The Institute for Socioeconomic Studies – Inesc, is a public-purpose, non-partisan, democratic and pluralist non-profit organization. Its mission is to "Contribute toward improving representative and participatory democracy with the aim of ensuring human rights, by fostering links in civil society and strengthening it to influence domestic and international governance spaces."

Created in 1979, Inesc's work, in all its projects, is based on two main action lines: strengthening civil society and enhancing social participation in public policy-making. In all its publications and social interventions, it uses budget tools as the basis for strengthening and fostering citizenship rights. With a view to enhancing the impact of its proposals and actions, Inesc works in partnership with other social organizations and groups and positions itself politically among organizations within the democratic space of the Brazilian Association of Non-Governmental Organizations – Abong, in which it is in charge of the Institutional Strengthening Board.

Inesc works in partnership with and participates in many domestic and international social forums, networks and articulations.

The interventions of the institution are aimed at stimulating public debates and contributing to building a new concept of citizenship rights, combining public participation with social responsibility and solidarity. Overcoming poverty and social inequalities and reaffirming the concept of Human (political and civil), Economic, Social, Environmental and Cultural Rights – HESECRs as a parameter for building modern citizenship rights and fighting social exclusion which still affects large segments of Brazilian society are permanent challenges for the political action of the institution.

Besides working at domestic level, Inesc intervenes in international public spaces where pressure is applied to democratize global governance organizations, as well as in regional spaces, seeking to promote the integration, expansion, and full recognition of human rights.