The Institute of Social Sciences, the result of an intellectual quest to provide socially relevant and activism-oriented research, aims to study contemporary social, political and economic issues, with an inter-disciplinary perspective. The Institute makes its research findings and recommendations available to government bodies, policy makers, social scientists and workers’ organizations so as to widen their options for action. Advocacy in the area of local governance is another main concern of the Institute. It monitors public policy, takes up relevant research and engages in consistent advocacy. The Institute has since its inception in 1985 sought to bring to the centre stage the issue of participatory local self-government, people centric development and democratic governance. >>>>

Thrust Areas

Governance

Governance is a major area of research of the Institute. It has pioneered research and advocacy on local bodies which have been constitutionally designated as "institutions of self-government."

Local Democracy

The main focus of our study includes grassroots democracy, functional, financial and administrative autonomy of local governments, theory and practice of local finance and best practices in local governance.

Urban Studies

The Urban Studies department focuses its research on issues related to urban governance and the interface between citizens’ organisations and local government in urban development.

Women Studies

The Institute has been working for the last several years in the field of political empowerment of women, gender justice and the role of women in participatory democracy.

Globalisation

Globalisation, particularly its impact on local democracy, has been a major focus of our study. The Institute is engaged in studies on various aspects of globalisation and its social impact since early 1990’s. Results of studies and research on this subject have attracted worldwide attention.

Global Network on Local Governance

Promoting a sound understanding of local democracy at the regional and global levels, dissemination of values of local democracy, participative governance, documentation and exchange of experience in local governance and widening the scope for people’s participation in governance are the primary objectives of the Global Network on Local Governance.
For More Information Please Visit : http://www.gnlg.org

Legal Aid System on Local Governance

The Legal Aid Centre has been set up by Institute of Social Sciences (ISS) to provide various legal services for local government institutions (LGIs) in India. To enable the local governments (the panchayats and municipalities) aware of their constitutional and legal rights, and Institute of Social Sciences also take up legal interventions on their behalf.
(www.laslg.org)

Database on Local Government

Institute has been maintaining a web-enabled database on various aspects of local government in India. It covers national, state and district level data. .
(www.localgovernmentindia.org)

Human Rights

Impact of decentralization on human rights, human rights initiatives in India and South Asia, police training and reforms and prison reforms are our main areas of research.

South Asia Studies

South Asia is a focal area of study, research and action of the Institute.

International /National Conferences

The Institute has held a number of international conferences on Poverty, Basic Services and Environment : the Asian Experience (1994), Kerala's Development Experience (!996), Europe and South Asia: 500 years (1999).

Internship, Exchange Programmes

The Institute encourages graduate and research students to spend time at the Institute as interns. Field studies will be facilitated from here. The Institute also welcomes professors/scholars from Advanced Social Science Research Institute and University Departments to spend a tenure here as Visiting Fellows, Visiting Professors.
For affiliation to the Institute and other details, write to the Foreign Scholars Department, Director's Office, Institute of Social Sciences.

International Partnerships

The Institute works closely with the Forum of Federations (Ottawa), National Endowment for Democracy (Washington), World Movement for Democracy (Washington), South Asia Partnership (Colombo) and European Institute on Asian Studies (Brussles). We have regular exchange visits of scholars and researchers. We also have internship programmes for foreign students. We provide the young scholars our library facilities, faculty guidance and all other help in facilitating their field work.