Transcript Punching our weight: the humanities and social sciences in public

PUNCHING OUR WEIGHT: THE
HUMANITIES AND SOCIAL SCIENCES
IN PUBLIC POLICY MAKING
Sir Alan Wilson
University College London
(paper presented by Professor Shearer West,
Director of Research, Arts and Humanities
Research Council)
BACKGROUND
• report produced by the British Academy
• easier to make the case for the social sciences
where there is a massive need: ‘public policy’
social science as ‘big’ science!
• but the case for the humanities, the subject of
this conference, while more difficult, is just as
important: our quality of life rests on it
THE PUBLISHED REPORT
the report divided its conclusions three ways:
– Production: what research in the Humanities and
Social Sciences offers
– The needs of users -- mainly civil servants and
government ministers
– Co-production as a model of working
PRODUCTION – TEACHING AND
RESEARCH
• at the outset, there is an argument that public policy
needs, in some deep sense to be cultured
• “One thing my development work has shown me is
that public policy made without the influence of the
humanities is likely to be cramped and crude. The
cultivation of the imagination that comes with the
study of literature, the cultivation of ethical sensibility
that comes with the study of philosophy and religion –
these are essential equipment for citizens and
policymakers in a world increasingly united and driven
by the profit motive.”
(Martha Nussbaum)
PRODUCTION
• policy makers need to be aware of the understanding
offered by history, literature, the arts, religious
studies, law, languages and cultures, philosophy,
architecture and design
• so the first role in public policy is to ensure that there
are policy makers who are themselves cultured in
this way and this is delivered through valuing the
humanities throughout the education system – so
this is the first element of production – policy
makers as cultured individuals
PRODUCTION
• the second point is to note that public policy
making rests on a cumulative inventory of
knowledge but a body of knowledge that has
to be maintained, added to and to be
accessible - the cognitive, the creative and
the communicative capacities
• this inventory is rooted in research and
scholarship and research-based teaching
PRODUCTION
• together, the cultured population and the
inventory of knowledge deliver:
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clarity of thought
understanding
imagination
a knowledge of what is civilising
creative capacities
perhaps above all, civilised values
• we should not be taking a narrow view of utility
PRODUCTION
• we can then move beyond the general argument to
look at some of the products of research that are
obviously applicable – some examples from the UK
• History
– History and Policy Group
– history and urban regeneration
– ‘heritage science’, maintaining and developing the skills
base for the future
PRODUCTION
• Philosophy
– the philosophy of risk
– bio-ethics
– trust and public life
• Languages
– relationship of language policy and military
strategy in occupied countries
– policies and teaching materials in multi-language
countries
PRODUCTION
• Law and the judiciary
-access to justice and improving services to
victims of discrimination
• Culture
– the role of the arts in diasporic communities
– the role of culture in community regeneration
(e.g. research informing Liverpool City of Culture
year)
PUBLIC POLICY USE – BY
DEPARTMENT
• Education: Departments of Innovation Universities
and Skills; Children, Schools and Families
• Department of Culture, Media and Sport
• Department of Business, Enterprise and Regulatory
Reform
• Department of Communities and Local Government
• Foreign Office, Department for International
Development
• Home Office, Ministry of Justice
Education
• 25% of students in Higher Education are in
arts and humanities (500,000 students per
annum are exposed to research-led teaching
in humanities annually)
• importance of universities in encouraging and
sustaining inward investment
• curricula, exam boards etc
• teacher supply – quantity and quality
• lifelong learning
Culture, Finance, Business,
Economic
• an effective cultural environment is both civilising
and an economic necessity – the latter enabling
success in competing economies at various levels;
inward investment follows
• the creative industries represent 7.9% of gross
domestic product (GDP)
• A and H research underpins this through the
cumulative knowledge argument......
– where did Shakespeare get his history from? Answer:
Holinshed. Holinshed would have been funded by the
AHRC of its day!!
Communities and Local Government
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understanding the population
urban and regional regeneration
housing
cultural environments
Foreign Office, International
Development
• languages, cultures: in-depth knowledge
needed
Home, Justice
• street cultures
• criminal justice system
• migration
Cross-cutting; indirect impacts
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values of public life and their civilising effect
workforce development
social mobility
quality of life
inward investment
migration
driving creativity – everywhere, not just the
creative industries
CO-PRODUCTION
• at its best, this means joint projects
• but it also means producers and users working
together in a spirit of mutual understanding
and cooperation, and this is the essence of the
recommendations in our report
RECOMMENDATIONS:
Government
• Governments should support the long-term as
well as the short, should be open to peer
review and evaluation, should publish both
research and future priorities for research;
they should invest in the research base so that
they have the capacity for future work
• they should support more public policy work
through properly valuing such work through
funding mechanisms
RECOMMENDATIONS:
Research councils and universities
• Research Councils should find ways of bringing
their research communities to the users
through mechanism that range from elements
of PhD training to workshops and seminars;
they should develop co-production models
• universities should review their engagement
with public policy through promotion
procedures, appropriate interdisciplinarity and
capacity building
RECOMMENDATIONS:
Learned societies
• learned societies should identify appropriate
roles for themselves in supporting and
developing the public policy research agenda
• in the UK, this has been successfully achieved
by the Royal Society with respect to science
policy and this may be a role model for other
societies.
CONCLUDING COMMENTS
• public policy research is, typically, not yet fit
for purpose
• the humanities and the social sciences are,
potentially, major contributors
• it needs increased investment, but also
changes in culture from both ‘sides’
• the fact that the problem is now being clearly
identified, and there are constructive
proposals on the table, provides some
grounds for optimism!