Could Distributed Peer Review Better Decide Grant Funding?
The landscape of academic grant funding is notoriously competitive and plagued by lengthy, bureaucratic processes, exacerbated by difficulties in finding willing reviewers. Distributed […]
Textbook World
Textbooks now play a crucial role in teaching in the social sciences. Their importance is mirrored by their abundance; there is an enormous variety of textbooks on the most commonly taught subjects. The rise of the ‘textbook industry’ is not necessarily a good thing, though.
Why the Stevens Op-Ed is Wrong
The claim that real politics is messier than the statistics are capable of capturing is obviously correct. But the implied corollary – that the government shouldn’t go out of its way to support it – doesn’t follow.
Avner de-Shalit on the Spirit of Cities
Some people have strong and visceral reactions to cities. They might love or loathe New York, or Jerusalem, or Berlin. This may have something to do with the architecture and the infrastructure of a place; it may also be a response, at some level, to the people, the culture, the politics, the way of life. Avner de-Shalit claims that some cities – not all cities but some – have a spirit.
Have the Social Sciences Failed Us?
On 16 April, Aditya Chakrabortty wrote an article for the Guardian’s Comment is Free, arguing that social scientists have failed to step up and offer alternatives in the wake of the economic crisis. Here, Andrew Gamble FBA responds.
Methamphetamine Markets, Personal Relationships, and Families
No matter what type of market organization or operation we observed or how good or bad the quality of the local product being sold, we found that relationships and transactions in methamphetamine markets were always personal.
My Social Science Career: Interview with Steve Duck
As part of a series of occasional interviews with leading social scientists, Steve Duck, Professor of Communication Studies and Daniel and Amy Starch Research Chair, University of Iowa, spoke to socialsciencespace.
Adding People to the Climate Change Equation
People’s behavior has been noticeably absent in science on sustainability, but a conference before June’s U.N. summit offers some hint human processes may join natural ones in developing solutions.
My Social Science Career: Interview with Linda Putnam
As part of a series of occasional interviews with leading social scientists, Linda Putnam, Chair of the Department of Communication, University of California, Santa Barbara, spoke to socialsciencespace about her career.
