
Institute of Social Sciences
The Institute of Social Sciences coordinates and oversees research projects carried out by SWPS University’s researchers and teaching-researchers, specializing in social sciences. The Institute has the power to grant doctoral and post-doctoral degrees (habilitacja) in the disciplines of sociology and political and administrative sciences.

What We do
Coordination of Research Projects
The Institute of Social Sciences coordinates and evaluates research projects conducted by our academics specializing in sociology, political and administrative sciences, economics, and management studies. Our team of experts includes researchers from the Faculty of Humanities in Warsaw, the Faculty of Social Sciences in Warsaw, and the Faculty of Psychology and Communication in Wrocław.
The Institute is responsible for overseeing research budget, securing research funding from grants and international projects, and establishing research cooperation with foreign research centers that specialize in social sciences.
Academic Promotions
SWPS University has the authority to grant doctoral and post-doctoral degrees (habilitacja) in sociology and political and administrative sciences. So far, 21 doctoral degrees have been granted (data as of January 2020). Since October 2019, Academic Promotions are managed by the Institute of Social Sciences.
Research centers
List
Center for Policy Design and Evaluation
Contact usThe mission of our Center is to understand better the mechanisms that make public policies effective in addressing the challenges of the Anthropocene. We focus our applied research on two objectives: (1) Developing smarter public policies and (2) Making our public institutions smarter.

The Center conducts research on the economic, financial and management processes related to the development, preservation, commemoration and functioning of memorial sites around the world. The Center also carries out related activities, including diagnosis of the financial and administrative requirements of memorial sites; gathering and analysis of best practices, and the development of measures of effectiveness related to the operation of various memorial sites around the world.

The Center researches theories, models, and quality of democracy. Researchers study citizen participation in democratic and political processes, democratic innovations, social movements, as well as political views and attitudes. The goal of the Center is to improve the public sphere.

Youth Research Center, operating under the auspices of SWPS University, carries out interdisciplinary research in the area of youth studies. The Center not only brings together researchers at various stages of their careers, but also actively collaborates with the community and business partners with respect to the activation of young people.Join us on Facebook

Authorities

Director
sociologist and political scientist, specializes in the analysis of poitical systems
Scientific Board
The members of the Scientific Board, a decision-making body of the Institute of Social Sciences, include:
- Mikołaj Cześnik, Ph.D. / Associate Professor – Chair
- Klaus Bachmann, Professor
- Igor Borkowski, Professor
- Krzysztof Jaskułowski, Professor
- Piotr Kwiatkowski, Professor
- Radosław Markowski, Professor
- Katarzyna Januszkiewicz, Ph.D. / Associate Professor
- Marek Kochan, Ph.D. / Associate Professor
- Evelina Kristanova, Ph.D. / Associate Professor
- Adam Leszczyński, Ph.D. / Associate Professor
- Igor Lyubashenko, Ph.D. / Associate Professor
- Karol Olejniczak, Ph.D. / Associate Professor
- Paulina Pustułka, Ph.D. / Associate Professor
- Benjamin Stanley, Ph.D. / Associate Professor
- Karina Stasiuk-Krajewska, Ph.D. / Associate Professor
- Adam Szpaderski, Ph.D. / Associate Professor
- Michał Wenzel, Ph.D. / Associate Professor
- Mariusz Wszołek, Ph.D. / Associate Professor
- Marta Żerkowska-Balas, Ph.D. / Associate Professor
- Olga Barbasiewicz, Ph.D. / Assistant Professor
- Anita Basińska, Ph.D. / Assistant Professor
- Katarzyna Bąkowicz, Ph.D. / Assistant Professor
- Michał Chlebowski, Ph.D. / Assistant Professor
- Olga Czeranowska, Ph.D. / Assistant Professor
- Katarzyna Dębska, Ph.D. / Assistant Professor
- Agnieszka Golińska, Ph.D. / Assistant Professor
- Justyna Kajta, Ph.D. / Assistant Professor
- Agnieszka Kwiatkowska, Ph.D. / Assistant Professor
- Magdalena Łużniak-Piecha, Ph.D. / Assistant Professor
- Iwona Morozow, Ph.D. / Assistant Professor
- Karolina Osterczuk, Ph.D. / Assistant Professor
- Wioletta Pacholarz, Ph.D. / Assistant Professor
- Anzhela Popyk, Ph.D. / Assistant Professor
- Mikołaj Rogiński, Ph.D. / Assistant Professor
- Monika Rosińska, Ph.D. / Assistant Professor
- Justyna Sarnowska-Wilczyńska, Ph.D. / Assistant Professor
- Sylwia Szostak, Ph.D. / Assistant Professor
- Maciej Sychowiec, Ph.D. / Assistant Professor
- Oliwia Szczupska, Ph.D. / Assistant Professor
- Katarzyna Wojtkiewicz, Ph.D. / Assistant Professor
- Piore Zagórski, Ph.D. / Assistant Professor
- Marcin Zaród, Ph.D. / Assistant Professor
- Olga Zielinska, Ph.D. / Assistant Professor
- Zuzanna Kapciak – representative of doctoral students
Employees
Our team of experts includes internationally renowned sociologists, public opinion and market researchers, political scientists, management experts, economists, psychologists, and media experts.












































