The future of social science in the UK is a timely concern in the light of the assault on US social science funding and similar omens in Australia. But social science in the UK is thriving.
Universities and Science Minister David Willetts has been consistently supportive of UK social science. Last week, he gave the first Annual Lecture for the Campaign for Social Science: “Where Next for Social Science? The Agenda Beyond 2015.”
We should be proud of it; we should celebrate it and we should encourage its further growth.
The minister is right that we should be proud. Second only to the US in its quality and quantity, social science is a national asset in terms of its vital contributions to issues our society faces (such as climate change, crime and the ageing population) and its economic impact is estimated at £19.4bn.