The Minerva Research Initiative, a university-based social science research initiative sponsored by the U.S. Department of Defense, has awarded more than $3 million in funding for a research project led by Allen Hicken, a University of Michigan professor of Political Science and a research professor at the Center for Political Studies at the Institute for Social Research.
The four-year project, “Cohesion under Crisis: Concepts, Measures, Implications,” will investigate the role of social cohesion in weathering crisis, focusing on the Indo-Pacific region: Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, and Vietnam.
Leveraging the skills of a team of researchers across multiple institutions, the project will develop and assess a new conceptual framework for studying social cohesion that accounts for complex social dynamics and changing contexts.
The Indo-Pacific region has faced various challenges to peace and security in the past century: colonialism and decolonization; civil and international conflict; rapid economic change, in some cases, and stagnation, in others; natural disasters and environmental challenges ranging from earthquakes to climate change. Social cohesion is an important factor for understanding how these factors unfolded, according to the study team. As the Indo-Pacific region confronts these and new challenges, such as the rise of China and public health threats, this study will help researchers and policymakers better understand crisis resilience.
The implications for national defense: “A grounded perspective on social cohesion among countries in the region is essential for developing a strategic approach to deterring aggression and planning around unanticipated shocks to the region’s geopolitical order,” Hicken said.
The researchers will investigate how social cohesion varies regionally and over time, and what factors support or undermine cohesion. They will also report on the tradeoffs for using different measurement and data collection strategies in the region, helping identify best practices for research that must balance accuracy with cost effectiveness.
Hicken will oversee the project team that includes Dan Slater, James Orin Murfin Professor of Political Science at the University of Michigan and also an affiliate of the Center for Political Studies; Thomas Pepinsky, Walter F. LaFeber Professor of Government at Cornell University, and Anil Menon, Assistant Professor of Political Science at the University of California, Merced.
The project was one of 19 university-based proposals selected by the Minerva Research Initiative, which announced $46.8 million in grants this year to support research in social and behavioral sciences on topics relevant to future challenges and U.S. national security.
Contact: Tevah Platt
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