Objectives

• To research and reflect about our society, our culture, and our time
• To study the processes molding the contemporary profile of the Costa Rican Society from diverse perspectives
• To orient the academic labor towards the search of viable solutions for the existing problems in our society
• To support the teaching labor of the College of Social Sciences through the publications of the Institute and our services of documentation and information

Main functions

• To develop projects on Research and Social Outreach within the frame of two Research Programs: New ways of accrual, allocation and inequality, and Cultures, Institutions, Subjectivities
• To carry out seminars of teaching extension, round tables, forums and workshops linked to the projects it develops
• Integrated Center of Central American Documentation on Social Sciences (CIDCACS, for its acronym in Spanish) which is open to the public
• Publications produced in the frame of our projects which are on sale
• To support the Yearbook of Central American Studies with teaching time, infrastructure and administrative labor
• To help forming students of Social Sciences of the University of Costa Rica by means of our programs of research scholarships to develop senior thesis and dissertations through the Program New Voices in Social Sciences
• To link the College of Social Sciences and other Colleges with the Latin American Board of Social Sciences (CLACSO, for its acronym in Spanish) of which we are members, facilitating the access to groups of work, scholarships and graduate programs

Remunerated

• Talks to external groups of the University, seminars of extension and workshops on topics directly related to the research done at the Institute
• The seminars and workshops have a basic cost for photocopies and coffee breaks expenses
• Sale of books produced in the Institute based on the research projects

Non Remunerated

• Research about essential themes for Costa Rican Society as well as for the Academy