If you are a media professional and need contacts for stories focusing on the expertise of our 700+ Fellows, our Communications team can help.

Our Fellows work across the breadth of disciplines contained within the social sciences, which means they have expertise on: Accounting, Anthropology, Demography, Economic History, Economics, Education, Geography, History, Law, Linguistics, Management, Marketing, Philosophy, Political Science, Psychology, Social Medicine, Sociology and Statistics.

Decadal Plan for Social Science Research Infrastructure launches

The Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia and partners have launched an ambitious 10-year strategy for transforming national social science research infrastructure. Connected, Innovative and Responsive: Decadal Plan for Social Science Research Infrastructure 2024-33 sets out a compelling vision for a powerful framework of connected and integrated social science researchers across universities, government research

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Rechnitz Fund grants now open

Applications are now open for the Academy’s Rechnitz Fund with grants of up to $20,000 available to support early- and mid-career Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander scholars working in any field of the social sciences. The grants program will provide funding for research projects of up to two years across all social science disciplines, from

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Australian Urban Policy: Prospects and Pathways

Edited by: Robert Freestone, Bill Randolph, Wendy Steele. Urban Australia confronts numerous challenges in the 21st century: climate change, housing, transport, greenspace, social inequality, and governance, among them. While state and local governments wrestle with these issues, they are continent wide and require national leadership, direction and participation. As a highly urbanised country without a national

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Multicultural arc : Making multicultural Australia: past, present an future

Multicultural Arc describes and analyses a half-century of multicultural action and policy in Australia, as the country changed from being 99.5% European to one of the most diverse societies in the world. Through examinations of the changes introduced by successive governments, readers follow the twists and turns of ideology and popular attitudes. From the “invention”

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Spectacles of Waste

The modern bathroom is an ingenious compilation of locked doors, smooth porcelain, 4-ply tissue and antibacterial hand soap, but despite this miracle of indoor plumbing, we still can’t bear the thought that anyone else should know that our bodies produce waste. Why must we live by the rules of this intense scatological embarrassment? In Spectacles of

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Driving International Research: Australian and Chinese Social Scientists Secure Funding for Collaborative Research

Substantial funding has been granted for collaborative research initiatives involving social scientists from Australia and China, following the announcement of the Australia-China Joint Action Program allocations for 2024. The program, jointly led by the Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia and the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS), facilitates collaborative research ventures between Australian

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At a Turning Point

Australia is at a much-needed turning point in work, care and family policy. Australian women, families and communities are struggling to manage the complex demands of work and care. Rapid social and demographic change, alongside new workplace, labour market trends and the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, requires a policy revamp that will allow all

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The Shortest History of Economics: The Powerful Story of Economic Ideas and Forces that Shape Our World

The secret of economics is that the most powerful insights come from a handful of big ideas that anyone can follow.’ This small book tells a big story. From ancient times to the modern world, The Shortest History of Economics unearths the hidden economic forces behind war, innovation and social transformation. It traces how capitalism and the

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Money in the Twenty-First Century: Cheap, Mobile, and Digital

An economist examines three modern forces that have redefined what “money” means, who controls it, and what the future of finance might look like. Money is increasingly cheap, digital, and mobile. In Money in the Twenty-First Century, economist Richard Holden examines the virtues and risks of low interest rates, mobile money, and cryptocurrencies, and explains how

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Shaping the Future: A new approach to policy that works for young people

Australia’s leading social scientists, together with young people, representatives from the youth sector and policy makers have united to explore the development of a national framework for policy that works for young people. The Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia, together with the Australian Youth Affairs Coalition (AYAC) and Monash Centre for Youth Policy

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Violence against women: What everyone needs to know

Violence against women and girls (VAWG) is a longstanding problem that has shifted very little despite increasing international and national media coverage and attention from governments and in policy debates. But what do we know about it and how to stop it? This book synthesises the latest knowledge about violence against women and girls, what

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Fellows receive ARC Discovery Projects

Congratulations to all Academy Fellows who were part of successful applications for the Australian Research Council’s (ARC) Discovery Project funding. More than $220 million in funding was announced by ARC Chief Executive Officer Judi Zielke on Monday 30 October, for 421 research projects in round 1. Several Academy Fellows are among the grant recipients, including:

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Getting density right

Australia is in the grip of a housing crisis. Despite the fact that increasing housing density in urban centres is an available option to ensure affordable housing is available to all, density is still a dirty word. The ‘Not In My Back Yard’ movement has seen concerned residents in many locations opposing medium and high

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Watershed: The 2022 Australian Federal Election book launch

Australia’s 2022 federal election played out in ways that few could have expected. Not only did it bring a change of government; it also saw the lowest number of primary votes for the major parties and the election of the greatest number of Independents to the lower house since the formation of the Australian party

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2024 Workshops Program grants announcement

The Academy is pleased to announce that eight research teams from 12 universities have been awarded over $70,000 in grants to advance important national research and policy agendas via the Academy’s Workshops Program grants for 2024. The projects span a wide range of social science disciplines, from mental health to migration, Indigenous governance, biodiversity, and

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Academy President address to the National Press Club

On Wednesday 18 October 2023, Academy President Professor Richard Holden FASSA addressed to the National Press Club, asking ‘Is Australian Economic Exceptionalism Over?’.  Speech transcript: Thank you to the Club for this opportunity, and to Misha for that generous introduction. Let me begin by acknowledging the traditional owners of the lands on which we meet,

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Academy of the Social Sciences Recognises Australia’s Brightest Emerging Scholars

Academy of the Social Sciences Recognises Australia’s Brightest Emerging Scholars Four of Australia’s most promising early career researchers have been named recipients of the 2023 Paul Bourke Awards for Early Career Research, presented by the Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia. Academy President Professor Richard Holden extended his congratulations to the recipients, as well

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