News


THE Rankings by Subject 2025: SWPS University ranks first in Poland in social sciences
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Stolen Pride: Lecture by Prof. Arlie Russell Hochschild
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Congress on Prisoners of War Memorial Sites: Heritage and Strategies for the Future
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Dr. Katarzyna Growiec Receives Horizon Europe Funding for LONELY-EU Project
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United in pursuit of change: insights from the 3rd Social Innovations Conference
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SWPS University Moves Up in Times Higher Education Impact Rankings
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Social Innovations. Co-Creating Change
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The EU: Creating Opportunities for Europe
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SWPS University in Times Higher Education Young University Rankings 2024
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USWPS Political Scientists Receive EEP Best Article Award
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USWPS Tops Times Higher Education Ranking for Social Sciences in Poland
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USWPS Claims First Place in Poland for "Citations per Paper" in QS Rankings Europe 2024
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Professor Adam Szpaderski Awarded the Guardian of National Remembrance Medal
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SWPS University Becomes Member of European Reform University Alliance
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Research Scope
We research contemporary social phenomena and respond to the rapidly changing world, therefore, the results of our research help local governments align public policies with current needs, improve the quality of life in their regions and the whole country.
For example, Gov_LAB is a unique educational initiative developed for local governments to help them design services and effective support tools for local entrepreneurs and investors, while the I-Trend project provided data on the use and perception of psychoactive substances by Polish youth. The project resulted in the development of the so-called “Technical Folder” that showed the technical, epidemiological, psycho-social and political implications of the use of designer drugs, for individuals and communities.
We also conduct studies on the attitude of Poles towards the European Union, social migrations, belonging, and social participation. A team of researchers participating in an international project “CEEYouth” aims to identify different types of post-Brexit risks encountered by young migrants from Poland and Lithuania living in Great Britain, and the impact of Brexit on their life trajectories.
Research Projects
List
A History of Rwanda
Learn moreSurprisingly, a comprehensive history of Rwanda has not been written until now, partly due to the fact that many historical documents and sources are scattered around the world, for example in Belgium, Germany, Tanzania, Italy and the United States. The project led by Professor Klaus Bachmann remedies this situation by bringing the first comprehensive history of Rwanda, written in English, to readers around the world.

A typology of the relations between non-governmental organizations in Poland
Learn moreA close working relationship between NGOs, including knowledge and best practice sharing as well as common planning and project development, supports the growth of the third sector in economy. A research team, lead by Agnieszka Kaim, will examine the relationships between 30 selected NGOs and the overall condition of the NGO sector in Poland.

ActEU
Towards a new era of representative democracy - Activating European citizens’ trust in times of crises and polarization
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The project is funded by the Horizon Europe Programme of the European Union (HORIZON-CL2-2022-DEMOCRACY-01)

CEEYouth: The comparative study of Poles and Lithuanians in the context of Brexit
Learn moreSince the 2004 European Union's enlargement, the mobility of young Poles and Lithuanians has significantly increased. For many of them, Great Britain has become a new home. The situation suddenly changed in June 2016, when the Brexit Referendum results were announced. Researchers from SWPS University and from the Public Policy and Management Institute in Lithuania will research the types of risks that young migrants from Poland and Lithuania may face as a result of Great Britain leaving the EU.

