Keele academics to discuss future of social science
This Wednesday 4th March social scientists at Keele University will gather to discuss how social science’s vital contribution to prosperity and wellbeing in the UK can be sustained.
The Business of People, a landmark new report from the Campaign for Social Science, outlines the immense contribution of social science to the UK’s society and economy. The report was launched on 24th February in Westminster with a keynote speech delivered by Greg Clark MP, Minister for Universities, Science and Cities.
With a General Election approaching and a Spending Review to follow, the question of how to continue this excellence in the face of a challenging funding environment is paramount. Senior members of the Campaign for Social Science will present the new report and its recommendations to Keele social scientists. They will cover issues of funding, impact and inter-disciplinarity and outline what social scientists can do to make the case for social science.
The lunchtime event at St Aidan’s College will be hosted by Professor Nick Foskett, Vice-Chancellor, with the panel consisting of Professor Andy Dobson, Stephen Anderson, Director and Madeleine Barrows, Assistant Director, Campaign for Social Science.
The cities of the future, an ageing workforce, obesity and behavioural change, the opportunities and threats of Big Data, are just some of the case studies featured in The Business of People as key examples of the essential role of social science.
For more details contact Sam Martin at s.martin@acss.org.uk.
See also www.campaignforsocialscience.org.uk for more details of the Campaign.
Notes to editors:
1. The Campaign for Social Science was set up in 2011 to inform public policy, build coalitions and engage in measured advocacy. It sprang from the Academy of Social Sciences (AcSS), whose thousand Fellows are eminent academics and practitioners in business, government and civil society; 47 learned societies are also members, representing 90,000 social scientists in varied settings.
2. The Business of People: The Significance of Social Science over the Next Decade was published on February 24 by SAGE, its principal sponsor. It has been produced with the support of SAGE, Joseph Rowntree Foundation, British Sociological Association, Regional Studies Association, British Psychological Society, Nuffield Foundation and Royal Statistical Society. Over the next three months, the Campaign is running a series of ‘roadshows’ across England, Wales and Scotland, to promote discussion of the report’s conclusions.
3. The Business of People: The Significance of Social Science over the Next Decade was launched on February 24th. Speakers at the launch include: Greg Clark MP, Minister for Universities, Science and Cities; Jane Elliott, Chief Executive of the ESRC; Sharon Witherspoon, Director of the Nuffield Foundation; and Dr Michelle Harrison, Global Head of Social and Political Practice at TNS.
4. Social science disciplines include: anthropology; business and management; economics; human geography; law; media studies; political science and international relations; psychology; social policy and sociology.