About Us

The HSRC conducts and promotes social science and humanities research that is in the public interest. Specifically, our research aims to advance South Africa and Africa’s understanding of and engagement with its social conditions and the particular contexts within which these social conditions occur. The knowledge we generate seeks to contribute to local, regional and global understandings of the human and social conditions of people, and the processes and interventions which will assist in the improvement of their social standing. With this distinct mandate, the Council has become one of South Africa’s leading research institutions.

Our mandate is to inform the effective formulation and monitoring of government policy; to evaluate policy implementation; to stimulate public debate through the effective dissemination of research-based data and fact-based research results; to foster research collaboration; and to help build research capacity and infrastructure for the human sciences.

The Council conducts large-scale, policy-relevant, social-scientific research for public sector users, non-governmental organisations and international development agencies. Research activities and structures are closely aligned with South Africa’s national development priorities.

The HSRC’s integrated research programmes provide single points of entry – complete with a critical mass of researchers – for interdisciplinary and problem-orientated research. Read more about the research programmes and other departments: http://www.hsrc.ac.za/en/departments