The main purpose of the WSSF is to demonstrate the global presence, impact and authority of the social sciences. It will showcase the social sciences by bringing together major researchers and stakeholders in international social science to address substantive topics of world significance, as well as future priorities for the social sciences. It will address both the problems posed for the social sciences by critical social developments around the globe and by theoretical work within the disciplines. For, in order to address the state of the world, it is also necessary to address the state of the art. In order to make social science relevant, pertinent and potent, social scientists have to scrutinize their own concepts about how society works, and engage in vigorous self-examination of how their approaches fare, in order to define common tasks and set a shared agenda. Hence the overall theme of the Forum is "One Planet, Worlds Apart" (for a full presentation see http://www.rokkan.uib.no/wssf/files/OnePlanet-WorldsApart.pdf).

The forum will feature:
? Plenary Sessions with eminent speakers and discussants, including keynotes by Nobel prize winners Amartya Sen (“Challenges for the Social Sciences in the 21st Century”) and Rajendra Pachauri, Chair of the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change ("Can Science Save Us? The Challenges for the Social Sciences from Climate Change".)

? Some 30 sessions, addressing a wide range of the most critical problems which are jointly confronting social scientists and the global community (Programme link: http://www.rokkan.uib.no/wssf/index.xpl?section=programme )

? An approach which is comparative and cross-disciplinary throughout, extending also to the natural and health sciences.

? A unique meeting place, and networking opportunity, for academics and students across all disciplines, for politicians and civil servants, and for the science media, from all corners of the world.

Special provision is made also for the inclusion of promising younger social scientists via Poster Sessions where they will present their new work on a world stage

The WSSF is organized by the International Social Science Council (http://www.unesco.org/ngo/issc) in cooperation with the Stein Rokkan Centre for Social Studies and the University of Bergen.

Registration is via https://ei.kongress.no/getdemo.ei?id=11&s=_3200VWYJ7