Established in October 2009, the Institute for Empirical Social Science Research (IESSR) was proposed and founded by Professor Yanjie Bianas one of the key “985” third-period projects at Xi’an Jiaotong University (XJTU).

The IESSR focuses on research of social relationships as a way to grasp the social reality of great changes that are taking place in China at the present. While the centrality of social relationships to Chinese culture and society may be characterized in the term “relationalism” (or “guanxi-ism”), the IESSR currently develops five topical areas of research: classic theories of relational sociology, empirical research of relational sociology, relational patterns in the management of business and public organizations, the social psychology of relationalism, and formal modeling of relational patterns of social interaction. The IESSR has plans to organize major survey projects and offer intensive courses, guest lectures, and summer schools in efforts to explore and establish Chinese sociological theories and empirical research.

The IESSR attracts social science scholars in the nation and around the world. It has invited scholars of international and national prominence to serve on its academic advisory committee, and ten scholars have been invited to conduct teaching and research in their capacities as Research Fellows in Residence. In addition, the IESSR has eight XJTU faculty affiliates, one post-doc researcher, and a number of graduate and undergraduate research assistants.

Among the first-rate social science research facilities is the Telephone Survey Center (TSC), designed to collect pubic policy data, monitor major social trends, analyze significant social issues, and provide consultancy to Chinese policy makers. To serve the interest of the XJTU community and the general public, the TSC carries out research projectson behalf of local communities and various organizations.

Mission Statement: The IESSR aims to promote theoretically oriented empirical social research, train a new generation of social scholars, create a first-class data bank, and build a research platform for Chinese and international researchers at XJTU.

The IESSR strives to be a special academic home for scholars at home and abroad!