Grants

Ohio State University

Project Title

For a quantum bootcamp for social scientists.

Date

Sep. 10, 2020

Duration

63 months

Description

Contemporary frames of analysis in social science originate from classical Newtonian physics and logic, which are becoming increasingly outdated. In other realms of research, such as in decision and game theories, experts are starting to abandon this classical worldview and adopt a more accurate, scientifically validated, quantum reality. This project at Ohio State University’s Mershon Center for International Security Studies (Mershon Center) seeks to bring international relations scholars up to speed on the utility of quantum theory in their analysis. Through this grant, the Mershon Center will organize a two-week long bootcamp for scholars and practitioners in international relations to expose them to new findings on quantum mechanics and their broader relevance to social science. The project will aim to create a cadre of rising experts with capacities to provide analyses and insights that go far beyond the traditional frameworks.

Project Title

For a project on international order and war

Date

Jun. 04, 2020

Duration

36 months

Description

At a time when geopolitical rivalry and global events are challenging current conceptions of the international order, scholars and practitioners have surprisingly little to contribute on the relationship between order and war. Much of their attention has focused on relations among states within international orders, not on the interactions among states within orders and states outside of them. Because most international orders are partial and exclude rival states, the literature on this subject is incomplete in responding to some of the most important questions facing the world, such as how best to design an international order or orders to promote future peace and stability. To fill this gap, the Modeling Emergent Social Order Lab (MESO) at The Ohio State University will examine this subject with new datasets and quantitative modeling methods. From the project’s findings, MESO will produce policy briefs, publish in key policy-focused journals and blogs, such as The Monkey Cage, and produce datasets that will be made available to the broader scholarly and policy communities.