Research Grants - 2020-2025
Analysis and measures to improve the phenomena of demographic decline, aging and migration, and reduce the risk of disappearance of rural and small urban communities in Dolj County. Substantiation and proposals for integrated projects
Implemeneted in partnership with the Institute of Sociology in partnership with the Dolj County Council during 2022-2024. Funder by Dolj County Council, through direct award. Total value: 350,000 lei.
Research Team: Adela Șerban (coord.), Ilie Bădescu, Maria Mitrică, Cristinel Pantelimon, Lucian Stefan-Dumitrescu, Angelica Helena Marinescu, Mădălina Măndiță, Florentina Herea, Robert Cosmin Popescu, Daniela Stoica.
The project was implemented through an active partnership with the Dolj County Council in order to support the research-based approach to existing strategic intervention actions and measures. The INSOC research represented a pilot project of concrete analysis and diagnosis for local communities in Dolj County and aimed to study the situation and social vulnerabilities in rural communes and small urban localities in the county, local communities that are the priority subject of the territorial development policies and strategies of the Dolj County Council. The project can be used as a model for other county, regional and national studies in order to prevent the risks induced by the perpetuation of migration, population decline and demographic aging. The research provided a full-scale and in-depth owerview of the villages and towns in the county as well as solutions and strategic measures for action and for the substantiation of future development projects.
The research carried out:
Implemeneted in partnership with the Institute of Sociology in partnership with the Dolj County Council during 2022-2024. Funder by Dolj County Council, through direct award. Total value: 350,000 lei.
Research Team: Adela Șerban (coord.), Ilie Bădescu, Maria Mitrică, Cristinel Pantelimon, Lucian Stefan-Dumitrescu, Angelica Helena Marinescu, Mădălina Măndiță, Florentina Herea, Robert Cosmin Popescu, Daniela Stoica.
The project was implemented through an active partnership with the Dolj County Council in order to support the research-based approach to existing strategic intervention actions and measures. The INSOC research represented a pilot project of concrete analysis and diagnosis for local communities in Dolj County and aimed to study the situation and social vulnerabilities in rural communes and small urban localities in the county, local communities that are the priority subject of the territorial development policies and strategies of the Dolj County Council. The project can be used as a model for other county, regional and national studies in order to prevent the risks induced by the perpetuation of migration, population decline and demographic aging. The research provided a full-scale and in-depth owerview of the villages and towns in the county as well as solutions and strategic measures for action and for the substantiation of future development projects.
The research carried out:
- collection of statistical data and significant information for the analysis of the social situation in Dolj County, complementing existing public data, through a scientific tool systematized by relevant dimensions and indicators - the Locality Data Sheet, applied to the 104 communes and 6 small towns of the county;
- in-depth research in 18 localities in Dolj county (12 rural communes: Amărăștii de Jos, Bulzești, Cârcea, Dioști, Gighera, Gogoșu, Goicea, Lipovu, Plenița, Poiana Mare, Teasc, Terpezița and in all 6 small towns of the county: Bechet, Dăbuleni, Calafat, Băilești, Filiași and Segarcea);
- a sociological survey at the level of Dolj County, on a statistically representative sample of 700 subjects which provided information on the social perception of the population from the small community environment regarding a set of significant themes correlated with the phenomenon of depopulation and the poor social attractiveness of small communities.
Makerspaces in the early years: Enhancing digital literacy and creativity (MakEY),
Implemented during: 2017 – 2020 Funded by the EU H2020 Research and Innovation Staff Exchange (RISE) programme. Project ID: 734720. Total value (related to INSOC): 165822 lei.
Project Manager: Jackie Marsh (University of Sheffield, UK). Responsible for the Institute of Sociology, as a partner in the project: Anca Velicu.
The project involves an international and inter-sector research and training network that focuses on the potential of makerspaces, which are specific spaces that enable creative design and the production of both digital and non-digital artefacts, to foster the digital literacy and creative skills of young children. A key aim of the project is to inform educational policy and practice in this area, enabling formal learning institutions (early years settings and primary schools) to learn from practice in non-formal learning spaces, and vice-versa, and also to foster innovation and entrepreneurship in the makerspace sector, enabling SMEs to develop robust business models and appropriate resources for future work in this area. The project involves 16 academic and non-academic beneficiaries and 10 non-academic, non-beneficiary partners across 6 EU countries (Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Romania, UK), an Associated Country (Colombia) and 4 Third Countries (Australia, Canada, South Africa and USA). This global network of university scholars, cultural industry partners in makerspaces, early years practitioners, museum educators and librarians will engage in a collaborative research and training programme that addresses 4 objectives, which are to:
Implemented during: 2017 – 2020 Funded by the EU H2020 Research and Innovation Staff Exchange (RISE) programme. Project ID: 734720. Total value (related to INSOC): 165822 lei.
Project Manager: Jackie Marsh (University of Sheffield, UK). Responsible for the Institute of Sociology, as a partner in the project: Anca Velicu.
