In Economic, Social and Political Sciences, the high quality of our research outputs, the vitality of our research environment, and the impact of our work in helping to address the major challenges facing society. Much of this work is carried out in our specialist research centres. Academics work across traditional boundaries, sharing expertise, to address some of society's most pressing issues.
Below we feature examples of ways in which our research is changing the world for the better and impacting on the lives of people in the UK and around the globe.
The link for research centres is https://www.southampton.ac.uk/socsci/research/centres.page
Researchers at the University of Southampton are stimulating dialogue and generating impact by enhancing the cultural and policy understanding of the key issues of ageing, intergenerational relations and the life-course.
Our research on young adolescent pregnancy and maternal health has had a sustained influence on international policy, potentially improving the lives of millions of women and girls worldwide.
Our research into estimating mortality has been used by the Office for National Statistics in developing the latest decennial life tables, the English Life Tables.
Our research into methodologies for improving survey accuracy has changed rules and policy around political polling in the UK, following pollster’s collective failure to predict the outcome of the 2015 UK General Election.
Our research into ageing and the wellbeing of older people in Kenya has influenced social protection schemes within Kenya and across sub-Saharan Africa more widely.
Research by the University of Southampton’s Work Futures Research Centre has contributed significantly to policies aiming to enhance the quality of work and the opportunities available to people of all backgrounds, young and old. The Centre’s research has informed government and professional policies on young people and work, regional employability training programmes for young people, apprenticeship schemes for older workers, improved programme performance for healthcare workforces involved in digital innovation and employee-driven innovation in the Health Sector.
Research by an economist at the University of Southampton has demonstrated to policymakers the benefits of temporary migration through overseas savings and skill acquisition which contribute to the economic development of the home country.
The World Bank, the International Labour Organisation (ILO) and the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) have all used the research by Prof. Jackie Wahba to directly contribute to the design of international migration policy in labour sending countries.
Our research has made important contributions to understanding of the performance of election opinion polling in the UK and internationally, and has influenced polling methodology, reporting of polls in the media, and the regulation of political polling in the UK.
Our research has helped to pilot the use of Citizens’ Assemblies – institutional innovations that bring together 30 to 150 randomly selected citizens as a cross-section of the population to learn about an issue, discuss its dimensions, and develop solutions.
Our research into European pension systems has driven public debate and influenced legislation in Germany, where occupation pensions have subsequently been strengthened with a view to reducing poverty in the country.
Our research has provided groundbreaking evidence that mergers may have a detrimental effect on merging companies’ incentives to innovate. The findings have informed and shaped the mergers enforcement policy of the European Commission.
Our research has made an influential contribution to the understanding of Britain’s political divides, shaping the national agenda on place and public policy.