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| Research School of Social Sciences | |
|---|---|
| Name | Research School of Social Sciences |
| Established | 1960s |
| Type | Research school |
| Location | Canberra, Australian Capital Territory |
| Parent | Australian National University |
Research School of Social Sciences is a multidisciplinary research and teaching entity located in Canberra, associated with the Australian National University and engaged in comparative analysis across politics, history, sociology, anthropology, and international relations. It brings together scholars linked to institutions such as the United Nations, World Bank, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation, and engages with archives like the National Archives of Australia and the British Library. The school coordinates research projects funded by bodies including the Australian Research Council, European Research Council, National Science Foundation (United States), and collaborates with universities such as Harvard University, Oxford University, University of Cambridge, Stanford University, and University of Tokyo.
The school traces origins to post-war initiatives influenced by figures associated with John Curtin era reforms, the creation of the Australian National University, and broader Cold War research priorities exemplified by the Truman Doctrine and Marshall Plan. Early development was shaped by connections to scholars who also worked with the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation, the British Council, and the Carnegie Corporation. Its expansion in the 1970s and 1980s paralleled international trends seen at institutions like the London School of Economics, Columbia University, and University of Chicago, while engaging with regional studies linked to events such as the Vietnam War, the Southeast Asian Treaty Organization, and the establishment of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. Funding, governance reforms, and curricular innovations responded to policy debates around the Whitlam Government, the Hawke Government, and the Keating Government.
Governance integrates academic leadership roles analogous to those at Australian National University colleges, with oversight structures resembling governance models used by the University Grants Committee (Hong Kong), the Rhodes Trust, and the Fulbright Program. Advisory boards include representatives from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (Australia), the Treasury (Australia), the High Commission of India, the Embassy of Japan in Australia, and international partners such as UNESCO and ASEAN Secretariat. Strategic planning often references frameworks from the OECD, the World Health Organization, and the International Monetary Fund for comparative benchmarking and accountability.
The school houses departments and programs that mirror units at Cornell University, Yale University, University of California, Berkeley, and National University of Singapore. Teaching and research areas include political science aligned with studies of the United States Congress, comparative politics of the People's Republic of China, public policy linked to Commonwealth of Australia portfolios, historical research engaging with the Great Depression (1930s), sociocultural anthropology drawing on fieldwork traditions from Oxford University Museum of Natural History and Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology, and international relations with case studies on United Nations Security Council diplomacy, Iran–Iraq War, and South China Sea arbitration. The curriculum offers coursework modeled after programs at Princeton University, King's College London, and McGill University.
Affiliated institutes and centres partner with external entities such as the Lowy Institute, the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, the Asia Pacific School of Economics and Government, and the Crawford School of Public Policy. The research portfolio includes thematic centres focused on comparative democratization studied alongside cases like the People Power Revolution, transitional justice linked to the Nuremberg Trials, policy history engaging archives from the National Library of Australia, and area studies examining ties with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and the Pacific Islands Forum. Collaborative projects have involved the Grattan Institute, the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, and the Japanese Studies Centre.
Graduate training programs emphasize doctoral supervision and postdoctoral fellowships with models comparable to the Rhodes Scholarship, the Commonwealth Scholarship, and the Fulbright Program. Students undertake fieldwork in locations including Papua New Guinea, Indonesia, China, India, and Timor-Leste, and engage with archival collections like the National Archives (United Kingdom), the Trove digital repository, and the World Digital Library. The school supports exchange links with the Australian National University College of Asia and the Pacific, the University of Melbourne, the University of Sydney, and international partners such as Seoul National University and Peking University.
Facilities include specialist libraries comparable to holdings at the National Library of Australia and resource access similar to the British Library, alongside computing and data infrastructure used in projects funded by the Australian Research Council and the European Research Council. Research support services align with best practices from the Council on Governmental Relations and utilize repositories like the Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research and the Data Archive (UK). Seminar series and public lectures attract visitors from organizations including the International Crisis Group, the Asia Society, the Lowy Institute, and diplomatic missions such as the United States Embassy in Canberra.
Alumni and faculty have gone on to roles in institutions and events such as the Parliament of Australia, the High Court of Australia, the International Criminal Court, the United Nations Development Programme, and leadership positions reminiscent of figures connected to the Reserve Bank of Australia, the Australian Bureau of Statistics, and the Department of Defence (Australia). Scholars associated with the school have collaborated with researchers from Harvard Kennedy School, Oxford Martin School, Berkman Klein Center, and contributed to inquiries and commissions like the Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide and the Cole Commission. Categories: Category:Australian National University