Head of centre
Claude Martin
Doctor, accredited to supervise sociology research (HDR), Director of Research at the CNRS, member of the Centre de Recherches sur l’Action Politique en Europe (CRAPE – Centre of Research into Political Action in Europe – UMR 6051 CNRS, Rennes 1 University and Rennes IEP). He teaches at the Sciences-Po Rennes, the CNAM and Paris 1, Paris 5 and Rennes 2 universities. He is co-editing with Jane Jenson the international social sciences journal “Lien social et politiques”. His main fields of research are public policies for families, young children and the dependent elderly in Europe.
Recent publications include Concilier vie familiale et vie professionnelle en Europe [Reconciling family life and work in Europe] (with B. Le Bihan, Presses de l’EHESP, 2008), Que reste-t-il des classes sociales? [What remains of the social classes?] (with Jean-Noël Chopart, Editions de l’ENSP, 2004), La dépendance des personnes âgées. Quelles politiques en Europe? [The dependence of the elderly. European policies] (Presses universitaires de Rennes and Éditions de l’ENSP, 2003), Les enjeux politiques de la famille [The issues facing family policies] (with J. Commaille, éditions Bayard, 1998).
Partners
CNSA
CNRS
INED
Strategic objectives
- Develop interdisciplinary research into the issues related to ageing, dependence, physical and mental handicaps
- Encourage those researching into Social and Human Sciences as well as Life Science, epidemiologists and hospital doctors to meet the high social demand for knowledge on these questions
- Set up an international network of scientists researching these subjects and encourage knowledge transfer
- Organise events and scientific forums to encourage discussion between professional circles, decision-makers and the world of research (organisation of seminars, symposiums and conferences)
- Support research by PhD students and PhDs into these issues and help them to find the funding to carry out their work (scholarships and grants)
Personnel
The CIR – SOLO already has a staff of some twenty scientists, lecturers and PhD students in the various branches of Social and Human Sciences (sociology, economics, demography, political science, law, public health and epidemiology) with a well established international network. In addition to this core it calls on professionals from the geriatrics, gerontology and psychiatric fields as well as professionals from the care sector (directors of establishments, EPHAD (care homes for the elderly) and hospitals).
Missions
The ageing of the population in developed countries is one of the main challenges for public health and for social welfare systems, with the various chronic diseases and forms of handicap that tend to be associated with age. There is a need for new ways of dealing with these problems, combining public and private systems of support (compulsory insurance, private insurance, support for the family, development of new types of job and services, etc.). In the USA and UK, these are referred to as long-term care policies. There is considerable social demand for knowledge about these issues and there is still a lack of research scientists, in particular in human and social sciences. This situation has recently been emphasised by the preliminary Ménard report on Alzheimer’s disease presented to the President. The CIR – SOLO will provide a centre of knowledge on these issues within a major higher education establishment that can facilitate interdisciplinary research.
The Centre’s research team is made up of sociologists, demographers, political scientists, economists, biostatisticians, epidemiologists, managers and practitioners from the welfare, geriatric, psychiatric and gerontology fields. The Centre will not only encourage research into long term care and vulnerability but will also provide a platform for communication between the world of research at national and international level and the professional world.
The CIR SOLO has now taken over some of the missions of the LAPSS (Laboratoire d’Analyse des Politiques Sociales et Sanitaires – Social and Welfare Policy Analysis Laboratory), see LAPSS (pdf, 90 kBytes).
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