Social Science Space

As academics think about impact, they can draw on some of the lessons and strategic approaches used by civil society and campaigning groups.

A recent Ipsos-Mori survey reveals the crucial role that social science has to play in modern democracy, a role which is frequently sabotaged.

Social scientists have nothing to fear from the impact agenda, but must be more willing to talk to “strangers” such as the government in order to realise their full value – a talk by Prof. John Brewer

Recently I’ve seen a lot of hero/heroine narratives. They now seem to be popping up in research impact plans and claims about impact.

A comparison of two studies on the coverage and range of citations in Open Access, comparing OA and non-OA journals.

If policy influence becomes so unequal that the wishes of most citizens are ignored most of the time, a country’s claim to be a democracy is cast in doubt. And that is exactly what I found in my analyses of the link between public preferences and government policy in the U.S.

While parts of Aditya Chakrabortty’s recent piece in the Guardian were sensible and informed, its central claim was unfair – that social science disciplines have been unable or unwilling to explore, explain, and confront the ‘Great Financial Crash’ of 2007-9

Open Access to academic journal papers is a hot button issue. The UK government is in favour, along with major […]

In January 2011, the Campaign for Social Science was launched in the House of Lords. One year on Cary Cooper, Chair of the Academy of Social Sciences, spoke to socialsciencespace about the first year of the campaign and its plans for the future.

Social Science research is changing our understanding of the police and policing. This is raising fundamental questions about how police officers are recruited, trained and organised

With large impacts on dissemination of research and significant benefits in terms of individual reputations, David McKenzie and Berk Özler, […]

In 2011 the Science and Technology Select Committee published the report Scientific advice and evidence in emergencies, examining the role […]