Why Social Science? Because Look at the Alternatives!
This month's Why Social Science? post comes from Dr. Kenneth A. Bollen from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill about how social sciences, though imperfect, remain our best and most reliable hope for understanding and solving many of the crises we face. Recent Gallup polling shows that…
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Why Social Science?
Why Social Science? - Because Asking People Questions Provides Important and Necessary Insights
This month's Why Social Science? post comes from Dr. Kristen Olson from the University of Nebraska, Lincoln about how asking the right questions and using surveys will help us better understand and support populations we want to study. Data are everywhere. Data are collected as we browse the…
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Why Social Science?
Data Collection
Why Social Science? - Because It Helps Us Understand (and Change) Our Society
The most recent Why Social Science? post comes from Dr. Joshua L. Rosenbloom (Iowa State University) who writes about how social science can offer useful analysis and policy suggestions to address the negative social consequences of income inequality and wealth distrubution. Read on for more.
Why Social Science? - Because Constituents Have the Power to Hold Elected Officials Accountable: Reflections from COSSA’s 2026 Social Science Advocacy Day
This month's Why Social Science? post comes from three participants from this year's Social Science Advocacy Day who reflected upon their advocacy experiences and the importance of advocating for the social sciences. By Katherine M. Robiadek, Xavier University; Jessica Rich, Virginia Tech; and…
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Why Social Science?
COSSA
Why Social Science? - Because Psychology Can Help Reduce Police Violence
This month's Why Social Science? post comes from Dr. Kimberly Kahn from the Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues (SPSSI) about how psychology can help us build safer, fairer communities by finding solutions rooted in evidence, empathy, and mutual responsibility. By Kimberly Kahn,…
Why Social Science? - Because How Would We Understand the World Without It?
This month's Why Social Science? post comes from Lisa Schamess from the American Association of Geographers (AAG) about celebrating Geography Week and how geography is essential to our daily lives. By Lisa Schamess (American Association of Geographers) When I was in elementary school, the way we…
Why Social Science? - Because Research-Informed Policy Strengthens Children and Families
This month's Why Social Science? post comes from the Society for Research in Child Development (SRCD) about what they're doing to continue to strengthen evidence-based policymaking and the connections between policymakers and researchers. By Suzanne Le Menestrel, Juan Romero-Casillas, and Eva…
Why Social Science? - Because It Gives Educators and Policymakers the Tools to Improve Education
By Tabbye Chavous, Executive Director, American Educational Research Association Wearing my hats as a social science scholar and academic leader, I have studied trends in the development of science over the past 150 years. Over that time, scholarly science has focused on the continual advancement…
Why Social Science? - Because Reimagining Science Requires Behavioral and Social Scientists at the Table, Too
By Sam Goldstein, Science for Good Nearly 40% of deaths in the United States are preventable through changes in behavior. Modifiable risk factors like smoking, poor diet, inactivity, or alcohol use are contributors to many cancers. For children and teens ages 1 to 17, the leading cause of death is…
Why Social Science? - Because If We Don’t Advocate for the Future of our Field, Who Will?
By Marcel LaFlamme, Association of Research Libraries; Angelo Cusimano, CUNY; and Sarah Wang, American University This month's "Why Social Science?" post comes from three participants from this year's Social Science Advocacy Day who reflected upon their advocacy experiences and the importance of…
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Why Social Science?
Why Social Science? - Because We Need Good Data to Predict the Future
This month's Why Social Science? post comes from Mark Mather and Beth Jarosz from the Population Reference Bureau who write about the importance of demography and how it can help community leaders, policymakers, business leaders, advocates, and residents plan effectively for a thriving future. By…
Why Social Science? - Because It Turns Talk into ACTION
By The American Anthropological Association Every year on the third Thursday of February, we celebrate Anthropology Day—a chance to further our understanding of what it means to be human. Established by the American Anthropological Association, this day brings students, teachers, and professionals…
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Why Social Science?
