International Panel on Social Progress - IPSP

What International Panel on Social Progress - IPSP does

The International Panel on Social Progress (IPSP) is a Paris-based non-profit research and advocacy organization founded in 2014 that mobilizes a global network of academics, civil society actors, government officials, social entrepreneurs, and philanthropists to produce evidence-based analysis on systemic social, economic, environmental, and political challenges. Its core outputs are intellectual rather than technological: the landmark 2018 report 'Rethinking Societies for the 21st Century' produced by 350+ social scientists, the 'Manifesto for Social Progress' published by Cambridge University Press, 13 thematic working groups, case studies, policy briefs, knowledge maps, webinars, and since October 2025 an annual Global Social Progress Week convening. The technology underlying the organization is its cross-sectoral contributors network of 700+ participants, its coordination infrastructure through working groups, and its partnership architecture with academic institutions (Cornell, Paris School of Economics, CNRS, Princeton) and multilateral bodies (UNESCO, UNDP, ILO).

The business model is non-commercial: IPSP operates as a grant-funded research consortium with no paying customers and freely disseminates all publications. Revenue streams consist of foundation grants (European Climate Foundation, Riksbankens Jubileumsfond, Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, Volkswagen Stiftung, Russell Sage Foundation) and in-kind institutional support, with the Executive Secretariat hosted by the French scientific foundation FMSH. The organization is governed by a Board of Directors, an Advisory Board of 70+ members, an Honorary Committee including Nobel laureates Amartya Sen and Muhammad Yunus, and a small secretariat of approximately 11 staff led by Executive Director Olivier Bouin. Operating geographies span Europe, Africa, Latin America, and Asia, with recent decentralization adding Dhaka-based secretariat capacity in 2024.

Name

International Panel on Social Progress - IPSP

Legal name

International Panel on Social Progress

Website

https://ipsp.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

IPSP is a Paris-based non-profit research network of 700+ academics, civil society actors, and policymakers that produces reports, working groups, and events on systemic social, economic, and environmental challenges. It is grant-funded and disseminates all outputs freely.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Policy Research and Social Progress Advocacy

NAICS

Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities (54172), Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities (541720), Scientific Research and Development Services (5417)

akta.pro primary industry

Social Sciences Scholarly Publishing (EDAGAFAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Conference Proceedings & Research Reports Publishing (EDAGAFAL), Scholarly Society & Association Publishing (EDAGAFAK)

Keywords

• Social science research
• Policy research
• Global think tank
• Non-profit research
• Social progress advocacy

Headquarters

HQ city

Paris

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Foundation and Institutional Funding: IPSP operates as a non-profit research organization funded primarily through partnerships with foundations and institutional supporters. The Executive Secretariat is hosted by a French scientific foundation. Funding comes from various partners including European Climate Foundation, Cornell University, Paris School of Economics, CNRS, and other academic and research institutions.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

IPSP produces interdisciplinary social science research and policy knowledge products, including landmark reports, a manifesto, thirteen thematic working groups, case studies, briefs, and knowledge maps. Outputs are offered free of charge to policymakers, academics, civil society, and philanthropists, and are disseminated through working groups, webinars, and the annual Global Social Progress Week. The organization does not sell goods or services; it disseminates research-based recommendations aimed at systemic social, economic, environmental, and political transformation.

Product overview

The International Panel on Social Progress (IPSP) is a multi-disciplinary collaborative think tank that does not operate as a traditional technology product company. Instead, it produces intellectual outputs through research reports, working groups, publications, and events. The core offerings include the landmark IPSP Report (2018) with contributions from 350+ social scientists, the Manifesto for Social Progress, thirteen thematic working groups addressing systemic social challenges, the Global Social Progress Week annual event, and a growing contributors network of 700+ experts from academia, civil society, and policy sectors worldwide.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• IPSP Reports and Publications Comprehensive reports including the landmark 2018 report "Rethinking Societies for the 21st Century" produced by over 350 social scientists, the Manifesto for Social Progress, and various thematic publications covering economic reform, democracy, technology governance, and environmental sustainability. Distributed free of charge to policymakers, academics, and civil society.
• IPSP Working Groups Thirteen thematic working groups addressing key social progress areas including living wage, entrepreneurship, technological change, behavioral change, global solidarity, regenerative democracy, information as public good, extractivism, ecological rule of law, and human security. Open to contributors from the global network.
• Global Social Progress Week Annual event convening academics, policymakers, and practitioners to discuss social progress priorities, with the first edition held in October 2025.
• Case Studies and Policy Briefs Actionable insights and recommendations based on inspiring case studies of initiatives and reforms directly relevant to the social progress agenda.
• Contributors Network A cross-sectoral community of 700+ contributors including scholars, international organization experts, civil society actors, social entrepreneurs, and private sector leaders providing expertise and feedback on IPSP reports.
• New Horizons Webinar Series Ongoing webinar programming for knowledge dissemination on social progress themes.

