Public Policy

Obama Orders More Behavioral Science in Policy
Public Policy
September 15, 2015

Obama Orders More Behavioral Science in Policy

Read Now
Federal ‘Common Rule’ on Human Study Ethics Changing
International Debate
September 8, 2015

Federal ‘Common Rule’ on Human Study Ethics Changing

Read Now
Did the REF Ultimately Measure Who Got Most Grant Money?
Academic Funding
August 28, 2015

Did the REF Ultimately Measure Who Got Most Grant Money?

Read Now
Life Itself is One Big Exercise of the Prisoner’s Dilemma
Public Policy
August 27, 2015

Life Itself is One Big Exercise of the Prisoner’s Dilemma

Read Now
Even an Imperfect Metrics Regime Has Value

Even an Imperfect Metrics Regime Has Value

Jane Tinkler argues that if institutions like HEFCE specify a narrow set of impact metrics, more harm than good would come to universities forced to limit their understanding of how research is making a difference. But, she adds, qualitative and quantitative indicators continue to be an incredible source of learning for how impact works.

Read Now
Giving Euroscepticism an Honest Hearing

Giving Euroscepticism an Honest Hearing

A remarkably prescient special issue of the journal ‘International Political Science Review’ examines Euroscepticism’s migration ‘from the margins to the mainstream.’ Social Science Space talks to one of the issue’s guest editors.

Read Now
Bill: Make ‘National Interest’ Explicit in NSF Grants

Bill: Make ‘National Interest’ Explicit in NSF Grants

In February officials with the National Science Foundation, the National Institute of Standards and Technology, and the National Science Board trooped up […]

Read Now
Malaria Vaccine – Great Science But What’s the Point?

Malaria Vaccine – Great Science But What’s the Point?

Bully for the researchers who have developed a vaccine can build resistance against some instances of malaria, says Robert Dingwall. But before the WHO recommends for its adoption, he suggests a harder look at user-centered design and cost-benefit analysis may be in order.

Read Now
Making Sense of Screening: Public Expectations About Screening Still Don’t Match What Screening Programmes Can Deliver 

Making Sense of Screening: Public Expectations About Screening Still Don’t Match What Screening Programmes Can Deliver 

Misconceptions about how screening works, its limitations and possible harms are still being perpetuated by media stories and high profile cases, such […]

Read Now
Ebola: WHO and the Consequences of Ignoring Social Science

Ebola: WHO and the Consequences of Ignoring Social Science

A new report from the World Health Organization on the response to the African Ebola outbreak backs up what our Robert Dingwall has been writing all along — by downplaying social science lives have been lost. The question now is whether a new WHO can improve.

Read Now
Open Letter on Innovation Urges Real Support for Basic Research

Open Letter on Innovation Urges Real Support for Basic Research

More than 250 universities and scholarly groups and the CEOs of 10 corporations have released an open letter urging American policymakers to “heed the warnings” about the nation’s waning commitment to basic research.

Read Now
Close Encounters of the Dental Kind

Close Encounters of the Dental Kind

After an unplanned visit to an American dentist, Robert Dingwall reflects on the power and the role of the case study

Read Now

Subscribe to our mailing list

Get the latest news from the social and behavioral science community delivered straight to your inbox.