The interdisciplinary center for regional studies recognizes and constructs knowledge to promote processes in the production of development, through research, formation, application, and dissemination, governed by principles of academic excellence, flexibility, creativity, universality, pluralism, openness, autonomy and social responsibility.

CIDER manages a number of lines of research. We provide a brief explanation here:

Environment and Development
International concern regarding between development and the environment has been growing significantly in the last 30 years. The impact of economic activity on its natural surroundings, the distribution of those surroundings between countries and population groups, and access to natural resources are today central points on the agendas of national and international politics.

Topics for research and teaching in this line include development and environment, landscape ecology, conservation and development, land-use regulation, environmental economics, environmental education and environmental policy and management.

Economics and Globalization
This line aims to contribute to the development of basic knowledge of the conditions of regional economic development and possible ways of promoting it. In the current situation we consider it essential to understand the articulation between world and local economies, and to approach knowledge about them with a heterodox focus, which will enable us to understand the different schools of economic thought from one place to another, and to enter into dialogue with professionals from different disciplines.

Social processes and Development
This line of research analyzes the conditions and positions of the subject of development- individuals, groups of interest, communities, and regional or national society- and studies phenomena such as interests, power, and conflict in a regional context. The topics included in this line of research are gender and development, indicators for alternative development, subjectivity and development, and social movements and social policy.

Government and Public Policy
This line is a field for the preparation and application of concepts, theories, techniques and methods in relation to problems related to the management of the state and its relationship with society. We analyze public policy form a perspective which affords special importance to political regime, the study of the problems of government, and governance in connection with the theories of the State.