Being an interdisciplinary research institute, the staff of AIAS-HSI comprises researchers with various disciplinary backgrounds, including law, sociology, economics and political science. The research that AIAS-HSI conducts can be either monodisciplinary, multidisciplinary or interdisciplinary, with a focus on the latter two. The staff of AIAS-HSI is open to other disciplinary perspectives than their own and participates and cooperates in multi- and interdisciplinary research projects.

The international (comparative) orientation of AIAS-HSI means that most research is carried out in an international context. The international orientation may take the shape of (a contribution to) an international comparative study, but can also include typical Dutch case studies being placed in an international context and/or published in an international journal. The international orientation also implies that the staff of AIAS-HSI includes (guest) researchers from abroad and that AIAS-HSI is a bilingual institute.

Independent and innovative scientific research means that the topics in the AIAS-HSI research programme are primarily selected on the basis of scientific criteria and on their societal relevance and potential impact. AIAS-HSI focuses on current and pressing societal issues in particular.

AIAS-HSI applies various research methods, including qualitative research, based on interviews, case studies and document analyses, and quantitative methods, such as regression analyses of large datasets, but also experiments. Many studies use a mixed method approach. AIAS-HSI also collects and maintains a number of important datasets.

AIAS-HSI has a long track record of high-quality national and international (comparative) studies, many of which are funded by national and international science foundations or commissioned by the government or international organisations and social actors, including trade unions and employers’ associations. AIAS-HSI staff have written innumerable research reports and countless articles in peer-reviewed journals and have edited and contributed to many academic and professional books.

Three basic components characterize the research of AIAS-HSI in the sense that all research should include at least one and preferably two or all three of these components explicitly. These components are the actors, the regulation of labour and the role of (work-related) values.