Social science researchers and knowledge have had a profound impact in Asia over the past century, from helping achieve relatively stable economic growth to supporting the establishment of stable liberal democracies across the region.

In the 21st century, the world is facing fundamental structural changes in politics, economy, and society. It is impossible to ignore the calls for social scientific alternatives to address these changes. Globalization is coming to an end, and confrontations between regions, countries, and civilizations are showing signs of intensifying. Accordingly, the Association of Asian Social Science Research Councils (AASSREC) intends to examine the past and present paths of social science in Asia, identify major problems to be faced, and begin an attempt to search for academic alternatives. Furthermore, the AASSREC intends to derive variables that cannot be well understood from the perspectives of politicians and bureaucrats, and to suggest appropriate directions for policy enactment. This will break the vicious cycle of designing and disposing of policies according to the whims of politicians and establish sustainable policies regardless of regime changes.

The 25th AASSREC Biennial General Conference will be hosted by the Korean Social Science Research Council (KOSSREC) and the National Research Council for Economics, Humanities and Social Sciences (NRC) in Korea. The conference will be held at Yonsei University from 14-16 June 2023. AASSREC will mark its 50th anniversary in 2023 and the conference will provide participants with an opportunity to look back on Asian social sciences so far, discuss what role social sciences are currently playing in policymaking in each country, and what direction Asian social sciences should take in the future.

View the conference program and find out more here.