Academy of Social Sciences
The Academy of Social Sciences is a representative body for social sciences in the United Kingdom. The academy promotes social science through its sponsorship of the Campaign for Social Science, its links with Government on a variety of matters, and its own policy work in issuing public comment, responding to official consultations, and organising meetings and events about social science. It confers the title of Fellow upon nominated social scientists following a process of peer review. The academy comprises over 1000 fellows and 41 learned societies based in the UK and Europe.
This article is about the representative body of the social sciences in the United Kingdom. For other uses, see Academy of Social Sciences (disambiguation).Formation
The academy advocates social science by interacting with Government and other organisations, and co-ordinates the responses of social scientists to Government consultation documents. Past consultations include:
The academy also puts forward suggestions to the Government about which social scientists should carry out its Foresight research projects,[8] which look at important issues and how these might change over the next 20 to 80 years.
A developing part of the academy's work is to bring researchers and organisations using research closer together to improve the evidence upon which public policy is based and to increase the impact of research.
Publications and events[edit]
The academy has produced a series of ‘Making the Case for the Social Sciences’ booklets which give examples of important social science research which has made a difference to policy or practice. These are: Wellbeing; Ageing; Sustainability; the Environment and Climate Change; Crime; Sport and Leisure; Management; Scotland; Longitudinal Studies, Mental Wellbeing, Wales and Dementia. Further titles are in preparation. The academy also publishes a cross-disciplinary peer-reviewed journal, Contemporary Social Science. The academy holds regular events, such as conferences on the ethics of social media research and the future of the Research Excellence Framework. It holds an annual lecture each summer, and its President's Lunch each winter. It also arranges (with the British Library) a public lecture series Enduring Ideas.[9]
Campaign for Social Science[edit]
The Academy launched the Campaign for Social Science in January 2011 to advocate social science to Government and the general public. The Campaign is self-funded. It has campaigned for the restoration of the post of Government Chief Social Scientific Adviser,[11] promotes social science in the media and on the web, and organises roadshows around the country to emphasise the value and importance of social science.