Anthropology
Why Social Science? - Because It Can Help Prepare Students for Employment
This month's Why Social Science? post comes from The Conversation, where Dr. Sandra Lapointe writes about how social sciences and humanities programs can help prepare students for employment and navigating their next professional steps. Future graduates face complex global challenges like climate…
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Why Social Science?
Why Social Science? - Because People Can’t Be Represented If We Don’t Know What They Think
This month’s "Why Social Science?" post comes from Dr. Josh Pasek (University of Michigan) who discusses how public opinion polling influences the decisions of social and political leaders. Read on.
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Why Social Science?
Why Social Science? - Because Improving the Lives of Children is Complicated
This month's "Why Social Science?" post comes from Dr. Narayan Sastry (University of Michigan) who discusses the importance of social and behavioral data to improve outcomes for children over time and across generations. READ ON
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Why Social Science?
Child Health
Why Social Science? - Because It Can Strengthen Communities
This month's Why Social Science? post comes from Dr. David Campbell (University of Notre Dame) who discusses how social capital can help make democracy work. As the 2024 presidential election approaches, we are reminded that Americans are deeply polarized. But while the term “polarization” is…
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Why Social Science?
Why Social Science? - Because It Might Help Us Save American Democracy
This month's Why Social Science? post comes from Dr. John T. Jost (New York University) and Dr. Daniela Goya-Tocchetto (University of Buffalo) who discuss political polarization and the future of American democracy. By John T. Jost, Ph.D. (New York University) and Daniela Goya-Tocchetto, Ph.D. (…
Why Social Science? - Because We Need to Show Up to Have Our Voices Heard: Reflections from COSSA’s 2024 Social Science Advocacy Day
By Dr. Laura Widman (North Carolina State University); Dr. Aaryn L. Green (American Sociological Association); and Emma Southern (American University) This month's Why Social Science? post comes from three participants from this year's Social Science Advocacy Day who reflected upon their advocacy…
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Why Social Science?
COSSA
Why Social Science? - Because It Can Contribute to AI that Benefits Society
The new Why Social Science? post comes from Carlotta Arthur and Emanuel Robinson from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine who discuss how the social and behavioral sciences are poised to inform and improve AI and AI systems. Artificial Intelligence – “AI” – continues to be…
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Why Social Science?
AI
Why Social Science? - Because It Makes An Outsized Impact on Policy
The new "Why Social Science?" post comes from Camille Gamboa from Sage who interviews Euan Adie, Overton's managing director, to learn more about the large impact that social science makes on policy and his work creating tools to connect the scholarly and policy worlds. We know that social and…
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Why Social Science?
Policymaking
Why Social Science? - Because It Helps Us Incorporate Lived Experience into Health Research
The new Why Social Science? post comes from Dr. Monica N. Feit from the Health and Medicine Division of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) who writes about how social science can provide valuable expertise to help…
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Why Social Science?
Why Social Science? - Because It Can Explain How the Next Technological Revolution Impacts Our Lives and the Communities We Care About
The new Why Social Science? post comes from Dr. Rayvon Fouché from Northwestern University who writes about how social science can provide valuable history, context, and interpretive perspectives to help inform our societies moving forward. For those reading nearly any media outlet during 2023, it…
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Why Social Science?
AI Hub
Why Social Science? - Because It Can Help Students Find Their Place in Fighting Climate Change
This month's Why Social Science? post comes from The Conversation, where Clare Cunningham, Catherine Heinemeyer, and Jude Parks write about how universities can help empower students feeling helpless about the climate crisis. By Clare Cunningham Ph.D., Catherine Heinemeyer, Ph.D., and Jude Parks,…
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Why Social Science?
Climate Change
Why Social Science? - Because It Can Shed Light on Representation in the STEM Workforce
This month's Why Social Science? post comes from Dr. Amy Burke and Julia Milton from the National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics (NCSES) at the National Science Foundation (NSF) who write about representation in the STEM workforce. Every 2 years, the NCSES within the NSF publishes a…