The Asian Development Research Institute (ADRI) was established and registered as a Society by a group of social scientists in 1991. It is a non-profit civil society organization, dedicated to social science research. The motivation for starting yet another Institute in Patna was not merely to expand social science research, but to emphasize some dimensions of it which were thought to be critical but had received rather limited attention.

These are:

• to undertake academic research of direct relevance to development efforts made by an individual or a group or the community itself
• to broaden the database of research as also of its end use by involving as many classes of persons and institutions as possible
• to offer research outcomes in a more innovative, demystified and use worthy form; and finally
• to restore (wo)man to her/his central position in social research in totality and with full dignity

ADRI, since its foundation in 1991, is working on several fronts within these core objectives. At present, it has six units dedicated separately and together to research and developing resources for literacy and education SRC Patna and (SRC Ranchi), vocational training (JSS)), broadening inter-disciplinary social science research (ADRI Institute) and (Dharohar) with a special focus on economic policy and public finance (CEPPF)

DEVELOPING INTERDISCIPLINARITY

Knowledge creation and extension has increasingly become compartmentalized within the social sciences in the highly specialized demands of tightly bounded disciplines and sub-disciplines. This has led to a certain amount of cognitive dissonance in academic approaches within disciplines and set limits on the integrative aspects of socially useful knowledge.

Interdisciplinary approaches are central to ADRI’s pursuit of broadening the scope of research (research at ADRI Institute, at SRC Patna, at SRC Ranchi, at CEPPF and at Dharohar) and its end use by involving as many classes of persons and institutions as possible and to offer research results in innovative, demystified and use worthy content. As an institution, ADRI is committed to building interdisciplinary through its own research and collaborative efforts both in terms of methodological and conceptual basis and applied focus.