The HSRC was established in 1968 as South Africa’s statutory research agency and has grown to become the largest dedicated research institute in the social sciences and humanities on the African continent, doing cutting-edge public research in areas that are crucial to development.
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 in the following areas:
Africa Institute of South Africa
Democracy, Governance and Service Delivery
Economic Performance and Development
Education and Skills Development
Human and Social Development
Population Health, Health Systems and Innovation
Social Aspects of HIV/AIDS, STIs and TB.
A cross-cutting entity, Research Use and Impact Assessment, seeks to extend and enhance the use and impact of scientific research from the HSRC and other sources of research; and to manage the HSRC’s relationships, reputation and brand.
Demolition of uninhabited shacks in Bloekombos, Kraaifontein, Cape Town, August 6, 2020. The land, which was to be developed as a community facility for neighbouring communities, has been illegally occupied by people who have been demarcating plots and building informal settlements.
Rodger Bosch/AFP
Despite millions of free homes built since 1994, spatial inequality in South Africa remains high. A study evaluating a programme to boost rentals in well-located areas found mixed results, however.
Démolition de cabanes inhabitées à Bloekombos, Kraaifontein, au Cap, le 6 août 2020. Ce terrain, qui devait être aménagé pour accueillir des équipements collectifs destinés aux communautés voisines, a été occupé illégalement par des personnes qui ont délimité des parcelles et construit des habitations informelles.
Rodger Bosch/AFP
The low levels of familiarity with key historical events indicate that there are serious shortcomings in the development of national collective memory in South Africa.
South Africans wait in a queue for free food. Understanding the social impact has been key to managing the pandemic.
Photo by Luba Lesolle/Gallo Images via Getty Images
The lead role of public health researchers continues to be important. But there is growing acknowledgement that social scientists have to be present from the very beginning.
As technology - and the data that drives it - becomes more integral in education, policies will need to shift.
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By opening data, monitoring and reporting on air quality can be complemented by data from various sources to create more localised and relevant decision-support solutions.
Hunger contributes strongly to health inequalities.
Marco Longari/AFP via Getty Images
The Freedom Charter process was an imperfect but impressive attempt at capturing the will of the people and articulating an alternative vision to apartheid South Africa.
Parents and family must consciously support children in completing a few hours of school work during this period.
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Despite the best efforts of governments, schools and parents there'll be learning losses across the board and worsened educational outcomes for the poor.
Supporters of Cameroonian President Paul Biya outside the French embassy in Yaounde.
Getty Images/AFP
South African parents want their children be taught in English despite the fact that research shows that academic progress is hindered if a child is taught in a language they aren't proficient in.
Sexist stereotypes are playing out in the world of artificial intelligence.
yavi/Shutterstock
All the virtual personal assistants on the market today come with a default female voice and is programmed to respond to all kinds of suggestive questions and comments.
Violence directed against migrants from elsewhere in Africa flares up frequently in South Africa.
Kim Ludbrook/EPA
Services have not featured strongly in the economic strategies of developing countries. However, South Africa's recently published economic reform proposals point to a greater role for services.
Research Director: Developmental, Capable and Ethical State (DCES) research division, and Coordinator of the South African Social Attitudes Survey (SASAS), Human Sciences Research Council