The future of social science

The future of social science

Event highlights the value of social science to UK economy and society

The University's social science research has been showcased at an event that highlighted the value of the field to the UK economy and society.

Ahead of the General Election, the Campaign for Social Science is visiting UK universities to speak with social scientists about its new report The Business of People.

Cardiff was one of the venues featuring in the roadshow (17 April 2015), which aims to build a strong unified voice for social science at this crucial time.  The audience included members of staff from across the University as well as representatives from the Welsh Government and the Office for National Statistics.

Along with presenting the recommendations of its new report The Business of People: The Significance of Social Science over the Next Decade, board members from the Campaign heard about the local perspective on the challenges and opportunities for social science after the election.

Speakers at the event included Professor George Boyne, Pro Vice-Chancellor, College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences and Professor Justin Lewis, Dean of Research for the College and Professor of Communication in the School of Journalism, Media and Cultural Studies.

Others speaking from within the University were: Professor Rick Delbridge, Cardiff Business School; Professor Simon Murphy, Centre for the Development and Evaluation of Complex Interventions for Public Health Improvement; Professor Steve Martin, Public Policy Institute for Wales; Professor Sally Power, Wales Institute of Social and Economic Research, Data & Methods; Professor Dan Wincott, Cardiff Law School and representing the ESRC Wales DTC; and Professor Martin Innes of the Universities' Police Science Institute and the University's new Crime and Security Research Institute.

The Academy of Social Science's speakers were impressed by the vitality and breadth of social science research and its impact at Cardiff.  David Walker and Roses Leech-Wilkinson spoke on behalf of the Campaign and were joined by Jonathan Breckon, Manager of the Alliance for Useful Evidence and Academy of Social Science board member.

The University's plans for the world's first Social Science Research Park and the research impact of centres such as the Universities' Police Science Institute and WISERD (the Wales Institute of Social and Economic Research, Data & Methods) were just some of those highlighted at the event.

Professor Boyne said: "The social science disciplines at Cardiff make a very strong contribution to the success of the University, including exceptionally good REF 2014 results in disciplines such as Business and Management, Education, Journalism and Sociology.  We are grateful to the Campaign for Social Science for their excellent work in promoting a supportive policy context for the quality and impact of our research."