New Interdisciplinary Institute Studies Children, Families in Context of Changing World

By Timothy Farrell

Bringing together more than 40 NYU faculty from the social, behavioral, and health sciences, the newly formed Institute of Human Development and Social Change (IHDSC) studies how complex social forces, such as globalization and immigration, affect human development. The institute, whose work officially launches with an academic conference on Oct. 5, is a joint initiative of the Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development, the Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service, the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, and the Office of the Provost.

“Both IHDSC and Steinhardt share a commitment to improving the lives of children and families through interdisciplinary research,” says Steinhardt Dean Mary Brabeck. “There is enormous potential for the work of these talented faculty members from across the University to shape policy and practice. I look forward to the discussions their work will provoke.”

The work of the institute focuses on a number of areas, with working groups on investments in human development, early childhood education and policy, and family processes in cross-cultural contexts. The institute also provides seed support for faculty for multidisciplinary research on human development and the role of changing social contexts. More information, including a request for applications, can be found at Steinhardt’s Office of Research.

“In an increasingly complex world, children, youth, and families face developmental challenges that span a wide range of economic and social contexts,” says Cybele Raver, director of IHDSC and associate professor of applied psychology at Steinhardt. “The institute recognizes that a multidisciplinary approach is necessary to tackle these complex issues.”

The institute will produce one large academic conference each semester, as well as a series of smaller seminars. The first conference, “Culture, Investments, and Human Development,” takes place on Oct. 5 at the Kimmel Center and features three guest speakers: XinYin Chen, professor of psychology at the University of Western Ontario; Andrew J. Cherlin, Griswold Professor of Public Policy at Johns Hopkins University; and James J. Heckman, 2000 Nobel Prize Laureate in Economics and Henry Schultz Distinguished Service Professor in Economics at the University of Chicago. The conference is free and open to the NYU community. To reserve a seat, email ihdsc@nyu.edu.