Centre d’économie et sociologie appliquées à l’agriculture et aux espaces ruraux

CESAER’s research addresses the economic, social and environmental aspects of contemporary rural development by mobilizing mainly spatial, agricultural or public economics and sociology of stratification or professions.
The Territorial Dynamics and Development axis deals with the economic and social transformations of rural and peri-urban areas. They are places of production hosting agricultural, agro-food, industrial, and site-specific activities, places for recreation and residence, and places devoted to the conservation of natural environments. This plurality of uses has significant repercussions on how occupation and government of these areas.
The Social Groups and Rural Worlds axis analyses the sociological logics of structuring of rural areas, institutional production and the supervision of social groups (farmers, overrepresentation of the working classes, etc.), forms of political commitment and mobilisation, etc.
Moreover, two interdisciplinary topical groups make it possible to combine perspectives and skills: the Socio-spatial inequalities group intends to improve understanding of the disparities between geographical areas and between populations; the Sustainable food and agriculture territories group is concerned with the economic and environmental impact of agro-ecology, public policy supporting an agro-ecological transition, and the sustainability of European food quality policies (labels, short sales chains).