Research Topics

Line 1 – Social movements, work and political participation
Social movements and public policies
Work and trade unionism
Social classes and collective action
This line addresses the political actions of organized and non organized sectors of the society that undertake different forms of collective action aiming at the achievement of their interests. This theme is approached from four perspectives: 1) the standards of relation between civil society and State, as well as their impacts on political processes and the struggle for citizenship rights, in national and international contexts; 2) the understanding of the multiple influences across social movements and public policies, social mobilization and political contestation processes; 3) changes in labor relations and their impacts on union conceptions and practices;  4) the role of social classes with their gender and race interfaces in the structuring of social conflicts and protests.  
 
Line 2 – Studies on Political Regimes and Institutions
Studies on democracy
Parties, elections and political representation
Legislative Studies
Law and judicial institutions
Criminal justice policy and public security
This line comprises theoretical and empirical studies on the organization and operation of political regimes and their institutions, emphasizing the processes of democratic construction and the impasses to their operation put by the contemporary society. It addresses reflections on political representation, studies on competition, parties and elections, as well the operation of legislative powers. It also addresses theoretical and empirical research on State and law, judicial institutions, criminal and public security policies and the field of studies on human rights.   
 
Line 3 – State, development and comparative politics
State and economic development
State and social classes
Public policies and social well-being  
International politics and foreign policy
International political economy
International governance, normativities and human rights
This line covers themes related to the complex relations involving State, society and economic development. The multiple forms of State intervention in economy are the condition for the economic development and can define, to a large extent, the profile of such development. With regard to politics, the modalities of this intervention will depend on the State relation with the different social classes and layers, the staff that holds positions in the state institutions and the political regimes in force. Such intervention results, in its turn, in distinct modalities of economic policy, social policy and foreign policy under given economic and social conditions both in the country and in the international scenario.
 
Line 4 – Political theory and thought
Political theory
History of political thought
Contemporary political thought
Constitutional thought
This line of research covers the main lines, traditions, works and authors of modern and contemporary political thought, comprising research on history of political ideas, contemporary political theory and constitutional thought. Research on history of Italian, Brazilian and Latin-American political thought is also outstanding. In addition to the study of classical authors’ works, this line of research also includes investigations on theoretical lines, ideologies and political discourses in a wider sense, such as: liberalism, conservatism, republicanism, Marxism, nationalism, populism or fascism.