Developing a scientific understanding of how individuals, small groups, and organizations affect threats, prevention, resilience, security, and recovery activities related to the homeland security mission is a vitally important undertaking. Social sciences focus on the root causes of behavior at individual, organizational, and institutional levels and represent numerous fields of study, including sociology, economics, psychology, criminology, and political science, among others.
Some of the challenges faced by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) are not easily or appropriately solved by technology. Social sciences are key to helping understand the nature of threats and risks, as well as how the Department’s responses to these threats and risks can be most effective. In this area, combatting terrorism, human trafficking, child exploitation, and targeted violence, and helping to build a fair, orderly, and humane immigration system, are among the Department’s priority missions and an integral part of the Science and Technology Directorate’s (S&T) research in social sciences.
S&T’s focus areas in social sciences are:
- Motivations and Drivers - We seek to increase our understanding of the underlying motivations and drivers of specific human-centric DHS missions and produce the knowledge, fundamental understanding, and tools necessary to manage risk, find remedies for ills, and prepare for change.
- Changing Behavioral and Social Implications - We aim to improve our awareness and understanding of how changes in the technology landscape impact social interactions, behaviors, and threat vectors.
- Technology Acceptance and Limitations - We endeavor to advance the acceptance of new technologies into DHS missions.
Resources
- Social Sciences Technology Center
- S&T Technology Centers Division Research Agenda
- Public Safety and Violence Prevention
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