range of subjects, which are often approached from a comparative perspective and maintain a conscientious familiarity with the changes taking place in contemporary society.

THE DEPARTMENT OF ECONOMICS

The Department of Economics (EA 4460) was created in 2009, when Sciences Po decided to create a new dynamic in economic research led by its permanent faculty, to "re-fundamentalize" the teaching of economics and to raise the international recognition of its research centers.

The evaluation of the Department of Economics in 2018 by the national evaluation agency (HCERES) highlights the fact that this ambitious policy has allowed the Department to climb "to the top of the world hierarchy".

THE LAW SCHOOL'S RESEARCH CENTRE

The research carried out at the Law school's research centre (EA 4461) aims to decompartmentalize legal research, to identify the historical trajectories and theoretical and epistemological foundations of legal objects, to identify emerging areas of law and to analyze the legal challenges of globalization and contemporary crises. The research team covers a broad spectrum of branches of law, from public law to private law, from international law to legal history, from comparative law to discrimination law, from the regulation of digital networks and technologies to the law of the environmental crisis.

THE MÉDIALAB

The médialab (EA 7033) is a digital laboratory devoted to the study and exploitation of data generated by new information technologies, as well as the study of their means of production and circulation.

THE FRENCH ECONOMIC OBSERVATORY - OFCE

The OFCE is an independent body that produces forecasts, and researches and evaluates public policy. It covers most areas of economic analysis, from macroeconomics, growth, social protection systems, taxation and employment policy, to sustainable development, competition, innovation, and regulation.

In addition to supporting the development of a dynamic research community, the Institute for Environmental Transformations ensures coordination between centers and researchers, enhances visibility and develops connections beyond the social sciences and humanities. Since 2018, the Interdisciplinary workshop on environmental research (AIRE) has provided a structure for an interdisciplinary research collective, sharing and disseminating environmental research conducted at Sciences Po, combining humanities and social science disciplines, and initiating reflection on research approaches and practices in this area.

Find out more about AIRE

AIRE's Newsletter latest issue

The Bruno Latour Fund's ground-breaking scientific program "A New Climate for Social Sciences" recruited ten post-doctoral researchers for a three-year period (2023-2026) to nurture a collective, multi-disciplinary initiative on how the ecological and climate crises are inviting us to reconsider our history and reshape the contemporary economic, social, legal and political order. Sponsorship has been decisive in supporting fundamental research by the young scholars, as well as giving impetus to new courses.

Find out more about the Bruno Latour Fund 

Discover the latest Bruno Latour Fund newsletter (#3, october 2024)

As a continuation of the Politics of the Earth program initiated by Bruno Latour, the Centre des Politiques de la Terre was created in 2019 in close collaboration with Université Paris Cité to work on the convergence of the natural and experimental sciences and the human and social sciences in order to investigate the complex issues of the Anthropocene.

Sciences Po research teams' contribution to the Earth Politics Center was active from 2019 to 2024.

Find out more about the Earth Politics Center 

In 2020, the Laboratory for Interdisciplinary Evaluation of Public Policies (LIEPP) set up a dedicated Environmental Policies Research Group that aims to make sense of environmental policies in the broadest sense - sustainable development, climate change, green growth and, more recently, energy and ecological transitions - and to shed light on the choices made by policymakers and, more generally, a wide range of stakeholders.

Find out more about the LIEPP’ Environmental Policies Research Group

The European Chair for Sustainable Development and Climate Transition is a research body hosted at Sciences Po Paris. Its mission is to study implementation pathways for sustainable policies and the climate transition in Europe and globally, and to support the European Green Deal’s ambitious objectives. To this end, the Chair is committed to establishing a broad network of actors who will contribute to research, education, and discussions on important topics such as just transition, climate mitigation and adaptation, energy transition, and green finance.

Find out more about the European Chair for Sustainable Development and Climate Transition