The project involves an international and inter-sector research and training network that focuses on the potential of makerspaces, which are specific spaces that enable creative design and the production of both digital and non-digital artefacts, to foster the digital literacy and creative skills of young children. A key aim of the project is to inform educational policy and practice in this area, enabling formal learning institutions (early years settings and primary schools) to learn from practice in non-formal learning spaces, and vice-versa, and also to foster innovation and entrepreneurship in the makerspace sector, enabling SMEs to develop robust business models and appropriate resources for future work in this area. The project involves 16 academic and non-academic beneficiaries and 10 non-academic, non-beneficiary partners across 6 EU countries (Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Romania, UK), an Associated Country (Colombia) and 4 Third Countries (Australia, Canada, South Africa and USA). This global network of university scholars, cultural industry partners in makerspaces, early years practitioners, museum educators and librarians will engage in a collaborative research and training programme that addresses 4 objectives, which are to:
- Conduct a comprehensive review of the role of makerspaces in the formal and non-formal educational experiences of children and young people.
- Undertake empirical research to determine how makerspaces can foster the digital literacy and creativity skills and knowledge of young children.
- Develop a conceptual framework for analysing young children’s engagement in makerspaces.
- Make recommendations for policy and practice that will foster innovation and entrepreneurship in SME makerspaces and facilitate the use of makerspaces for enhancing digital literacy in early childhood educational institutions and non-formal learning spaces.
RO COUNTRY IMAGES. Constructing country images in turbulent times
Implemented between 2018 – 2020 Funder: Executive Unit for Financing Higher Education, Research, Development and Innovation (UEFISCDI), PNCDI III funding line. Project number: PN-III-P1-1.1-PD-2016-2167. Total value (related to INSOC): 250.000 lei.
Project Manager: Elena – Alina Dolea
The research project RO COUNTRY IMAGES analyzed the discursive construction of country image and national identity by different social actors in Romania, in a macro context (of the globalized promotional culture and promotional practices adopted by countries around the world) and a specific context (the increased mobility of people – migrants and refugees in Europe, concomitantly with the rise of nationalist parties and their anti-immigration discourse). The refugee crisis in Europe revealed various positions and discourses of the “old” member states vs. the “new” member states and sparked heated debates within the countries about the consequences of the crisis, the future of the European Union and the benefits of EU membership. As a result, topics such as the status of countries, country image and national identity have become recurring themes in public debates, and not just topics on the agenda of some experts or a government as before. In this context, the aim of the project was to longitudinally analyze and provide explanations regarding the way in which social actors in Romania (government, media, citizens) discursively construct the image of the country and the identity of Romania, after the 2015 refugee crisis. The premise from which it started is that these different actors reproduce, in their discourses, certain representations about Romania and Romanians, regarding their identity and the way we are perceived. The analysis aimed to (1) identify the evolution of these representations over time (reconfigurations of discourse themes or strategies); (2) to discuss the role of the media in the construction of debates; (3) to investigate to what extent citizens (re)contextualize political and media discourses in order to (re)construct their own perspectives about Romania and Romanians. Although focused on Romania and wishing to inform public policies in Romania, the study had an intrinsic European dimension by highlighting representations about 'us' in relation to 'others' (migrants, EU).
Final Research Report
Communications on the project topic at international conferences and as a guest professor in 2020:
1. Dolea, A. (November 2020). Organizer of the online public event "Romanian Diaspora in the UK and Romania’s Country Image. Perspectives and research from HERE and THERE". An event to publicly present the results of the research grant “RO Country Images”, bringing together researchers, journalists, Romanian state representatives from the UK and Romania, November 27, 2020. https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/romanian-diaspora-in-the-uk-and-romanias-image-being-here-and-there-registration-129464276135
2. Dolea, A. (accepted, forthcoming April 2021). Advancing research on diaspora diplomacy and country images. International Studies Association’s Virtual Annual Convention, April 7-10, 2021.
3. Dolea, A. (accepted, forthcoming September 2021). Advancing research on diaspora diplomacy: The construction of identities, country images and (dis)engagement. 8th European Communication Conference, ECREA, September 6-9, 2021.
4. Dolea, A. (2020). From focus groups to policy paper “Romanian migrants in the UK”. FMC Research Process Seminars, 2020-2021, Bournemouth University, November 10, 2020
5. Dolea, A (2020). Critical Discourse Analysis and Diaspora Diplomacy in a transnational social field - constructing identities, social status and country images. FMC Research Process Seminars, 2019-2020, Bournemouth University, June 2, 2020
6. Dolea, A. (2020). Initiator & chair. “Integrating Scholarship Fields for PD: ICA/ISA Joint Panel”, inaugural joint panel of International Communication section of ISA and Public Diplomacy Interest Group of ICA at the International Communication Association Annual Virtual Conference, May 21, 2020 (article and video available here: https://uscpublicdiplomacy.org/story/integrating-scholarship-fields-pd-icaisa-joint-panel and here: https://blogs.bournemouth.ac.uk/research/2020/07/02/bu-academic-launches-institutional-collaboration-to-advance-public-diplomacy-in-covid-19-times/ )
7. Dolea, A (2020). The strategic visual communication of protests as form of citizen diplomacy: the Romanian protests from 2017. International Communication Association, Visual Politics Virtual Preconference, May 20, 2020 (Video available at: https://cristianvaccari.com/2020/06/11/videos-of-the-ica-virtual-preconference-visual-politics-image-production-perception-and-influence-20-may-2020/)
8. Dolea, A. (2020). Teleshopping nation on its centenary: Romania. Complexity, hybridity, liminality: Challenges of researching contemporary promotional cultures conference. ECREA Organisational and Strategic Communication section, London School of Economics, UK, February 20, 2020.
