The Center is currently working on projects in the following fields:

Formulation of a comprehensive theory of social development
Theoretical study on the evolution of money as a social institution
Strategies for the abolition of nuclear weapons
Advanced methods for early childhood education
Strategies to accelerate employment generation
Theory of money
Origins & basis for democracy
Foundations for the future of science

The Center collaborates with other institutions in carrying out its objectives. Current collaborators include

Development Theory

In pursuit of one of ICPF’s major recommendations, the Center is collaborating with the World Academy of Art and Science (USA) and MSS Research (India) to formulate a comprehensive theory of social development. In January 1988, two initial papers (Comprehensive Theory of Social Development and Money & Internet) outlining an approach were presented at the Western Economics Association (USA) Pacific Rim Economics Conference in Bangkok. In November 1988, a special half day session was organized by the World Academy of Art and Science in Vancouver, Canada to discuss a paper examining parallels between the processes of development and evolution in biology and society (Human Choice: Genetic Code for Social Development). In May 1999, ICPD and the World Academy co-sponsored a meeting of a small working group to examine the theoretical framework. Then in September 1999, a larger meeting was convened in Madras, India, co-sponsored by ICPD, the Academy and MSS Research, to examine a more detailed exposition of the framework (Social Development Theory and Process of Human Development), including applications to a theory of business management and a theory of money (Musings on Money). A comprehensive list of development principles has also been compiled (Principles of Development). Development theory is also applied to examine the emergence of uncentralized organizations such as the Internet and Visa International credit card system as examples of a new organizational paradigm.

Early Childhood Education

ICPD is collaborating with MSS Research (India) to develop advanced educational methods suitable for pre-school and primary school children which are being applied and tested at the Society’s Primrose School in Pondicherry (www.primroseschool.org). The experiment involves the development of advanced educational methods suitable for pre-school and primary school children (A Look at Experiments in Accelerating Education). It incorporates methods originally developed by Glenn Doman at the Institutes for the Achievement of Human Potential (Philadelphia, USA) and adapts them to a pre-school learning environment. Currently three schools are in operation. The first was established in the early 1990s in a backward village in Tamil Nadu, South India. The second, Primrose School, opened in mid-1999 in the town of Pondicherry. Primrose Schools Chennai opened its first branch in 2006 and a second in early 2007. Papers on this site detail the learning philosophy and methodology employed in the schools, which are applicable to both rural and urban communities in developing and developed nations. The approach brings out children’s natural curiosity and love of learning and achieves very rapid rates of learning on a wide range of topics. Plans are being developed to establish a teacher’s training institute so that the educational methods can be widely disseminated, both in India and other countries.

Employment Generation

The Center continues the work initiated by ICPF on a theoretical framework for full employment as well as practical strategies to accelerate employment generation in India and other countries. In 2005 the Center presented a global perspective on employment at the General Assembly of the World Academy of Art & Science in Zagreb. In 2004, we presented an update of ICPF's earlier strategy known as Prosperity 2000 to create full employment in India. In 2000, the Center prepared an approach paper on strategies to accelerate job creation for the upcoming Youth Employment Summit (YES) (Approach Paper for YES). Earlier the Center prepared a theoretical framework on employment generation for YES (Theory of Employment ). Following adoption by the Government of India of ICPF’s Prosperity 2000 Plan to create 100 million jobs in India, ICPD collaborated with MSS Research on an in-depth study of Employment Potentials in Pondicherry, India. ICPD also submitted papers for presentation at two workshops on the Future of Work organized by the World Academy of Art and Science in 1996 at the University of Minnesota and SUNY, Buffalo (Future of Work).

Theory of Money

Money is one of the greatest social inventions of all time and a powerful force for the evolution and integration of society. Despite the fact that everyone thinks about it and uses it all the time, its evolving nature and the way it is created are not well understood. ICPD is collaborating with MSS Research on a theoretical study of the origins, nature and evolution of money as a social institution and the role it plays in the overall development of society. A full understanding of money can be applied to create sufficient money for global prosperity. The study applies the principles and process of social development to money. ICPD conducted workshops on money at the General Assembly of the World Academy of Art & Science in Zagreb in 2005 and at an international symposium on development theory in India in 1999.

Origins & Basis for Democracy

ICPF’s report placed great stress on the importance of democracy as the basis for world peace and prosperity, both within nations and within the agencies established for international governance. The Center’s theoretical framework for development identifies democracy as a critical factor in promoting the revolution of rising expectations, the emergence of effective social organizations, the release of pioneering individual initiative, and the rapid dissemination of information that have been the engines for recent social achievements around the world. The society is in the midst of a major research project to identify the factors responsible for the emergence of democratic governance in Western Europe over the past five hundred years and to correlate the development process in politics with parallel advances in peace, economics, education, social organization and technology.

Strategies for peace, global security & conflict resolution

Following the International Symposium on Peace & Development conducted in November 2004 as a ten year review of ICPF's original report, ICPD entered into collaboration with the World Academy of Art and Science (WAAS) and MSS Research (MSSR) of India to evolve strategies and actions leading to total elimination of nuclear weapons. A meeting of experts including former US Defense Secretary, Robert McNamara, was convened in Washington in September 2005 to explore policy options. Following that, a NATO sponsored workshop was conducted in Zagreb, Croatia in December 2005 with a larger group of security specialists. After the workshop, the World Academy formerly established a Committee on Peace & Development chaired by an officer of ICPD with the primary mandate of furthering progress on nuclear disarmament. In September 2006 ICPD participated in a meeting of the Middle Powers Initiative at Ottawa swhich included diplomats from 25 nations seeking the elimination of nuclear weapons. In October 2006 ICPD, WAAS and MSSR sponsored a meeting with the Global Security Institute at the UN to evolve strategies for collaborative work for the abolition of nuclear weapons.

In 2000, the Center approached the Governments of India, Pakistan and USA with a proposal to launch an initiative to promote economic cooperation between India and Pakistan as a basis for improving relations between the two countries. The proposal was well received by all three governments. Efforts are now underway to organize a research project to identify mutually benefical commercial, industrial and employment opportunities.

Among ICPF’s most important recommendations was a proposal for establishment of a World Army to act as an enforcement agency for a global security system. The proposal shares common features with NATO. Membership would be open to all nations on a voluntary basis with three essential qualifying requirements: 1. each participating nation must be governed according to democratic principles which provide its citizens with free choice in determining their own government; 2. each nation must renounce aggression and all use of force as a means of settling disputes with other nations; and 3. each nation must contribute to an international military force responsible for protecting its members from aggression. In addition to promoting consideration of this proposal, the Center is currently working on an initiative to promote the peaceful resolution of conflicts in Eastern Europe.

Future of Science

The Center is conducting research on the role of science in human affairs and the philosophical foundations of scientific knowledge. In collaboration with the World Academy of Art and Science, a special session of Academy Fellows was held at Minneapolis in October 1994 to discuss a paper prepared by the Center (New Foundations of Knowledge for Science). Since then additional papers have been written examining specific aspects of scientific theory in more detail.