From its inception, the Foundation’s activities centred on Lelio Basso’s two main fields of interest: politics and culture.
Over time the areas of socio-historical and juridical-institutional activities were enriched with contributions from other disciplines (from economics to anthropology, from philosophy to the history of science and technology), later expanding into environmental issues and cultural heritage, bioethics and the social and cultural impact of technological innovations
The Foundation has always been marked by the interplay between strong ideals and a vocation for comparison and interdisciplinarity, as well as constant attention to data emerging from social contexts.
Politics and culture are therefore central to the Foundation’s work, which, in relation to and in line with the sphere of international activities, is realized through research projects, conferences and seminars, training courses and publications.
Activities involving politics and culture are organized into four research and study areas:

▪    Inequality and diversity
▪    Democracy and Participation
▪    The commons
▪    History and Memory