9. Dolea, A (2020). Critical Discourse Analysis. Workshop for the Social science research methods course for the Bangladeshi Delegation, Bournemouth University, February 2020
Implemented between 2018 – 2020 Funder: Executive Unit for Financing Higher Education, Research, Development and Innovation (UEFISCDI), PNCDI III funding line. Project number: PN-III-P1-1.1-PD-2016-2167. Total value (related to INSOC): 250.000 lei.
Project Manager: Elena – Alina Dolea
The research project RO COUNTRY IMAGES analyzed the discursive construction of country image and national identity by different social actors in Romania, in a macro context (of the globalized promotional culture and promotional practices adopted by countries around the world) and a specific context (the increased mobility of people – migrants and refugees in Europe, concomitantly with the rise of nationalist parties and their anti-immigration discourse). The refugee crisis in Europe revealed various positions and discourses of the “old” member states vs. the “new” member states and sparked heated debates within the countries about the consequences of the crisis, the future of the European Union and the benefits of EU membership. As a result, topics such as the status of countries, country image and national identity have become recurring themes in public debates, and not just topics on the agenda of some experts or a government as before. In this context, the aim of the project was to longitudinally analyze and provide explanations regarding the way in which social actors in Romania (government, media, citizens) discursively construct the image of the country and the identity of Romania, after the 2015 refugee crisis. The premise from which it started is that these different actors reproduce, in their discourses, certain representations about Romania and Romanians, regarding their identity and the way we are perceived. The analysis aimed to (1) identify the evolution of these representations over time (reconfigurations of discourse themes or strategies); (2) to discuss the role of the media in the construction of debates; (3) to investigate to what extent citizens (re)contextualize political and media discourses in order to (re)construct their own perspectives about Romania and Romanians. Although focused on Romania and wishing to inform public policies in Romania, the study had an intrinsic European dimension by highlighting representations about 'us' in relation to 'others' (migrants, EU).
Final Research Report
Communications on the project topic at international conferences and as a guest professor in 2020:
1. Dolea, A. (November 2020). Organizer of the online public event "Romanian Diaspora in the UK and Romania’s Country Image. Perspectives and research from HERE and THERE". An event to publicly present the results of the research grant “RO Country Images”, bringing together researchers, journalists, Romanian state representatives from the UK and Romania, November 27, 2020. https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/romanian-diaspora-in-the-uk-and-romanias-image-being-here-and-there-registration-129464276135
2. Dolea, A. (accepted, forthcoming April 2021). Advancing research on diaspora diplomacy and country images. International Studies Association’s Virtual Annual Convention, April 7-10, 2021.
3. Dolea, A. (accepted, forthcoming September 2021). Advancing research on diaspora diplomacy: The construction of identities, country images and (dis)engagement. 8th European Communication Conference, ECREA, September 6-9, 2021.
4. Dolea, A. (2020). From focus groups to policy paper “Romanian migrants in the UK”. FMC Research Process Seminars, 2020-2021, Bournemouth University, November 10, 2020
5. Dolea, A (2020). Critical Discourse Analysis and Diaspora Diplomacy in a transnational social field - constructing identities, social status and country images. FMC Research Process Seminars, 2019-2020, Bournemouth University, June 2, 2020
6. Dolea, A. (2020). Initiator & chair. “Integrating Scholarship Fields for PD: ICA/ISA Joint Panel”, inaugural joint panel of International Communication section of ISA and Public Diplomacy Interest Group of ICA at the International Communication Association Annual Virtual Conference, May 21, 2020 (article and video available here: https://uscpublicdiplomacy.org/story/integrating-scholarship-fields-pd-icaisa-joint-panel and here: https://blogs.bournemouth.ac.uk/research/2020/07/02/bu-academic-launches-institutional-collaboration-to-advance-public-diplomacy-in-covid-19-times/ )
7. Dolea, A (2020). The strategic visual communication of protests as form of citizen diplomacy: the Romanian protests from 2017. International Communication Association, Visual Politics Virtual Preconference, May 20, 2020 (Video available at: https://cristianvaccari.com/2020/06/11/videos-of-the-ica-virtual-preconference-visual-politics-image-production-perception-and-influence-20-may-2020/)
8. Dolea, A. (2020). Teleshopping nation on its centenary: Romania. Complexity, hybridity, liminality: Challenges of researching contemporary promotional cultures conference. ECREA Organisational and Strategic Communication section, London School of Economics, UK, February 20, 2020.
9. Dolea, A (2020). Critical Discourse Analysis. Workshop for the Social science research methods course for the Bangladeshi Delegation, Bournemouth University, February 2020