ANNOUNCEMENTS
Globally, the stream of social science research (SSR) had emerged as a major domain in the academic, policy, political as well as governance discourses, despite the popular perception that social science is far from natural and physical sciences. It has been seen that SSR not only helped in developing systematic knowledge relating to social life of human beings and the process of changes and interactions in the socio-economic sphere but also contributed to our understanding of economic, political, and social development process. There is an inextricable link between policymaking and SSR, which needs to be addressed and moreover, it is of utmost importance to understand how SSR in India has influenced public policies and decision-making and what factors have contributed in fostering and strengthening any such association with government policies and programmes.
In general, government outlook towards social science research in India has been encouraging with two-fold objectives: one, to comprehend social, economic and administrative problems related to national development and second, to strengthen information-base to promote evidence-based policymaking. For instance, the Planning Commission of India (as well as the NITI Aayog) played a significant role in involving social scientists in policymaking. Likewise, several central government ministries and departments have established research institutes and supported research on socio-economic development and policy issues.
In this regard, supported by Think Tank Initiatives Program managed by IDRC, TERI University is organizing a roundtable conference titled "Enhancing Policy Impact of Social Science Research in India" in TERI University on 6th March 2017 from 10.30 am to 1.00 pm followed by Lunch. The main objective of the roundtable is to revisit the strength, barriers and opportunities that can further advances the contribution of social science research in informing policy making towards achieving the sustainable development goals in India.
