The University of Milan PhD in Economic Sociology, Organization, and Labor - ESOL
The University of Milan

The University of Milan

PhD in Economic Sociology, Organization, and Labor - ESOL

Milan, Italy

PhD

3 years

English

Full time

Oct 2026

On-Campus

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Key Summary

    About : The PhD in Economic Sociology, Organization, and Labor (ESOL) focuses on understanding the interplay between economic structures and social dynamics. This program encourages a multidisciplinary approach, integrating theories from sociology, economics, and organizational studies. It’s designed for students aiming to conduct in-depth research in areas like labor relations, organizational behavior, and economic systems.
    Career Outcomes : Graduates from the ESOL program can pursue various career paths in academia, research institutions, or policy-making organizations. Potential roles include university lecturer, research analyst, and consultant in labor relations or organizational development.

The training is characterised by a strongly interdisciplinary approach, in which economic sociology is complemented by the contributions of labour law, economic-statistical and organisational-business disciplines, and behavioural sciences. These competencies are necessary to work in a complex and rapidly changing society, accelerated by technological innovation, unexpected phenomena, and unprecedented socio-political evolutions. In addition to theoretical knowledge, the programme provides strong methodological and empirical research skills.

The Economic Sociology, Organisation and Labour (ESOL) PhD course aims to train PhDs with high-level skills from different disciplinary backgrounds that are essential to the study, management and regulation of economic, organisational and labour phenomena. The training is characterised by a strongly interdisciplinary approach, in which economic sociology is complemented by the contributions of labour law, economic-statistical and organisational-business disciplines, and behavioural sciences. These inter- and multi-disciplinary competencies are necessary to innovatively address the role of social and institutional factors in the analysis and regulation of economic, organisational and labour phenomena in a complex and rapidly changing society, accelerated by technological innovation (e.g. the role of Artificial Intelligence in the world of organisation and work), unexpected phenomena (the Covid, to mention the most relevant), and unprecedented socio-political evolutions (e.g. the new globalisation, conditioned more than in the past by geopolitical dynamics). In addition to theoretical and substantive knowledge on the topics covered by the PhD programme, the training programme aims to provide strong methodological and empirical research skills, both quantitative and qualitative, in line with recent advances in international social and economic sciences, including non-standard sociological analysis techniques such as experiments and experimental simulations in digital laboratories. In addition to this, alongside teaching activities and work with supervisors, PhD students are engaged in continuous discussion sessions with the entire Faculty and with each other to develop a reflective capacity on their own and others' research practices.