CEDMO
Central European Digital Media Observatory
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The phenomenon of disinformation is one of the significant problems of contemporary societies. Central Europe is suffering the brunt of disinformation which, worldwide, is reaching unprecedented levels, on topics ranging from health to politics. The problem has become particularly significant in the context of Russian aggression on Ukraine. Research concerning fake news and preventive measures applied in this area should be multidisciplinary and transnational, because this phenomenon extends beyond the borders of countries and continents, while its thematic scope and structure are extremely complex. The Central European Digital Media Observatory (CEDMO) has been established to counteract the ubiquitous disinformation. To carry out this project, the consortium received a grant of PLN 9,252,497, including PLN 773,330 for SWPS University, provided by the European Commission from the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) program, and PLN 231,999 from Poland’s Ministry of Education and Science from the Co-financed International Projects Program. Additionally, SWPS University has provided PLN 25,788 for the project.

CoDesign4Transitions
Sustainable Transitions through Democratic Design
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Project No.: 101120074

Consistency or space for experimentation? Analysis of Poland's policy response to the migration crisis caused by the escalation of Russian aggression against Ukraine
Learn moreFunding provided by the National Sciences Center, project no.: 2022/45/B/HS5/00933.

DIASPOlitic
Understanding the Political Dynamics of Émigré Communities in an Era of European Democratic Backsliding
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Professor Benjamin Stanley, from SWPS University’s Center for the Study of Democracy, is the Principal Investigator in the Polish team contributing to this project.

EMPOWER
The Activation of Change: Empowering civic engagement of young Ukrainian refugees experiencing displacement in Poland and Ukraine
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The project is funded by the Foundation for Polish Science.

Feedback as a public policy intervention.
Comparative analysis and serious game testing of change mechanisms in food waste policies.
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Funding provided by the National Sciences Center, project no.: 2021/43/B/HS5/01935

GEMTRA: Transition to Motherhood
Across Three Generations of Women
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“It takes a whole village to raise a child,” in Poland this “village” means exclusively women. Although, times are changing, and with them the meaning of parenthood changes too, society is still convinced that it is the mother’s responsibility to raise a child and prepare it to live in a society. Besides personal and social expectations, there is also the reality of motherhood and intergenerational relations between mothers. Researchers from SWPS University will study the process of transition to motherhood through the eyes of three generations of Polish mothers: first-time expecting mothers, their mothers and grandmothers.

INSIMO
Work (in)stability and spatial (im)mobility from the perspective of young people on the move. Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic
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During this study, researchers from SWPS University investigate how the COVID-19 pandemic has influenced the professional and personal lives of young adults, including their mobility. Study participants were recruited among persons who had earlier participated in another youth study, which has allowed the researchers to carry out a longitudinal assessment, comparing the lives of young people before, during, and after the pandemic.

Institutionalization of political parties in the parliaments of Central Europe – data mining of parliamentary debates
Learn moreHow do new topics become a source of political conflict? How has the understanding of democracy changed over time? Can you predict which parties will fall quickly and which will become important political actors? The project, led by Dr. Agnieszka Kwiatkowska, aims to analyse the process of institutionalization of political parties in parliaments of five Central European countries (Poland, the Czech Republic, Lithuania, Slovakia and Hungary), by using quantitative methods of analysing textual data (parliamentary debates) and numerical data (roll-call votes) on an innovative database that will be created in the project.

Key factors determining strategic goals achievement of memorial museums
with particular emphasis on the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum in Oświęcim
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Museums and memorial sites of the former Nazi German concentration and extermination camps play an important role as elements of historical education and as a warning against horrific crimes committed by totalitarian regimes. However, for the warning to be loud and clear, these sites must be preserved, function and fulfill their educational role. To safeguard the crucial social values, memorial sites require significant resources. The majority of institutionalized memorial sites face considerable financial and organizational difficulties, although some of them fulfill their social mission very effectively and develop best management, fundraising, and commemoration standards.

