Sociological Glossary

Our sociological glossary is new; we are in the process of developing our online sociological glossary, with more terms to be added as we go along. If you think there is something we haven’t added yet, please let us know.

Glossary

A B C D E F G H I L M N O P R S T U V W
  • Welfare State

    The welfare state refers to a government system that provides social support, such as healthcare, education, and financial assistance, to promote well-being and reduce inequality.

  • Wertfreiheit

    Wertfreiheit is a methodological principle introduced by sociologist Max Weber (1864–1920). It demands that social researchers maintain strict separation between their personal values and the empirical facts they discover. In short, Wertfreiheit is the rule that a researcher must report what is, not what ought to be.

  • White-Collar Crime

    White-collar crime refers to financially motivated, non-violent crimes committed by individuals in business or professional settings.

  • Widening Participation

    Widening participation refers to policies aimed at increasing access to higher education for underrepresented groups, including students from low-income backgrounds and first-generation university students.

  • Working-Class Students in Higher Education

    Working-class students in HE face financial, cultural, and institutional barriers, often navigating an unfamiliar academic environment.

  • World-Systems Theory

    Immanuel Wallerstein’s world-systems theory explains global economic inequality by dividing the world into core, semi-peripheral, and peripheral nations.