Focus Areas
The Council nurtures the excellent, the experimental, and the innovative. A research area that is critical today may have been emerging just a few years ago, and the scope of the SSRC’s work reflects the ever-changing nature of human life and society. Our work is currently organized around the following general focus areas.
Emergent Technologies & Democracy

In an era of ubiquitous digital communication, uneven democratic participation, and heightened polarization, understanding the dynamic relationship between technology and politics is more important than ever.

Health & Society

Building bridges between the social and natural sciences, researchers and practitioners, and world regions, our programs investigate the global and local effects of pressing issues such as disease outbreaks and public health misinformation.

Inequality & Inclusion

Inequality—both in society at large and within the academy itself—remains an urgent issue. Council programs bring innovative social science analysis to bear on our understanding of the roots and consequences of unequal participation in political, economic, and social systems across the globe.

Global Scholarship & Collaboration

We catalyze collaboration among scholars and institutions across world regions, promoting research at the intersection of “place-based knowledge” and global issues that shape communities, nation-states, and the world.

Programs
By supporting scholars, generating and elevating new research, and building bridges between the academy, government, and the private sector, the Council’s diverse roster of programs address critical issues ranging from climate change in the Indian Ocean region to the global spread of disinformation.
Abe Fellowship Program

Supporting US and Japan-based researchers and their work on contemporary issues
African Peacebuilding Network

Supporting African research on peacebuilding and its integration into regional and global policy
Anxieties of Democracy

Can representative democracies be strengthened to govern more effectively?
Arts Research with Communities of Color Program (ARCC)

Exploring how social science can advance the arts through research, theory building, and analysis
Conflict Prevention and Peace Forum

Mobilizing knowledge to support UN capacity for conflict prevention, peacemaking, and peacebuilding
CSWEP-SSRC Women in Economics Research Consortium

The American Economic Association’s Committee on the Status of Women in the Economic Profession (CSWEP) and the Social Science Research Council (SSRC) invite proposals to evaluate cost-effective and scalable interventions …
Cuba Program

Facilitating information flows and scholarly relations between Cuban scholars and their counterparts abroad
Digital Culture

Exploring the intersections of technology, knowledge, and culture in a digital age
Data Fluencies

The Data Fluencies Project seeks to develop an expansive and interdisciplinary approach that combines the interpretative traditions of the arts and humanities with critical work in the social and data sciences to support innovative engagements with (and resistances to) our data-filled world. 
Drugs, Security and Democracy Program

Supporting research in Latin America and the Caribbean to inform drug policy
Fostering Liberal Arts Knowledge and Connections Program

Building faculty collaboration across disciplines and institutions to enrich teaching and research
Global Scholars Initiative

Connecting junior scholars in Asian institutions with advisors and English-medium journals
International Dissertation Research Fellowship

Providing PhD candidates with support for dissertation research
Just Tech

Empowering a network of researchers and practitioners to imagine more just technological futures
Measure of America

Tracking well-being and access to opportunity in America from the perspective of human development
Media & Democracy

Seeking to understand the evolving relationship between media, technology, and politics
Mellon Mays Graduate Initiatives Program

Addressing underrepresentation among college and university faculties
Next Generation Social Sciences in Africa

Supporting the next generation of African researchers working on peace, security, and development
PROGRESS

Addressing institutional processes that inhibit women and intersectional scholars in the social sciences
Religion and the Public Sphere

Advancing and mobilizing new knowledge about religion, secularism, and public life
Scholarly Borderlands

Shaping the craft of social science by facilitating collaboration and innovation across disciplines
Sloan Scholars Mentoring Network

Supporting diversity in STEM through professional development, mentoring, networking, & leadership training
Social Data Initiative

Exploring social media’s impact on society and engaging with questions of ethics and privacy
SSRC/NEH Sustaining Humanities Infrastructure Program (SHIP)

Offering relief to humanities programs and institutions affected by the Covid-19 pandemic

Transregional Collaboratory on the Indian Ocean

Uniting scholars around the globe to question the implications of environmental issues
The Mercury Project

The Mercury Project is a global consortium of researchers dedicated to combating the impacts of mis- and disinformation on public health and to finding interventions that support the spread and uptake of accurate health information.

Together, we can build a healthier information environment.
Gbadolite Airport
Understanding Violent Conflict

Strengthening and expanding scholarship on violent conflict around the world
Initiatives
Through a number of organization-wide projects and cross-institutional collaborations, we engage emergent research questions and facilitate field-defining conversations. These initiatives not only help to foster new pathways to understanding, but also serve as vehicles to advance research infrastructure across the social sciences.
College and University Fund for the Social Sciences

A consortium of higher education institutions dedicated to strengthening the infrastructure for social and behavioral science.
Covid-19 and the Social Sciences

Covid-19 and the Social Sciences seeks to explore how persistent social realities—such as entrenched racism, economic inequality, and the proliferation of misinformation—have shaped present circumstances in the global pandemic.
SSRC Fellow Initiative

The SSRC Fellow initiative invites distinguished scholars to the Council to strengthen research and programming in the areas in which we currently work or aspire to work.

The Albert O. Hirschman Prize

The Hirschman Prize is the highest honor of the Social Science Research Council. It recognizes excellence in social and behavioral science in the tradition of Albert O. Hirschman’s pioneering research.
An American Dilemma for the 21st Century

An American Dilemma for the 21st Century is an archive and digital platform designed to preserve and extend the seminal work of Swedish economist Gunner Myrdals on the American ideals of equal opportunity and democracy in the face of deep and enduring racial discrimination.
Research Tools
Beyond providing scholars and the public with social science research, the Council makes available various pedagogical and investigation resources. These tools can better inform the work of researchers and policymakers.
Measure of America Maps

Easy-to-use data visualization and mapping tools for understanding the distribution of well-being and opportunity in the US
SSRC Labs

Self-directed educational resources for digital methods in the humanities and social sciences
An American Dilemma

A digital archive of the Carnegie-Myrdal Study of the Negro in America research memoranda
MediaWell

A platform for tracking and curating the latest research and news on mis- and disinformation and related topics
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