International Institute of Social Studies

The International Institute of Social Studies (ISS) of Erasmus University Rotterdam is an independent international graduate school of policy-oriented social science. ISS was established in 1952 by Dutch universities and the Netherlands Ministry of Education. The ISS is located in The Hague, Netherlands.

Between 300 and 400 students are enrolled in the ISS programmes, mostly in the Master and PhD programme in Development Studies. The students come from over 150 countries.

In addition to its educational work and research, ISS is active in advisory work and institutional capacity building projects.

ISS was founded in 1952 by the Dutch government to assist in the training and further education of professionals, especially, but not only, from developing countries. This was one way in which the Netherlands sought to develop good relationships with intellectuals and policy makers in partner countries, including and beyond former Dutch colonies.

Queen Juliana offered to house ISS in the Noordeinde Palace in The Hague in 1951. At first, ISS was perceived as a teaching institute, although by 1954 ISS was aiming to become research and teaching driven. Due to the role ISS played in creating the European Association of Development Institutes (EADI), and its focus on research and academic quality, the Institute received its formal rights to award the PhD in the 1970s. From 1993 onward, the ISS has been located in the former headquarters of the Netherlands Post and Telecommunications (the PTT) on the Kortenaerkade.

In 2009 ISS became part of Erasmus University Rotterdam. The partnership was carefully negotiated, due to ISS wanting to remain fairly autonomous and to retain its mission.

For many years, the main funding body for ISS Masters students was the Dutch government, through the OKP programme (formerly the NFP programme) administered by the Nuffic in cooperation with Dutch Embassies. The OKP programme is currently under review by the Dutch government.

ISS provides education in the social sciences to postgraduate professionals, mostly from developing countries and countries in transition. The courses are all taught in English and cover a number of fields, including development economics, migration, public policy, governance, gender, agriculture, food, population, social security, children and youth, and human rights.