The Institute aims to advance critical scholarship, promote inter-disciplinary dialogue and amplify grassroots perspectives in collaboration with national partners, international organisations and leading universities.
The philosophy, ideas and actions of the organisation focus on pluralistic, participatory and sustainable development and seek to challenge the narrow theoretical and policy approaches derived from unitary models of development.
The institute incorporates five function-based operational units – Public Policy, Social Policy, Ecology and Environment, Working Lives and Social Protection, and Perspective Building and Policy Literacy.