International Panel on Social Progress Seeks Comments on Report

The International Panel on Social Progress (IPSP), which brings together social scientists around the world to analyze social trends and spur debate about social change and possible choices between alternative policies and institutions, is seeking comments on the first draft of its report.

The panel has launched an online platform where those interested can read the report and register to provide feedback. Comments must be received no later than Dec. 31, 2016.

In addition to welcoming comments on the report, the panel has established several ways to gather input from the public on key societal issues. It has opened several online surveys to gather opinions on issues such as democracy, social justice, the market economy, the welfare state, globalization, religion and social change.

IPSP’s online forums also provide the public with opportunities to converse on topics related to modern societies, several of which are hot topics in today’s political discourse, from government surveillance to the future of the European Union. IPSP encourages those interested in social progress to share their thoughts, ideas and experiences, and allow the forums to introduce them to alternative points of view.

IPSP is supported by Princeton University's Center for Human Values and the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs. Two experts on the panel are based at the Wilson School: Marc Fleurbaey, the Robert E. Kuenne Professor in Economics and Humanistic Studies, who serves as a member of the IPSP Steering Committee, and Kim Lane Scheppele, the Laurance S. Rockefeller Professor of Sociology and International Affairs, who is a member of the IPSP Scientific Council.

“We are keen on grounding our final report next year not just on our academic expertise but also on this phase of debate and discussion with people from all walks of life, other scholars, experts in administrations and think tanks, actors from business and nongovernmental organizations and ordinary citizens,” said Fleurbaey. “The public’s contributions to the surveys, comments and forums will build the foundation for a more impactful report.”