Social Science Space

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought the university sector under greater scrutiny. In some cases, this has prompted new conversations about […]

This summer, universities around the world planned for an unprecedented back-to-school in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. In most universities, […]

Creating a modern academic encyclopedia is a labor of love – years of effort that is both conceptual and physical, dozens or even hundreds of writers to corral and then try to control, the ever-present march of time threatening to date all your efforts before anyone see your work, and the possibility that even serious scholars might just Google their question rather than reach for a well-vetted volume.

University rankings might claim to provide an index through which students, faculty, and the general public might ascertain a number of things: the quality of education provided by an institution, the potential for networking at an institution, the breadth and depth of research being performed at an institution, and more. The institutional quest towards topping the university rankings can, however, derail efforts towards the improvement of society and higher education at large.

The June 2016 issue of Administrative Science Quarterly is now available online and can be accessed free for the next […]

Today we wanted to mention some great resources that are available to you. Have you visited our Leadership Solutions portal? Whether you’re […]

As the independence vote moves from all-consuming question to historical incident, what are the lessons that Scottish universities and in particular Scottish social scientists should take away?

Doctor Who’s sobriquet implies he’s earned a doctorate in something. The Doctor’s not telling what he might have studied, but his actions and attitudes make a strong case for one discipline …

Grad sudents looking for a professor to be a mentor had a better chance of getting a positive response – or a response at all – if they were white and male, according to a new study that broke down findings by discipline and whether a school was public or private.

The generation of knowledge by professors. The transformative conversations that happen outside of the classroom. The advancements in our understanding of society. How can you put a value on any of these things?

Derek Bok has called on universities to be ‘ethical beacons’ shining out in their communities, but that shine is tarnished in oh-so-many ways in institutions of higher education around the world, notes Professor Sir David Watson.

In the past 15 years and across successive governments in the United Kingdom, the concept of value for money has been internalized throughout higher education. Here, the author of “Consuming Higher Education: Why Learning Can’t Be Bought” outlines why it is a problem to use student choice and value for money as a means of holding universities to account.