Professor David Thorns

Professor of Sociology

School of Social and Political Sciences. University of Canterbury

Vice President

Social Sciences Royal Society of New Zealand

Vice President

International Social Science Council

RESEARCH INTERESTS

David has over 30 years experience as an urban researcher working in the fields of housing, social policy, social inequality, tourism, research methodology and the implications of globalisation. Recent publications have addressed issues around global urban change, gating practices and sustainability. David is currently one of the principal researchers and Member of the Management Group of the Building Research Capability in the Social Sciences (BRCSS) project which is engaged in developing a national Social Science Network within New Zealand utilising the collaborative capability of advanced computer mediated storage, exchange and real time social interaction via Advanced Video Conferencing Technologies. David has a long standing interest in improving international comparative research through creating more accessible, reliable and standardised data bases that link administrative and research data bases. He is also a Principal Researcher on a Marsden funded project Winners and Losers in the Knowledge Society

KEY PUBLICATIONS

Thorns, D.C.
The Transformation of Cities: Urban Theory and Urban Life.
Palgrave/Macmillan Press, London, 2002
Oxley, L Walker, P, Thorns D. and Wang H,
The Knowledge Economy/Society:The Latest Example of Measurement Without Theory.
Journal of Philosophical Economics November 11.1 20-54 November 2008
Dupuis, A. and Thorns, D.
Gating Practices in a Risk Society.
Urban Policy and Research, 26(2), June: 145-157 2008
Perkins, H and Thorns D.C
Real estate advertising and intra-urban place meaning: real estate consultants at work
Environment and Planning A A40 9 2061-2079 2008
Perkins, H, Thorns, D.C. and Winstanley A
2008 House and Home: Methodology and Methods for Exploring Meaning and Structure
In Mangin P and Thompson S (Eds) Qualitative Urban Research Elsevier 2008
Ashton, H and Thorns, D.C
The role of information communication technology in retrieving local community
City and Community, 6:3 211-229 2007
Thorns, D.C
The Remaking of Housing Policy: the New Zealand Housing Strategy for the 21st century
Housing Finance International Vol XX, 4, 20-28 2006