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November 11, 2025

Kellogg College is to host a panel discussion marking the launch of major new collection exploring climate change, inequality, migration, AI and the mental health crisis.

At a time when humanity faces what some describe as a “tsunami of global crises” – from climate catastrophe to unregulated AI, from pandemic threats to deepening inequality – a panel of internationally renowned scholars will make the case that the social sciences are more essential than ever.

Why the Social Sciences Matter - book coverKellogg College is hosting a panel discussion on Wednesday 26 November 2025 to mark the launch of Why the Social Sciences Matter – More Than Ever, a completely revised and expanded collection of essays edited by Kellogg College President Professor Jonathan Michie and Professor Sir Cary Cooper. The event brings together experts to demonstrate how disciplines such as economics, sociology, psychology and political science are vital tools for understanding and solving the defining challenges of our age.

The book’s central argument is clear: scientific and technological advances alone cannot save us. While we develop vaccines, carbon capture technologies and artificial intelligence, we also need the social sciences to understand human behaviour, shape policy, build public trust, and ensure innovations benefit society rather than harm it.

“As humanity develops enhanced technologies and our global community progresses, we might expect the world’s problems to be diminishing. Instead, we face a tsunami of global crises,” write Professors Michie and Cooper in the book’s preface. “We need scientific advance, but the AI, robots, and driverless cars need to be adopted for social benefit – this requires the social sciences.”

The Panel

The discussion will be chaired by Professor Jonathan Michie, President of Kellogg College and Professor of Innovation & Knowledge Exchange at Oxford, with contributions from:

  • Professor Marya Besharov, Official Fellow of Kellogg College and Academic Director of the Skoll Centre for Social Entrepreneurship at Saïd Business School, exploring how social sciences work together to tackle complex challenges
  • Professor Robin Cohen, Senior Research Fellow at Kellogg College and Professor Emeritus of Development Studies, examining migration between global realities and political theatre
  • Will Hutton, President of the Academy of Social Sciences, making the case for reimagining capitalism for the common good
  • Professor Iyiola Solanke, Jacques Delors Professor of European Union Law, discussing decolonial theory, diversity and cognitive justice
  • Professor Gabriel J. Stylianides, Professor of Mathematics Education, challenging common sense assumptions in teaching and policy

Each speaker will draw on their chapter in the book to demonstrate how their discipline provides insights into contemporary crises – and how interdisciplinary collaboration offers our best hope for solutions.

Why This Matters

The book confronts an uncomfortable reality: despite decades of progress, many of our problems are intensifying. Climate change threatens human life on Earth. The causes of the 2007-2009 financial crisis remain unresolved, while inequality of income, wealth and power has deepened. AI and robotics raise urgent questions about control and ethics.

Yet politicians and policymakers often promote only ‘STEM’ subjects – science, technology, engineering and mathematics – overlooking the social sciences that are essential for translating technological capability into human wellbeing.

The book makes a compelling case for why this narrow focus must change. From understanding why people reject vaccines despite scientific evidence, to designing cities that support mental health, to regulating AI before it’s too late – these challenges demand insight from psychology, sociology, political science, economics and beyond.

Professor Michie argues that interdisciplinary collaboration is essential: “What’s needed is often collaboration across and between disciplines. We need multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary working. It requires listening and learning, and adapting how we ourselves conceptualise problems.”

Join the Conversation

The event “Why the Social Sciences Matter – More Than Ever” is open to academics, postgraduate students, policy professionals, employers, journalists and members of the public interested in how research and evidence can influence policy, practice and society.

Whether you’re concerned about climate justice, the future of democracy, or how different academic disciplines can work together to tackle real-world problems, this panel discussion offers insight from scholars at the forefront of their fields.

Event Details

Book Details

Why the Social Sciences Matter – More Than Ever, edited by Jonathan Michie and Sir Cary L. Cooper Published by Palgrave Macmillan, 30 October 2025

Published with the support of the Academy for Social Sciences, this volume provides an illuminating look at topics of concern to everyone at the beginning of the twenty-first century. Leading social scientists tackle complex questions such as immigration, unemployment, climate change, war, banks in trouble, and an ageing population.

The updated edition features nine new chapters reflecting recent global developments, including the rise of populism, the challenge of sustainable development, the productivity puzzle, and the growing mental health crisis particularly affecting young people. Contributors tackle questions that dominate today’s headlines: How do we manage migration in an era of climate displacement? How can we prevent another financial crisis? How do we ensure AI serves humanity rather than threatens it?

Copies of the book will be available for purchase at the event on 26 November, at a discount of 20% off the cover price.