IDEAS was established in June 2012 with a vision to strengthen the economic and social foundation of democracy in Pakistan by producing rigorous quality research. The rationale behind IDEAS is to create and strengthen local capacity to undertake rigorous research and advocacy on economic and social issues critical to Pakistan’s economic sustainability and democratic future, which essentially depend on reducing socio-economic inequalities and countering political and social polarization through representative and responsive institutions. The objective is to identify, through research, pivotal opportunities of policy reform, both in terms of feasibility and impact, and subsequently, use that knowledge for advocacy and policy engagement. IDEAS envisions research to be innovative, multidisciplinary and rigorous and believes in policy engagement that is strategic, consistent and long-term.