FORTHCOMING EVENTS
Tuesday 16 March 2010
Towards a Better Tomorrow? The Crucial Role of Social Science
Panel discussion, 6.30pm
Wednesday 17 March – Friday 19 March 2010
Re-thinking the Middle East
Conference
Wednesday 24 March 2010
Who Speaks for Islam?
Lecture, 6.00pm (held at the Royal Society)
Please note e-GAP will be unavailable from Saturday 20 March to Sunday 21 March for necessary maintenance work.
Or see 'frequently asked questions'
RECENT OUTPUTS
Economics of undergraduate tuition fees and maintenance (podcasts and presentations)
Social Science and Family Policies (1.5MB pdf)
Guidelines on scientific analysis in policy making: contribution to consultation(90kb pdf)
Latest issue of the British Academy Review Issue 14 of the British Academy Review is available now in print and to download. It features articles on current questions of law, morality and the effectiveness of humanitarian military interventions, the global financial crisis, and more.
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News from the Academy
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ELECTORAL SYSTEMS GO UNDER THE MICROSCOPE
With the prospects of a hung Parliament, the Commons voting for a referendum on changing the current “first past the post” system in 2011, and all three major parties now seemingly committed to a wholly or largely elected House of Lords; a new report from the British Academy Policy Centre provides a timely analysis of the pros and cons of different voting systems.
Choosing an Electoral System identifies the characteristics of the variety of electoral system used around the world, and discusses their implications for issues such as voter turn-out, minority parties, party politics, proportionality and effective government.
GOOD SOCIAL POLICY REQUIRES GOOD SOCIAL SCIENCE
A new British Academy report argues that policy makers need science to develop and test policy. It calls for greater understanding between scientists and policy makers and says that while politicians must determine appropriate values, science is needed to determine causality.
Social Science and Family Policies explores the significance of social science research in issues such as family break-up and reconstitution; non-parental care; abuse and deprivation; drug use; and the role of communities in child well-being.
FIGHTING A LOOTING BATTLE?UK MUST LEARN FROM IRAQ CULTURE CRISIS | ||
 The failure to protect Iraq's |
In an unprecedented move, the British Academy in partnership with thirteen major cultural organisations* has submitted written evidence to the Inquiry outlining the shortcomings in the UK’s planning and implementation to protect Iraq’s cultural property during the 2003 invasion and subsequent occupation.
President of the British Academy Sir Adam Roberts said "“It is embarrassing that the UK is the only major military power which has not ratified the main treaty on this matter. After 55 years it’s high time we did.”"
Read the full news story
See the UNESCO contribution
CAN WE EVER SAY NEVER AGAIN ?
The British Academy has written a letter to Her Majesty The Queen to advise on the steps that might be taken to anticipate and prepare for any future shocks to the financial system and global economy.
Written off the back of a forum on financial and economic horizon- scanning, the letter recommends taking a more focused interest in contingency planning so that the Government is ‘readied and armed with the best intelligence’. A pdf of the letter is also available.
The British Academy is a partner in the ‘Science: [So What? So Everything]’ campaign, which aims to show people how science and research benefit our everyday lives, are crucial in strengthening the UK economy and meeting some of the major challenges of our time. For more information please visit www.direct.gov.uk/sciencesowhat
More news storiesNews of Fellows
The British Academy is saddened to have learnt of the passing of one of its former Presidents, Sir Kenneth Dover, on 7 March at the age of 89.
Sir Kenneth, one of the world's greatest Greek scholars, was President from 1978 to 1981 and subsequently Chancellor of the University of St Andrews from 1981 to 2005.
Professor Peter Hennessy, tells the story of the places where political leaders have met at moments of crisis since the Second World War for the BBC.
David Hand has been co-opted for a further period as President of the Royal Statistical Society.
Professor Vernon Bogdanor gave the European Leo Baeck lecture in London on 4 March on “Keith Joseph: Ideologist of Thatcherism”, exploring the importance of Keith Joseph’s influence on Thatcherism and also New Labour.
Annette Karmiloff-Smith appeared on In Our Time talking about the development of the brain in pre-verbal infants.
A letter that puts UK debt into historical context and urges knowledge-based economic growth was sent to the Guardian by members of the History and Policy network.
The letter was signed by twenty senior economic historians, including three British Academy Fellows; Professor Martin Daunton, Professor Geoffrey Hosking and Professor Patrick O’Brian.
In his blog, David Firth provides some interesting new analysis of the varying impact of HEFCE's formulae for allocating research grants following the 2008 RAE exercise.
Professor David Marquand wrote the cover story in the New Statesman on 1 March in which he takes a historical perspective on the rise and policies of Conservatives leader David Cameron.
Professor Vernon Bogdanor wrote a review in the same issue recalling his experience of teaching David Cameron at Oxford.
Dr Andrew Burnett FBA and other leading figures from the arts and humanities have written to The Observer to warn that funding cuts could damage the UK's "cultural capital".
In an accompanying article Professor Jonathan Bate FBA adds "There is more to citizenship than business, innovation and skills."