British Academy: The UK's National Academy for the Humanities and Social Sciences

Policy Development

The unique contribution which can be made to public policy making by the humanities and social sciences, has often be overlooked. These reports show policy makers that HSS research is invaluable to the UK and provides much-needed context and analysis.

• British Academy responds to the Government’s White Paper for English Higher Education (21 September 2011)
  The British Academy has responded to the Government’s White Paper, Students at the heart of the system, criticising its proposals for English universities. We believe the White Paper fails to set out a clear long-term vision for Higher Education in the UK. It imposes radical changes on universities driven by pressures on funding undergraduate teaching, with little or no regard paid to their impact on postgraduate study and research or on academic career progression.
  
• British Academy Contribution to the Review of the National Curriculum (14 April 2011)
  An urgent review of education policy in the UK is necessary to prevent further damage to the sector and revive the value of learning at school, university and beyond. The British Academy not only welcomes the government’s plans to review the current curriculum but also fully supports the introduction of an English Baccalaureate in the interests of providing more young people with a well-rounded education.
  
• The Fruits of Curiosity: Science, Innovation and Future Sources of Wealth – A Submission from the British Academy to the Royal Society’s call for evidence (Oct 2009)
  The British Academy welcomed this important inquiry into the long-term direction of UK science and innovation policy, and the challenge it presents to the current perception that there is a division between applied and basic research. We encourage the inquiry to consider in particular two key issues:
  -  how the contributions of the humanities and social sciences could be better exploited in science policies, and; 
  -  the training and support given to postgraduate researchers, to enable them to engage and compete more effectively with their counterparts from overseas.
• Putting Science and Engineering at the Heart of Government Policy: Evidence to the House of Commons Committee on Innovation, Universities, Science and Skills (Jan 2009 – updated July 2009)
  Onora O'Neill, then President of the British Academy, emphasised the need for government policy to draw effectively on the full range of expertise within the UK’s world class research base - including the disciplines in the humanities and social sciences as well as those in science, technology, engineering and medicine. In supplementary evidence to the committee, she addressed the question of whether those research areas where the UK has a clear competitive edge should be favoured above others.
• Submission to the DIUS consultation ‘A Vision for Science and Society’ (Oct 2008)
  The British Academy believes that a new UK science and society strategy should:
  -  enhance dialogue on science in public debate;
  -  enable members of the public to judge whether to trust in 'academia, business and government itself as we apply scientific insight';
  -  and improve the interaction between HSS academic researchers and public policy makers.
• Punching our weight: the humanities and social science in public policy making (Sept 2008)
  It is essential that public policy making is informed by high quality research, in order to support the effectiveness of government decision-making. This report addresses the questions of what policy makers need, what the humanities and social sciences can offer and what the challenges are of providing better evidence for public policy making.