MINTE
Migrants' Integration Through Education
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Mass migrations due to wars, poverty, and climate change have been a frequent phenomenon in the 21st century. Receiving countries face multiple challenges in communicating with newly arrived refugees from different countries, which hinders provision of necessary services. A consortium of European and Israeli research institutions will examine how different countries organize support and communication channels for displaced people arriving on their territory and will develop tools and recommendations for more efficient services.

MIMY
Empowerment through Liquid Integration of Migrant Youth in Vulnerable conditions
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Over the past few decades, Europe has seen large waves of migration from post-soviet countries in Europe and from other continents. Young people leave their homes in search of better lives in other countries, but it is not always that they build prosperous futures. Sometimes this happens due to lack of skills or the lack of policies fostering the integration of migrants into the productive society of the receiving countries. The MIMY project will examine the effectiveness of integration policies in a comparative and interdisciplinary manner.The project is financed by the Horizon 2020, grant no. 870700.

Model of effective management
of dispersed martyrdom heritage
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The project, led by Professor Adam Szpaderski, Head of the Center for Research on the Economics of Memorial Sites, presents an innovative approach to the difficult topic of effective management of dispersed martyrdom heritage – a research field which is part of the strategy of commemorating the tragic history of genocide perpetrated by Germans on the civil population of Warsaw and the surrounding areas during World War II.

Partisan bias or a climate of indifference?
An investigation of actually-existing democratic values and their consequences in Poland
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NCN Project No.: 2020/39/B/HS6/00853

Political branding:
new approach to relationship between party and voter
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NCN Project No.: 2016/21/D/HS5/03846

Political Knowledge in Poland
Learn moreAre average Poles interested in politics? Do they know their local MPs and the names of Ministers serving in the current government? Have they read the Constitution and are they familiar with laws and regulations decreed by the government? A team of sociologists and political scientists from SWPS University, led by Associate Professor Mikołaj Cześnik, will research what is the state of political knowledge among Poles and how this knowledge impacts their voting decisions and in consequence the politics of the country.

RaM-CLASS
Class reproduction and mobility - biographical experiences in academic, artistic, and business fields
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Project funded by the National Science Center, no. 2022/47/D/HS6/00726.

Relationship Between Social Movements and Political Parties
for the purpose of Democratic Representation of Social Groups in Europe
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NCN Project No.: 2021/40/C/HS6/00229

Social entrepreneurship
Fundamentals
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The researchers assume that a comprehensive approach applied in the project will guarantee long-term positive impact on the participants and a large number of people who, in the future, will benefit from the social enterprises created thanks to the project.

CHILDTRAN
Socialization agents shaping transnational transitions and multi-scalar belonging of migrant children in Poland
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Over the past several years, the number of migrants from various countries have been arriving and settling in Poland. Migrant children must adjust to new circumstances, transition from culture to culture, and socialize with new friends in foreign schools. This study investigates how the transition process happens and who are “socialization agents” facilitating this process.

The Impact of Electoral Rules
on the Quality of Local Democracy in Poland
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NCN Project No.: 2014/13/B/HS5/02580

The impact of war on social movements in Europe
Learn moreProject funded by the National Science Center, project no. 2023/51/D/HS6/01835.

Transnationalism and Colonialism
Settler communities in Southern Africa between NS-ideology and Apartheid
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The project is financed by the National Research Center, project number 2020/37/B/HS3/00643.

ULTRAGEN
Becoming an adult in times of ultra-uncertainty: intergenerational theory of 'shaky' transitions
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The project is financed by the National Science Center, under the OPUS-19 scheme, project number 2020/37/B/HS6/01685.

Publications
Our scholars publish extensively in Polish and international scientific journals. Their projects focus on the contemporary history of Central and Eastern Europe. Some topics include the role of mythology and symbols in politics, collective memory, and transitional justice. We also research political systems, in particular democracy, European integration, contemporary migrations, management and leadership, and organizational behavior.