About

The SNU Institute of Social Welfare was established on 5 January, 1990 as part of the Center for Social Sciences to function as a research hub for the Department of Social Welfare. Since its establishment, the Institute of Social Welfare has made substantial contributions to the development and evaluation of social welfare policies and intervention programs. Graduate students can also expand their research experiences by taking part in numerous research projects at the Institute.
Besides research projects, various academic activities are undertaken by the Institute of Social Welfare. The Institute has published the Korean Journal of Social Welfare Studies since 1989, which is now the leading journal in Korean social welfare research. Faculty members and researchers also write textbooks for teaching, and publish SNU-ISW Working Paper Series on a regular basis (see our list of publications). Recently, the Institute promotes collaborative work with international research institutions, such as hosting international seminars and participating in joint research. Since 2011, the Institute has hosted annual international conferences in social policy, currently named ‘Social Policy in Asia’.
Research in the Institute of Social Welfare is organized into two streams: social welfare policy and social service research. Research projects are arranged and conducted under the guidance of the steering committee and the editorial board. The current director of the Institute is Professor Sang Kyoung Kahng. The list of past directors is available here.