Welcome to the Social Science Library:
Frontier Thinking in Sustainable Development and Human Well-Being

The Social Science Library (SSL) is a project of The Global Development And Environment Institute (GDAE) at Tufts University in conjunction with the UN Decade for Education for Sustainable Development. It is currently maintained by the Economics in Context Initiative at Boston University Global Development Policy Center.

The SSL contains complete bibliographic references for over 9,300 journal articles, book chapters, and working papers covering Anthropology, Economics, History, Political Science, Social Psychology, Sociology, and Philosophy.

The SSL has been developed with the goal of giving global attention to those social science writings that are most likely to contribute to understanding and promotion of sustainability and human well-being. The specific goals of the Social Science Library are:

• Furthering the development of the social sciences in the world’s less wealthy nations;
• Strengthening the ability of social scientists to influence their local policies; and
• Ensuring that global debates on the future of the human species increasingly include all voices.

The benefits from social science knowledge cannot be realized when access to the existing literature is limited. Even when access is available, it may be difficult to evaluate and select materials from the Internet and other sources of widely varying quality. The characteristics of selectivity, interdisciplinary breadth, and organization make the Social Science Library uniquely qualified to assist potential users.

• The SSL articles and bibliographical references will enable teachers to create a wide variety of syllabi and course materials in many areas of social science.
• The SSL will provide examples and materials for researchers and writers as they go on to write up their own observations and analyses. The whole world will benefit from the resultant broadening of perspectives in the social sciences.
• Students will be able to pursue their interests, and discover new interests, as they browse the SSL on their own, or follow lines of inquiry laid out by their instructors.
• Policy-makers and citizens whose education has included exposure to the best social science writings—especially those that are oriented toward human well-being and sustainable development—will be better able to understand their own circumstances; to assess policies suggested by foreign advisors; and to envision the most appropriate policies and choices.

The Social Science Library is a project by: