Founded in 1996, Centre for Socio-economic and Environmental Studies (CSES) is an independent, non-profit, non-governmental organisation, promoting policy and action oriented research, consultancy and training programmes. The Centre seeks to fill a critical gap between the academic world on the one side, and the policy makers, opinion shapers and the general public, on the other.

The Institute is committed to inform public policy, using research.  The Centre attempts to make timely interventions in society through research and dialogue. It positions itself as a non-partisan think tank and strives to sensitise public opinion and policy makers by disseminating its research output through working papers, issue briefs, fact sheets, workshops/conferences and the print and broadcast media. Our strengths include a multi-disciplinary team of researchers, eminent visiting scholars, excellent rapport with Government, Industry, NGOs and opinion makers and well trained and experienced field team across South India and Lakshadweep Islands.