Mission statement: LIISA is a multidisciplinary research institute established within the Faculty of Law and Criminology (Department of Criminology, Criminal Law and Social Law) of Ghent University and set up by the professors of the former Department of Social Law (Prof A. De Becker, Prof P. Humblet and Prof Y. Jorens). The institute’s spokesmen/co-directors are Professor Y. Jorens and Prof. A. De Becker. In an independent and academic manner, the research institute aims to conduct high quality research into national and international social policy aspects from a legal, sociological, psychological and economic point of view. When conducting this research, not only is special attention paid to the role of social law in the implementation ofsociopolitical policy measures; these measures are also considered from a broader multidisciplinary and international perspective. The research institute wants to enhance the research field by bringing together professors and researchers with very different backgrounds to conduct joint research at national and international level into topical social problems. The research institute is characterised by its multidisciplinarity, social relevance, academic independence, dynamic character, European andinternational perspective and networking. To achieve its objective, the research institute cooperates with a range of domestic and foreign experts. An international scientific board guards the institute's objective. Fields of research: The research institute's current fields of research cover several aspects of (European) social security law and (European) individual and collective labour law in the private and the public sector: e.g. fundamental rights within companies and authorities, equality of treatment, social dialogue, atypical forms of employment and flexibility, the interaction between labour law and social security law, misconduct at work, the devolvement of power to regions, globalisation, cross-border employment, social dumpingand fraud. A multi-level approach is adopted at all times, paying attention to the way in which the national and European/international levels inspire each other; to the mutual legal, economic, psychological, sociopolitical and criminological influences; and to the dialogue between the legal and the social field. Core activities: - To conduct high quality research and to write academic articles, contributions and books; - to carry out research assignments for various national and European/international research bodies and to draft research proposals to be presented to these bodies; - to carry out assignments at the request of international and national organisations, authorities and social partners; - to promote and strengthen the interest, study, research and knowledge in the institute’s core domains; - to foster close collaboration between the academic world and the stakeholders by a mutual exchange of information and ideas; - to establish forms of cooperation with other national and international research groups that have similar interests and to further develop and broaden the research community in the field of (European and international) social law and social policy, as well as to enhance the mobility between researchers. Inparticular, the institute wants to open up these forms of cooperation for new, young researchers; - to set up a multi-country, multidisciplinary network of pan-European researchers with a potential for continuous growth and long-term sustainability by means of different joined activities and initiatives; - to organise multidisciplinary seminars, congresses and colloquia both on a national and international level.