Editorial Note, May-Jun, 2012

The very first issue of Social Scientist had appeared in August 1972. The journal therefore is about to complete forty years of existence. This is no mean achievement, especially in our country where institutions typically have a short span of meaningful life. They may limp along for years, but their capacity for effective intervention usually does not last this long. And in the case of Social Scientist where the journal has continued to flourish despite its age, this effective longevity is all the more creditable since it has never had any full-time editorial staff.