The Center for Social Development Studies (CSDS) was established as a Research Unit within the Faculty of Political Science, Chulalongkorn University in 1985. It was established to undertake interdisciplinary research linking across the various fields of political science within the Faculty (government, public administration, international relations, and sociology and anthropology) and more broadly in the social sciences, and to provide support in education, research, and teaching. Working towards these goals, in 2006, the CSDS supported the launch of the MA in International Development Studies (MAIDS) program. In November 2020, CSDS received the “Center of Excellence (CE) with Outstanding Performance” award from Chulalongkorn University. This annual award is presented to recognize the research achievements of the researchers within the center and their research over the previous year.