LabEx IAST

The IAST was selected in 2011 as a “Laboratory of Excellence” in a nationwide competition. We are hosted by the Université de Toulouse Capitole, which is a university for social sciences.

The ambitious goal of this inter-disciplinary research Institute is to break down artificial disciplinary boundaries, to bring together researchers from all over the world, trained in the different social sciences, to facilitate cross fertilization and unlock new ideas to address the challenges of the 21^st century. The IAST is housed in the building occupied by the Toulouse School of Economics, and several of its founding scholars are economists, but the aim of the institute is to break out beyond the disciplinary boundaries of economics and to tackle important research questions using whatever disciplinary tools may be appropriate.

The Research program of IAST is organized around 5 broad themes:

• Individual Motives, Actions, Innovation, and Well Being

• Individuals and Social Networks

• Society, Globalization, and Public Policy

• The Nation State and Global Public Goods

• Governance and Markets

It is also based on disciplinary programs, of which there are currently five, in Biology, History, Law, Political Science and Psychology.

We also have research activity in three other disciplines: anthropology, philosophy and sociology, and we welcome motivated applications from researchers whose disciplinary training does not fall within these categories.