What is Social Research?

Man by nature is inquisitive, and humans have an extraordinary capacity to exercise rational
judgment and probe the realities of the world around us. Inherent in humans is the urge to find
out the truth and to make a sense out of the things going around us. You might have observed
how a child observes, comprehends and understand the world. While you take this first step
towards the course in research methodology at the end of this course you will come to a
realization that all these things are already in your behavior and you in fact practice these things
every day, perhaps without realizing it. Social research is that domain of human inquisitiveness
which primarily deals with the structures and processes of the social world, in both their
enduring and changing dimensions. Man’s quest to reflect and probe the social realities at ever
deeper levels gives rise to new perspectives which are then questioned by future researchers,
further probed and ultimately lead to social theories. In an earlier unit you studied the eminent
philosophers in the different parts of the world who have tried to understand and analyze the
social realities. This unit takes you further and gives you an understanding about how modern
concepts of social research have developed over the years and helps you to differentiate between
research methodologies, research methods and techniques. End part of the unit provides you a
bird's eye view of research process which researchers have developed over the years to probe the
social realities.

We can define research as a systematic and logical pursuit made by human beings to find out
knowledge from any “phenomenon or relationship”. This tendency is deep rooted in human
behavior. Understandably, any human activity, can develop errors and therefore the pursuit of
research should use systematic methods so that errors can be brought to minimum .There is no
single prescribed method in research. In fact there are varieties of methods which can be used
seeing the nature of phenomenon or relationship – which we investigate. The range of research
methods and the philosophy behind such methods taken together constitute research
methodology. The success of the research primarily depends upon whether we have opted for the
right kind of methodology to investigate the issue in hand. This tendency, peculiar to human
beings has led mankind from it’s primitive stage of existence to modern age. Significance of
research is not only limited to satisfying human urge to know the unknown it is linked to whole
process of development. In modern times it is much more relevant. There is no sphere of human
endeavor which is untouched from the influence of research. The entire economic planning,
framing of government policies, business, studying social process, or marketing is carried out
with the help of research tools in our hand. You might have seen how big business houses project
and advertise their products. These advertising tactics are based on serious research exercise.
You will not find any other phase of human history when research might have played such an
important role in our life.

What is Research Problem?

A research problem is a definite or clear expression [statement] about an area of concern, a

condition to be improved upon, a difficulty to be eliminated, or a troubling question that exists in
scholarly literature, in theory, or within existing practice those points to a need for meaningful
understanding and deliberate.

Research problems in the social and behavioral sciences are often analyzed around critical
questions that must be investigated. These questions can be explicitly listed in the introduction
[i.e., "This study addresses three research questions about women's psychological recovery from
domestic abuse in multi-generational home settings..."], or, the questions are implied in the text
as specific areas of study related to the research problem. Explicitly listing your research
questions at the end of your introduction can help in designing a clear roadmap of what you plan
to address in your study, whereas, implicitly integrating them into the text of the introduction
allows you to create a more compelling narrative around the key issues under investigation.
Either approach is appropriate.

The number of questions you attempt to address should be based on the complexity of the
problem you are investigating and what areas of inquiry you find most critical to study. Practical
considerations, such as, the length of the paper you are writing or the availability of resources to
analyze the issue can also factor in how many questions to ask. In general, however, there should
be no more than four research questions underpinning a single research problem.
Research Topic

Social Security in Urban Area of Bangladesh: Problems and Possible Solutions

Statement of the Problem:

In many parts of the world, in the closing years of the twentieth century, social security systems
have been under challenge. Some consider that the systems are too expensive, and that they harm
the process of economic growth and development.

Others point to deficiencies in the level of protection and the scope of coverage, and argue that in
times of increased unemployment and other forms of labour insecurity, social security is more
needed than ever. Particularly in the industrialized countries (including the transition economies
of Central and Eastern Europe), social security systems must respond to new demographic
challenges, such as ageing and changing family structures, with important implications for the
financing of social protection. In some countries, there is dissatisfaction with the administration
of social security, and calls for reform involve a review of the role of the State, the
responsibilities of the social partners and the desirability of greater participation of the private
sector.

The Government of Bangladesh is strongly committed to reducing poverty, improving human

development and reducing inequality. This commitment is reflected in Vision 2021, the
Perspective Plan 2010-2021 and in the Sixth Five Year Plan FY11-FY15. The Government seeks
to build on past progress with poverty reduction and further deepen this progress by addressing
the root causes of poverty and by lowering the impact of risks faced by the poor and vulnerable
population. The Government appreciates that notwithstanding the past impressive progress with
poverty reduction, there is a substantial population that remains exposed to poverty owing to
various vulnerabilities. This includes the population that remains under the poverty line and
those that are just above the poverty line but could easily fall below the poverty line because of
these vulnerabilities. Evidence shows that the poor and vulnerable group cannot cope with all the
downside risks and shocks with their own resources.
Objectives of the Study:

General Objective:

The general objective is to find out the problems and possible solutions of Social Security in
Urban Areas of Bangladesh.

Specific Objectives:

 To know about the social security system of Bangladesh

 To find out the problems of social security
 To specify the solutions to make more than stronger

Research Problem:

A strategic review of programmes shows that some 65 percent of the Social Security
Programmes are seeking to address life-cycle related risks. Yet, there are significant gaps. The
Social Security coverage of children aged 0-4 years is very small. Furthermore, only a small
proportion of people with disabilities and elderly persons receive some form of benefit. Coverage
is highest among school age children but the transfers they receive are low in value, a problem
that affects almost all of Bangladesh’s Social Security schemes.

There is a dominance of food-transfer and rural employment programmes in terms of beneficiary

participation as well as funding owing to the nation’s focus on eliminating hunger and reducing
rural poverty. With rapid GDP growth over the past 10 years and good agricultural performance,
the incidence of hunger and food poverty is being reduced substantially. There is also evidence
that the labour market in agriculture is tightening as reflected in growing agricultural real wages.
In view of this changing economic landscape, the nature of poverty and the risk profile is also
changing. This requires a reassessment of the adequacy of the present Social Security schemes to
meet the Social Security requirements of the population of Bangladesh in the 21st Century.