New international network with UAB involvement to promote research into work and employment
Thirty research centres from 19 countries, including the Sociological Research Centre on Everyday Life and Work (QUIT) of the UAB, recently launched the Work-Net International network with the aim of collaborating in work and employment-related issues, and expanding the effect of their studies on public policies worldwide.
The creation of Work-Net International responds to the growing need of taking on multidisciplinary approaches to tackle complex work and employment-related issues. The centres and institutes that make up this network are dedicated to disciplines such as the economy, sociology, law, social psychology, history, geography and business management. This multidisciplinary approach is one of the pilars that will reinforce the impact of research and will give way to a more profound understanding of how work and employment affect the life of people, as well as economic and social development.
In this sense, Work-Net seeks to generate a greater impact in public and academic debates, particularly within a global context of huge changes in employment, and focusing on both challenges and opportunities. The final goal is to become a propelling force in the analysis of key issues, such as decent work and economic growth, gender equality and the elimination of inequalities, etc. All in line with the UN's Sustainable Development Goals.
Among its main initiatives, Work-Net will promote knowledge sharing and research dissemination, organise study groups on emerging topics, and provide relevant information on job vacancies and doctoral opportunities. It will also seek to identify partners for comparative research projects and encourage the development of new methodologies and research areas.
The Sociological Research Centre on Everyday Life and Work (QUIT) of the UAB is one of the 10 centres and institutes that make up the Work-Net steering group, along with the Work and Equalities Institute at the University of Manchester, the Center for Applied Research on Work (CAROW) at Cornell University (USA), the Center for the Study of Work and Employment (CEET) in Paris, the Inter-University Research Center on Globalization and Work (CRIMT) at the University of Montreal, the Department of Social and Political Sciences of the University of Milan, the Centre for Industrial Relations Research (FAOS) at the University of Copenhagen, the Institute for Work and Qualification (IAQ) at the University of Duisburg-Essen, the Fafo Institute in Oslo, and the Center for Southern Inequality Studies (SCIS) at Wits University in Johannesburg.
The official presentation of the new international research network took place on 21 January at the Sixth Fairness at Work Conference, organised by the Alliance Manchester Business School (AMBS). The event was attended by Oscar Molina, director of the Instiutte for Employment Studies (IET) of the UAB, and by Joan Miquel Verd, director of QUIT.