• 1971-11-14 - (Creation)

Our birth
The Institute for Population and Social Research, formerly the Center of Population and Social Research, was established on July 12, 1966, with support from the Rockefeller Foundation through the Carolina Population Center of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, USA, which was the Executing Agency. The objective of the Center was “to explore the relationship between health, social and economy that yielded impacts on the family size and changes as well as the population increase and economic situation”.
Following the establishment, the Center allowed its personnel to pursue a higher education and conduct research in population under financial supports of the United States Agency for International Development. In views of concerning parties, population changes had impacts on the society, economy, culture and politics, not just on health. The personnel, therefore, should be equipped with expertise and experience in demography, sociology, anthropology, economics, political sciences and the like. The Center requested for funding supports from the Rockefeller Foundation as grants for four bachelor graduates with honor from any fields (not medical and health science) to pursue social sciences studies at doctorate level. With this support, all four grantees achieved the Ph.D. degree from leading universities from USA. Furthermore, half of them have been recognized as well-known demographers at national as well as international level.
Another step of Center’s development took place after the University of Medical Sciences was replaced with Mahidol University, as renamed by H.M. King Bhumibol Adulyadej, according to the Mahidol University Act B.E. 2512. With the university status, a variety of multi studies was required, besides health and medical sciences. Before the declaration of the Act, policy makers, experts and academics in social sciences and public health sciences had expressed their concerns over population changes on Thai people and sought proper methods so that such changes would favor the improvement of people’s quality of life. Based on these mentioned, the Center of Population and Social Research was changed its status to be a faculty and replaced with the “Institution for Population and Social Research” by virtue of the Prime Minister's Announcement dated November 14, 1971.
As an academic institution, the Institute has carried out its three missions for the past 40 years as following:
Research: The objective is to develop knowledge, at both local and national level, for the country, and to make research findings useful for population and social changes and country’s development.
Teaching and training: The objective is to equip people with knowledge and skills in research and analysis. It is also to make use of appropriate technologies and assessment at work.
Academic service: The Institute aims to expend its integration of knowledge to the whole society through various channels namely, published documents, annual “Population and Social” conferences, short-course training for Thais and other nationals, the provision of consultation to public and private organizations and participation in key national committees.
According to the organization’s administration principle of the first Director, Emeritus Professor Boonlert Leoprapai, “The use of honor system implied the respect to the right of all personnel. The requirement of specific working hours was unnecessary and, on the other hand, the performance was. There was no bureaucracy in our institute but nice colleagues. The competition for promotion was not existed. Most of our staff did not act like bureaucrat bosses. All positions had their own roles. We tried to share duties and benefits to everyone. Those viewing themselves as bureaucrat bosses would not be recognized”.
Co existence administration through the “honor system” is the key to the Institute’s development. It is an act of respect to everyone’s right that represents equity and equality.
“There was no bureaucracy in our institute but nice colleagues. The competition for promotion was not existed. The use of honor system implied the respect to the right of all personnel. The requirement of specific working hours was unnecessary and, on the other hand, the performance was”.

First Director

• IPSR (Creator)