Sociology and public policy: on recent achievements in Portugal

Abstract

The article values the contribution of the sociological knowledge to public policies. First, it considers the epistemological and institutional foundations of an efficient use of that knowledge. Second, it identifies four main trends organising the recent evolution of the Portuguese sociology in this field: (a) the routinization of sociological inquiries, (b) the sociological activism, (c) the dissemination of scientific culture and (d) the research and training in public policies. Finally, three current challenges are addressed: (a) the preservation of scientific autonomy, (b) the public communication of scientific procedures and outputs and (c) the pluralism of ideas and theories.