Quantifiable outcome

• First Global Social Progress Week held October 2025 with video replays available
• +1 more outcomes

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• European Climate FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFoundation partner supporting IPSP's climate and sustainability-related research and advocacy work.
• Cornell UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partner providing research collaboration and institutional support. Ravi Kanbur serves as Advisory Board Chair.
• Paris School of EconomicscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partner hosting key IPSP researchers including Marc Fleurbaey, contributing to economic systems research.
• CNRS (Centre national de la recherche scientifique)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFrench national research agency providing institutional hosting and research collaboration for IPSP activities.
• FMSH (Fondation Maison des Sciences de l'Homme)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFrench foundation hosting the IPSP Executive Secretariat, providing office space and operational support.
• Princeton University Center for Human ValuescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partner providing research collaboration and hosting Marc Fleurbaey previously.
• Woodrow Wilson School (Princeton)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partner contributing to IPSP research activities.
• International Labour OrganizationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUN agency partner contributing expertise on labor, employment, and social protection themes.
• Global Solutions InitiativecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThink tank network partner for global policy coordination and solutions. Dennis Snower serves as President.
• UNESCOcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUN partner contributing expertise on social and human sciences, inclusion, and gender equality.
• UNDP (United Nations Development Programme)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMajor UN development agency partner. Pedro Conceição serves as working group coordinator.
• Graduate Institute GenevacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational development studies institution. Marie-Laure Salles is Director.
• Network of European Institutes for Advanced Study (NETIAS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEuropean research network contributing to IPSP activities. Olivier Bouin leads related networks.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Institute for New Economic Thinking (INET): Grant-making and research network funding heterodox economics research, with embedded academic networks producing reports. Comparable to IPSP in mobilizing academic networks to produce policy-relevant research on economic reform.
• Club of Rome: Long-standing global think tank producing cross-disciplinary reports on systemic risks and social/ecological futures ('Limits to Growth' lineage). Directly comparable to IPSP in framing the 'polycrisis' and convening expert panels for landmark publications.
• Global Solutions Initiative: Think tank network explicitly listed as an IPSP partner; produces policy briefs on global challenges and is led by Dennis Snower, who also sits on IPSP's board. Highly comparable in mission, output format, and G20-facing orientation.

Broad incumbents

• UNESCO (Social and Human Sciences sector): UN agency producing reports on social inclusion, gender equality, and the human sciences, and a direct IPSP partner. Much larger than IPSP but works on overlapping thematic ground around inclusion, ethics of technology, and democratic governance.
• World Economic Forum (WEF): Global convening organization producing cross-sector reports on systemic risks, technology governance, and social-economic transformation. Highly comparable in cross-sector convening role (e.g., Global Social Progress Week vs. Davos) and report-based outputs.
• UNDP (United Nations Development Programme): UN agency focused on poverty, inequality, and sustainable development, with which IPSP has a formal partnership and shared contributors (e.g., Pedro Conceição). Overlaps in mission around social progress and human development indicators.
• Brookings Institution: Large, established US-based policy research organization producing social-science-grounded reports across economics, governance, and foreign policy. Broader and more US-focused than IPSP but comparable in publishing model and policy-brief format.
• Chatham House: Royal Institute of International Affairs; produces independent research and convenes global stakeholders on international affairs. Comparable to IPSP in convening role and cross-disciplinary social science research, though with a stronger international-security focus.

Regional players

• Bruegel: European think tank producing economic policy research with strong academic and policy-maker engagement. Comparable in research/advocacy model and economics focus, but primarily Europe-focused versus IPSP's global framing.

Emerging players

• International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA): Intergovernmental research institute conducting systems analysis on global environmental, economic, and social change, based partly in Europe. Comparable in interdisciplinary approach and policy-relevant systems modeling, with overlapping themes around ecological transformation and human security.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/international-panel-on-social-progress-ipsp

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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