G E N E R A L N E WS THE
INSTITUTE
THE
HAGUE,
OF
THE
SOCIAL
STUDIES
(ISS)
NETHERLANDS
The Importance of Human Resources in Encouraging Growth IT W l
Located in the centre o f The H ague, the In stitu te o f Social Studies (ISS) is an internationally renow ned graduate school o f Social Science teaching and research in the field o f develop m en t studies. In its 45 years o f existence, the In stitu te has grown in to a university in its ow n right and in to Europe’s largest cen tre for D evelop m ent Studies. The In stitu te has strong ties w ith counterpart in stitu tes all over the world and the international sta ff is active in a w ide variety o f projects. ■ By M A T T Y KLATTER
T%
y dint o f a strong policyoriented and multidiscipli-I—J nary approach in its teaching programmes, research, projects and advisory work, the ISS aims to con tribute to the strengthening o f selfreliant development and a more equi table spreading of knowledge throughout the world. The ISS offers extensive opportuni ties for graduate study at diploma, master’s, and doctorate levels. Cours es are taught in English and are in tended for specialists who already
have academic training and job expe rience. ISS courses are multidiscipli nary, bringing in knowledge and in sights acquired in the fields of eco nomics, sociology, political science, public administration, anthropology, statistics, and international law. De grees are (internationally recognized and incorporated in the Netherlands Higher Education and Research Law. The Institute's international char acter is reflected in the diversity of its student body: since its foundation 8000 students from 160 countries have participated in its programmes, thereby extending its vital interna
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tional network and enhancing its in ternational outlook. Currently, teaching activities in The Hague involve about 300 stu dents in 15 standard programmes, ranging from short-term courses o f 7 weeks to a 15-month Master of Arts and 4 years for the PhD programme. The ISS has a favourable teacherstudent ratio; class sizes are 20-25 stu dents. The Institute’s environment stimulates free discussion of develop ment issues among participants and staff who collectively represent a very broad range of experience and theo retical interests. Curricula are flexible and reviewed regularly according to changing insights in development theory and the changing priorities of students. Policy workshops and (in ternational] seminars are held under ISS auspices in The Hague and abroad.
Research projects Research at the ISS is characterized by an interdisciplinary approach to fundamental as well as policy-orient ed research questions. It aims to con tribute to the generation of knowl edge o f and provide insights into the differentiated patterns of social and economic change at local, regional, and global levels. ISS research focuses on issues such as poverty, oppression, unsustainability, gender-related is sues, conflicts between state and civil society, problems of governance, and tensions among ethnic and religious groups. Benefitting from its rich experi ence, accumulated over almost 45 years of international research and project work, the ISS plays a role in the direction o f new trends in devel opment studies and contributes to the international dialogue on issues of development and change. Exam ples of this are the frequent public lectures on policy issues and academ ic approaches to these as well as the Institute’s publishing activities, in cluding the quarterly journal Devel opment and Change. The ISS teaching staff has extensive development research experience. On average, staff spend two to three months per year in developing coun tries, either to carry out research in collaboration with colleagues in
. t^ r - l ■
THE ISS BUILDING
on the Kortenaerkade in The H ague.
6 • HAS
N EW SLETTER n ? io
• Autumn 1996
these countries, to advise govern ments, or to participate in jo in t pro jects. The Institute's vast network of contacts enable it to contribute to the understanding and solution o f social and economic problems related to the development process, and to evolve the policy skills and techniques that are needed for the solution o f such problems. The staffs continuous learning from field experiences and its spin-off in teaching and research constitute a major asset of the ISS. The Institute’s involvement in a wide range o f external projects and advisory work is typical of the ISS ap proach. Projects o f collaboration that combine teaching and research are undertaken with universities and re search institutes in various develop ing countries. Examples include pro jects such as the project in Women and Development Studies with the Univer sity o f the West Indies, Graduate Edu cation in D evelopm ent Economics with the University o f Colombo, the devel opment of the Faculty of Economics at the Universities of Hanoi and Ho Chi M inh City, the W orker's Participa tion and Development project, in coop eration with the Organization o f Af rican Trade Union Unity, as well as the project Pastoralism and Resource C om petition with the Organisation for Social Science Research in Eastern and Southern Africa.
International M em berships As an international academic insti tution the Institute’s linkages are world-wide. It is a member of the E u ropean Association o f Development Re search and Training Institutes and a member of international associations such as the Society fo r International De velopment. The ISS is also a member of the Federationfor International Education in the Netherlands (FIONj. The ISS partici pates in the Centre fo r Resource Studies fo r Development (CERES), the national, inter-university research school for development studies recognized by the Royal Netherlands Academy o f Sci ences. The ISS is one o f the partners in an agreement o f Institutes of Interna tional Education and the Agricultural University ofWageningen, focused on strengthening the position of inter national education in higher educa tion and integrating it more cogently into the Netherlands system of high er education and research, a system
W ell-deserved honours: JOAN RAWLINS fro m Jam aica
leaving the Auditorium with PROFESSOR HANS OPSCHOOR, director o f the ISS, after the successful public defense o f her PhD thesis.
which itself is going through major changes and as part of that process is increasing its international orienta tion. While ISS students are now fullfledged participants in the Dutch university system, the ISS safeguards its specific characteristics of multicul tural, interdisciplinary postgraduate education. Regular interaction be tween ISS and Dutch students at the PhD level signifies the full maturity of the system of International Educa tion in the Netherlands, of which the ISS constitutes an important part.
Cross-cultural exchange The ISS is not only a focal point for interdisciplinary research but also for cross-cultural exchange of ideas and insights. Its value can be measured not ju st in terms of increasing human capital in developing countries, but also in the Netherlands. In many in stances, there is value added com pared with monodisciplinary research in Dutch universities. Links with alumni are strength ened through refresher courses held regularly on a regional basis in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. Many ISS alumni hold senior public posts such as ministers, heads of planning agen cies, senior civil servants and staff of international agencies as well as lead ing positions in universities and re search institutes. ■
For more information, contact the ISS EXTERNAL RELATIONS OFFICE
P.O. Box 29776, 2502 LTThe Hague The Netherlands Tel: +31-70-4260506 Fax: +31-70-4260799 E-mail: klatter@iss.nl ISS Home Page: http://www.iss.nl