About IPSR

Introduction

The Institute for Policy & Social Research was established in 2000 as the Policy Research Institute. PRI became IPSR in August, 2006. IPSR brings together social scientists from a broad range of disciplines to pursue and conduct sponsored research at the international, national, regional, state, and local levels. IPSR affiliated faculty represent disciplines such as economics, education, environmental studies, geography, political science, public administration, social welfare, sociology, and urban planning.

IPSR has four research centers: the Center for Economic and Business Analysis, the Center for Environmental Policy, the Center for International Political Analysis, and the Center for Research on Global Change. In addition, the Institute currently has one workgroup, Law, Society, and Global Justice. The research centers and workgroup(s) foster collaborative projects among faculty with similar research interests.

IPSR’s grant development staff assists researchers with all stages of proposal development, beginning with identifying potential funding sources, developing and refining the proposal, preparing the budget, and finalizing the proposal for submission. Once awarded, IPSR assists with award administration. IPSR research is funded by the federal government, private foundations, corporations, and state and local governments.

IPSR operates the Survey Research Center, which conducts telephone, mail, and web surveys. Other IPSR research services include computing and data services, publications, and conference and workshop planning.

View a graphical representation of the IPSR organization.

View IPSR Organizational Chart (PDF)

Research Centers

Center for Economic and Business Analysis (CEBA)

State and local economic development, economic impact analysis, economic modeling, and tax research are the major areas of emphasis for CEBA. CEBA includes the Kansas Center for Community Economic Development (KCCED) and the Center for Research in Entrepreneurial Activity (CREA).

KU Entrepreneurship Works for KS Initiative: The KU Entrepreneurship Works for KS Initiative is a joint project by the KU Center for Entrepreneurship in the School of Business and the Institute for Policy & Social Research at the University of Kansas. It is funded by a University Center Program grant from the Economic Development Administration with the U.S. Department of Commerce.

Center for International Political Analysis (CIPA)

A collaborative effort with the Department of Political Science, CIPA supports international research that is outside the boundaries of traditional centers or in areas of the world not covered by other university programs.

Center for Environmental Policy

Engaging in the social sciences, engineering studies, and legal studies, this center examines various dimensions of environmental policy.

Center for Research on Global Change

Exploring and understanding the social, political, economic, and cultural dimensions of global change is the focus of the Center for Research on Global Change which supports projects that foster collaborations among social scientists and connect them with their colleagues in the humanities, natural sciences, arts, engineering, and professional schools.

IGERT C-CHANGE: Climate Change, Humans, and Nature in the Global Environment

Climate change and its impact on the planet’s biological, ecological, and social systems has been identified as one of the “grand challenges” of the 21st century by the National Academies of Science. The KU C-CHANGE program creates collaborative classroom and field research experiences to examine the human and natural causes and consequences of climate change by bringing together students and faculty in the social and natural sciences and engineering. Our goal is to advance scientific knowledge about global climate change by connecting researchers, disciplines, and institutions.

Research Workgroups

Law, Society, and Global Justice: This research group, including faculty from Political Science and Public Administration, studies the role of law in the administrative and policy process.
IPSR Scholars: These faculty members who obtain Institute support and assistance for their research endeavors, are actively engaged in research that complements IPSR's research goals.

Research Activities

Survey Research Center (SRC): IPSR's University of Kansas Survey Research Center offers local, state, national, and international survey expertise.

Grant Support

IPSR's grant support office provides assitance to faculty applying for external funding in social science or other policy related fields. Services include assistance identifiying prospective funding sources, proposal submission, and administration of funded projects. Learn more about the grant support office at: http://www.ipsr.ku.edu/grantsup/.

Public Service

Business & Industry Data Center: IPSR is the Business & Industry Data Center (BIDC) lead agency for Kansas. The BIDC program is an expansion of the State Data Center (SDC) partnership with the U.S. Census Bureau. The BIDC program is a means to increase public awareness of economic data and to make wider use of these data.
Information Center: As a coordinating agency of the Kansas state data center, IPSR provides assistance in locating, interpreting, analyzing, and visualizing demographic and socio-economic data for researchers, faculty, and others.
Conferences and Workshops: IPSR hosts the annual Economic Policy Conference, the annual Community Economic Development Conference, and other seminars and workshops.

Publications

Kansas Policy Review (KPR): The KPR features articles relating to policy issues in Kansas the High Plains region, and the nation and is published twice annually.
Kansas Statistical Abstract (KSA): The KSA is the primary resource document for Kansas Statistics and is updated annually.

For More Information

If you would like more information about the Institute for Policy & Social Research and its products and services, or if you would like to be included on one of the Institute's mailing lists, please call or write:

Information Manager
Institute for Policy & Social Research
1541 Lilac Lane
607 Blake Hall
The University of Kansas
Lawrence, Kansas 66045-3129
Phone: 785-864-3701
Fax: 785-864-3683
E-mail: ipsr@ku.edu