The Social Governance and Sustainable Development Lab (SGSD Lab) was established in January 2025, by the Department of Sociology at The Chinese University of Hong Kong. This initiative aims to capitalize on rapidly emerging opportunities, primarily aligned with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal 16 (SDG 16). The concept of “social governance” encompasses a wide range of research areas and issues, effectively capturing the essence of SDG 16 and addressing topics including criminology, violence, victimization, global governance, non-discriminatory laws and policies, equal access to justice, and the governance of cyberspace. The lab will focus on these critical research issues, as social governance plays a vital role in promoting sustainable social development, reflecting the significant impact of sociological research.

Missions

1. To support scientific analysis of social governance and its role in the sustainability of social development in the distinct contexts of Hong Kong, the Great Bay Area, and mainland China.
2. To promote comparative research with other regions in the globe for studying the common opportunities and challenges to SGSD in the globe.
3. To promote collaborative research with industry partners and stakeholders who work on or consider initiating SGSD.
4. To facilitate research impact by connecting SGSD scholars and stakeholders.
5. To provide a research platform for scholarly exchanges and collaboration among SGSD scholars in Hong Kong.
6. To train graduate students to study SGSD.