Social Science Research Council
For Support Of The Social Media And Democracy Research Initiative
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Amount$1,000,000
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Program
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Date Awarded5/30/2018
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Term4.0 Months
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Type of SupportGeneral Support/Program
Overview
The Hewlett Foundation recently launched a fund to research how digital disinformation is affecting political polarization and undermining U.S. democracy, and what can be done about it. One challenge has been securing data access from online platforms. In April, an agreement was reached with Facebook to make data available to scholars, in privacy-protected ways, to better understand how Facebook is impacting elections, and democracy, globally. The agreement brings together seven funders from across the political spectrum. The Social Science Research Council will play a key role. The council is one of the most respected institutions working globally to foster research on important public issues and will be engaged at every stage of this work: announcing requests for proposals, selecting and awarding funds to scholars, and translating learnings to the public.
About the Grantee
Grantee Website
www.ssrc.org
Address
300 Cadman Plaza West 15th Floor, One Pierrepont Plaza, Brooklyn, NY, 11201, United States
Grants to this Grantee
for the Digital Platforms and the Public Interest Project
The Social Science Research Council was founded in 1923 by seven disciplinary associations to support social science in the public interest. This grant will support a one-year project to convene a group of senior, mid-career, and early-career economists to investigate the potential for an investment in economics research on digital platforms. The project will (a) survey the existing economics literature on digital platforms, (b) identify open research questions that could lead to important new evidence about digital platforms, (c) consider the potential implications of the proposed research agenda for new policy and regulatory frameworks, and (d) consider the potential implications of the proposed research agenda for new intellectual frameworks in the discipline of economics.
