International Social Science Council

The International Social Science Council (ISSC) was an international non-governmental organisation dedicated to the promotion, coordination, and advancement of the social sciences worldwide. Founded in 1952 under the auspices of UNESCO, the Council was headquartered at UNESCO’s premises in Paris, France. For more than six decades, the ISSC served as a key global platform for fostering international cooperation in the social sciences, supporting research capacity, and strengthening the role of social science knowledge in addressing societal challenges. In July 2018, the ISSC merged with the International Council for Science to form the International Science Council (ISC), marking the end of its independent institutional existence but not its intellectual legacy.

Historical Background and Establishment

The origins of the ISSC lie in the post-Second World War period, when international organisations increasingly recognised the importance of social science research for reconstruction, development, and peacebuilding. Following a resolution adopted at the Sixth General Conference of UNESCO in 1951, the ISSC was formally established in October 1952. Its creation reflected UNESCO’s broader mandate to promote international intellectual cooperation and to encourage the systematic development of knowledge across disciplinary boundaries.
The legal and organisational framework of the ISSC evolved over time. Its statutes were adopted in 1972, completed and revised in 1979, and subsequently amended on several occasions in response to changes in the global research environment. Further revisions took place in 1985, 1992, 1998, 2006, and 2010. Throughout its existence, the Council was registered in accordance with French law, ensuring its status as an independent international non-governmental organisation.
The ISSC’s historical trajectory culminated in its merger in 2018 with the International Council for Science, an organisation representing the natural and physical sciences. This merger aimed to create a unified global body capable of integrating social and natural sciences in addressing complex global challenges.

Mission and Objectives

The central mission of the ISSC was to advance the social sciences in terms of their quality, innovation, and societal relevance across all regions of the world. The Council sought to promote social science research beyond national and regional boundaries, encouraging comparative and international approaches to understanding social phenomena.
Key objectives of the ISSC included supporting social science capacity building, particularly in countries and regions where research infrastructure and resources were limited. The Council aimed to act as a central clearinghouse for information on social science resources, including data on research capacities, institutional structures, and the societal impact of social science knowledge. It also worked to broaden interdisciplinary collaboration within the social sciences and to strengthen connections between social sciences, the humanities, and other scientific fields.
A further core objective was to link social science knowledge more effectively to public policy and local needs, thereby contributing to improved quality of life and informed decision-making. Promoting social science literacy among citizens was also an important element of the Council’s mission, reflecting its commitment to the public value of research.
The activities of the ISSC were guided by principles such as academic freedom, the pursuit of excellence, equitable access to scientific information and data, open communication, transparency, accountability, and the use of knowledge for societal benefit. The Council also placed particular emphasis on supporting the participation of women, minorities, and other underrepresented groups in social science research.

Governance and Organisational Structure

The governance of the ISSC was based on a representative and participatory structure. Its highest decision-making body was the General Assembly, composed of representatives of the Council’s member organisations. The General Assembly met every three years to review activities, set strategic priorities, and determine the overall direction of the Council’s work.
The Executive Committee, elected by the General Assembly, served as the governing body between General Assembly meetings. It consisted of a President, two Vice-Presidents, a Treasurer, and ten additional members. The Executive Committee oversaw policy implementation, programme development, and financial management.
An Executive Director, appointed by the General Assembly on the recommendation of the Executive Committee, headed the ISSC Secretariat. The Executive Director served as an ex officio member of the Executive Committee and of all standing and ad hoc committees. The work of the Council was further supported by a wide network of scholars and experts from around the world who volunteered their time to serve on committees, advisory groups, and working groups.

Flagship Activities and Programmes

One of the most visible activities of the ISSC was the production of the World Social Science Report, published every three years in partnership with UNESCO and other international organisations. These reports aimed to assess the state of social science research globally, identify major challenges, and provide recommendations for future research, practice, and policy.
The World Social Science Report 2010: Knowledge Divides examined global inequalities in social science knowledge production and use. The 2013 report, Changing Global Environments, addressed social dimensions of environmental change and sustainability. The 2016 report, Challenging Inequalities: Pathways to a Just World, focused on social, economic, and political inequalities and their implications for global justice.
The ISSC also convened the World Social Science Forum, a major international event designed to bring together researchers, policymakers, funders, and civil society actors. The first forum was held in Bergen, Norway, in 2009, followed by meetings in Montreal in 2013, Durban in 2015, and Fukuoka in 2018. Each forum addressed themes of global significance, including inequality, digital transformation, global relations, security, and sustainability.
Another major initiative was the Transformations to Sustainability programme, which supported social science-led research on pathways towards sustainable development. Funded by international development agencies, the programme supported seed projects and large-scale Transformative Knowledge Networks, contributing to long-term global research capacity and interdisciplinary collaboration.
In addition, the ISSC initiated and co-sponsored a range of international research programmes addressing themes such as poverty, disaster risk, gender, globalisation, democratisation, and environmental change. These programmes fostered comparative and interdisciplinary research through international networks of scholars.

Prizes and Capacity Building

The ISSC awarded two major international prizes: the Stein Rokkan Prize for Comparative Social Science Research and the Foundation Mattei Dogan Prize for Excellence in Interdisciplinary Research. These prizes recognised outstanding scholarly contributions and were awarded through international selection processes involving expert juries.
From 2012 to 2015, the ISSC also led the World Social Science Fellows programme, which supported early-career researchers from around the world, particularly from low- and middle-income countries. The programme aimed to foster a new generation of globally connected research leaders capable of addressing complex global problems through collaborative and interdisciplinary approaches.