Lord Sainsbury welcomes latest British Academy Review 'That full complement of riches' - the contributions of the arts, humanities and social sciences to the nation's wealth
On 1 July Lord Sainsbury, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Science and Innovation), launched the British Academy's latest Review 'That full complement of riches' - the contributions of the arts, humanities and social sciences to the nation's wealth at a ceremony in the Academy attended by leading representatives of the scholarly community.
In his opening address Lord Sainsbury welcomed the Review and commented that this report 'highlights the contribution of arts, humanities and social sciences to the nation's wealth. It provides a helpful framework for analysing the many different ways in which the arts, the humanities and the social sciences - and more particularly research and postgraduate study in those subjects and disciplines - have an impact and make a difference to the social, economic, political, cultural and educational life of this and other countries. A broad definition of 'the nation's wealth' is rightly implicit throughout the report - a definition not just emphasising wealth creation but human well-being, improving public policy and promoting cultural and intellectual enrichment'.
The Review was established by the British Academy to demonstrate the wide range of contributions made by the arts, humanities and social sciences to the nation's wealth. Study and training in these disciplines provide the high-level skills required to sustain an increasingly knowledge-based society and economy, at a relatively low cost, representing an efficient and economical investment. They also contribute to the UK's cultural, intellectual, and social enrichment and well-being.
As Professor Paul Langford, who chaired the Review, puts it: 'This Review demonstrates that the arts, humanities and the social sciences provide high-level skills and ground-breaking research essential to a knowledge-based economy. It also shows how the cultural, intellectual and social well-being of the UK depends on the nurturing of these branches of knowledge. And not least it asserts their complementary function within the spectrum of intellectual discovery. Studying human beings as creative individuals and as social creatures is crucial not only in its own right but is also crucial to the study by natural scientists of human beings in terms of their biology and physical environment. The central point is not simply that every branch of knowledge makes an important contribution to the whole, but rather that no branch of knowledge contributes effectively unless the others are granted the same recognition.'
In conclusion, the Review argues that broader research and training vision needs to be embraced by government and other bodies, so that the arts, humanities and social sciences are taken fully into account in all strategic thinking and planning, and also fully represented in the forums that consider such matters. Investment in these disciplines has a relatively high benefit-to-cost ratio. But that benefit will only be secured if the UK is properly funded to maintain its world-class teaching and research. It is not by neglecting arts, humanities and social sciences that other advanced societies are growing and prospering.
NOTES TO EDITORS
Published:
05 July 2004
- On-line versions of the Review are available in HTML and PDF from the Academy's website. Printed copies are available from the External Relations Department (externalrelations@britac.ac.uk; 020 7969 5263).
- For briefings and interviews please contact Professor Paul Langford - Professor of Modern History, University of Oxford and chair of the Review committee that commissioned the report (paul.langford@lincoln.ox.ac.uk; 01865 279804)
- For further media details relating the Review please contact Michael Reade, External Relations Department (m.reade@britac.ac.uk; 020 7969 5263).
- The British Academy is the National Academy for the Humanities and Social Sciences. Established by Royal Charter in 1902, the British Academy is an independent learned society promoting the humanities and social sciences. It is composed of Fellows elected in recognition of their distinction as scholars in the humanities and social sciences.
- Further details about the British Academy are available on its website