Academy of Social Sciences

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Academy of Social Sciences The Academy of Social Sciences is a learned society in the United Kingdom that promotes the social sciences across public life, policy, and research. It brings together scholars, practitioners, and institutions from disciplines such as Sociology, Political science, Economics, Anthropology, and Psychology to influence decision-making in Westminster, the Welsh Parliament, the Scottish Parliament, and the Northern Ireland Assembly. The Academy engages with universities such as University of Oxford, University of Cambridge, London School of Economics, University College London, and University of Manchester and with bodies including the British Academy, the Royal Society, the Wellcome Trust, the Economic and Social Research Council, and the Higher Education Funding Council for England.

History

The Academy emerged during debates in the 1970s and 1980s involving stakeholders from University of London, University of Edinburgh, University of Birmingham, University of Glasgow, and University of Leeds who sought a collective voice comparable to the Royal Society and the British Academy. Early meetings included figures connected to institutions like the Social Science Research Council (United Kingdom), the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, the Nuffield Foundation, the Carnegie UK Trust, and the Institute for Fiscal Studies. Over time the Academy developed relationships with policy events such as the Public Inquiry into Higher Education and commissions convened by the Cabinet Office (United Kingdom), the House of Commons, and the House of Lords.

The Academy advocates for social science research and impact in forums such as meetings at 10 Downing Street, briefings to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, consultations with the Department for Education (United Kingdom), and submissions to parliamentary committees including the House of Commons Science and Technology Committee and the House of Lords Science and Technology Committee. It runs programmes and events in partnership with funders like the Economic and Social Research Council, charities such as the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, and international organisations including the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. The Academy supports interdisciplinary work linked to projects at Wellcome Trust Centre for Human Genetics, initiatives involving European Research Council grants, and collaborations with bodies such as the Royal Commission and the Select Committee on Science and Technology.

Fellowship reflects achievement across institutions including Trinity College, Cambridge, Balliol College, Oxford, Magdalen College, Oxford, St John's College, Cambridge, King's College Cambridge, and research centres such as the Oxford Internet Institute, the ESRC Research Centre on Micro-Social Change, and the Centre for Economic Performance. Fellows have included scholars active in debates around landmark reports like those from the Bain Committee, contributions cited by the National Audit Office, and testimony presented to inquiries led by figures from the Privy Council and the National Assembly for Wales. The Academy gives awards and recognitions that parallel honours such as fellowships awarded by the British Academy and distinctions used by the Royal Society of Edinburgh.

The Academy publishes reports, policy briefings, and collections that draw on work from journals and publishers associated with Oxford University Press, Cambridge University Press, Sage Publications, Routledge, and research centres at London School of Economics, University of Manchester, University of Birmingham, University of Glasgow, and University of Sheffield. Its outputs have informed commissions and reviews such as those convened by the BIS Research Excellence Framework panels, the Research Excellence Framework, and reviews led by the Higher Education Academy and the Council for Science and Technology. The Academy fosters networks that include collaborations with international partners like the American Academy of Political and Social Science, the European Consortium for Political Research, the International Sociological Association, and the International Political Science Association.