A Decade of Social Issues Research in India

Thematic Analysis of Doctoral Studies Through Topic Modeling (2011-2020)

Abstract

Universities and research centres serve as epicentres of knowledge in any society, aiding policymakers in the formulation and implementation of policies based on research findings. This study examines doctoral theses on social issues awarded at Indian higher education institutions between 2011 and 2020, focusing on dominant themes and their temporal evolution. Topic modeling, specifically Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA) implemented in Python, was applied to analyse 448 theses downloaded from Shodhganga, a national repository. The analysis identified nine dominant themes, with the largest proportion (15.40 %) addressing child and gender issues, followed by 13.84 % on corporate, political, and legal challenges. Theses on social development and education accounted for 12.72 %, while 10.94 % focused on political issues in social development. Other topics included social identities, government policies, rural development, corporate social responsibility, and adolescent stress. The findings highlight the central role of child and gender-related issues in doctoral research, with shifting focuses over time in response to socio-political changes. Themes such as rural development and women’s economic roles fluctuated, while social development and gender dynamics showed consistent growth. This study underscores the evolving academic priorities and potential gaps between academic research and societal needs, offering insights for future research directions in social issues.