Problem-solving sociology uses sociological insights and ideas to solve social problems, and uses the solving of social problems to advance sociological theory. See this brief introduction and this theoretical discussion, order the book, or watch a book talk.
We currently run the following initiatives:
virtual coffee hours (run by Ji-won Lee)
the Problem-Solving Ethnography workshop (led by Paul Lichterman)
the Center on Global Poverty at Johns Hopkins University (formerly the Solving Global Poverty Collaborative)
periodic "solving panels"
annual dissertation proposal development workshops for graduate students
occasional reading groups
To subscribe to our mailing list, click here. Contact Monica Prasad if you would like to start a new reading group or discussion group or conference or workshop or other initiative under the problem-solving umbrella.
(To share your work, sign up for the PSS Virtual Coffee Hour or the Problem-Solving Ethnography workshop.)
September 19, 2025 at 3pm EST
The Future of Foreign Aid Speaker Series with George Ingram ( Brookings Institution)
Aid in an Era of Disruption
October 17, 2025 at 3pm EST
The Future of Foreign Aid Speaker Series with Rob Bertram (Food Security Leadership Council, ex-USAID)
Title TBA
November 14, 2025 at 3pm EST
The Future of Foreign Aid Speaker Series with Michael Woolcock (World Bank/Harvard)
Not Charity, not Decoration: Fulfilling our Mandate in Tough Times
May 5, 2026 at 3pm EST
Future of Foreign Aid Panel
(in-person in Washington, D.C.)
Mirta Toledo, "Pure Diversity"