Social Science Research Council

Technological, social, political, and economic conditions are changing the production of knowledge in contemporary societies. Traditional institutions of science and education are being transformed and new ones created. The Knowledge Institutions Program Area works to understand these shifts and their implications. It affirms a commitment to rigorous social science that can inform public and private sectors on topics related to mounting challenges in public higher education, changing models of undergraduate and graduate training, new practices of scientific research, and emerging partnerships in K-12 education.

Current Activities:

Higher Education: The SSRC Higher Education Program is aimed at informing the twin and often rivalrous goals of higher quality and equality by advancing the theoretical, methodological, and empirical understanding of shifts in the institutional culture and structure of higher education worldwide.

Science: The SSRC Science Program supports new cross-disciplinary and cross-sectoral approaches, enhances capacity, and draws attention to the academic, public, and political factors affecting the scientific enterprise.

K-12 Education: The SSRC Education Program promotes rigorous, cross-disciplinary social science research related to education and the law; education and business; and evaluation, assessment, and interpretation.