The Institute of Social Sciences (ISS) was established in 1985, motivated and driven by the urgency of intertwining participatory democracy with development.  Over the years, it has acquired considerable visibility, both nationally and internationally, as a resource centre contributing to the cause of local democracy, human rights and related issues through its research, various outreach programmes and social activism.  Democratic decentralisation is the bedrock on which the edifice of ISS has been erected.  As the years passed, ISS began expanding its scope to include more areas and tied up with serious democratic concern.  While the Panchayati Raj is its flagship, ISS has developed competence in women’s empowerment, human rights and federalism in terms of research, advocacy, monitoring and public engagement.

Vision

The vision of the Institute of Social Sciences is to develop as a premier institution of excellence in research, training and outreach programmes on participatory democracy and local governance, gender equity, human rights, and issues related to poverty, unemployment, socio-cultural deprivations and the like.

Mission

The mission of the Institute is to create informed public opinion, recommend policy, and contribute to the discourses on participatory democracy, local governance, human rights and expansion of opportunities for the socially and economically deprived people. While India’s plural, multi-ethnic society remains the primary concern, the Institute has been participating in the exchange of international experiences in order to respond effectively to the imperatives of the emerging global society with all its challenges and opportunities.

In the fulfillment of its mission the Institute engages itself in the following:

l Conducts not only fact finding/evaluative researches but also contributes to problem-oriented basic research.

l Developed library, data bank and documentation services.

l Offers training and instructional programmes.

l Engages in advocacy through meetings, conferences, seminars and by communicating through print, audio-visual media and the internet.