The AAPSS seeks to promote the progress of the social sciences and the use of social science knowledge in the enrichment of public understanding and in the development of public policy. It does so by fostering multidisciplinary understanding of important questions among those who create, disseminate, and apply the social sciences, and by encouraging and celebrating talented people who produce and use research to enhance public understanding of important social problems.

Values Statement

Social science seeks to create knowledge and enhance understanding of individual, social, and institutional behavior. The greatest value of social science is to improve the quality of human life and to advance the public good. The findings and conclusions of social scientists should be completely transparent, no matter how controversial. Social science requires the highest standards of theory and evidence. It should protect the dignity of human subjects of research and the rights of scholars to freedom of inquiry.

Vision Statement: Our Strategy for the Future

The AAPSS will work to strengthen the social sciences and their usefulness to society. We will build bridges between areas of inquiry that limit the social sciences’ ability to inform public understanding and improve public policies. We will promote communication between the social sciences and institutions whose actions can promote human well-being. We will also promote communication between the social sciences and the broader community by forging relationships between social scientists and members of these broader audiences. We will create forums, both face-to-face and virtual, that inform public deliberations and increase the influence of the social sciences among the many who seek to shape those policies. We will not avoid controversy and will strive to ensure that diverse perspectives are included in our activities. We will also raise the visibility of those whose works embody our mission and values by promoting and celebrating their accomplishments. And we will continue to publish and disseminate The Annals, which we intend to develop as the journal of choice for academics, public officials, members of the media, and the intellectually curious.