A new science of wellbeing will change policy and decision making

What produces a happy society and a happy life? Richard Layard and Jan-Emmanuel De Neve suggest that through the new science of wellbeing, we can now answer this question empirically. Explaining how wellbeing can be measured, what causes it, and how it can be improved, they argue we are only at the beginning of a … Continued

Three Reasons we should place a higher value on Meta-Research

Research is often reported on and assessed in singular, rather than aggregate terms. For example, single papers, datasets and findings. As a debate around the way research syntheses are valued within national research systems, such as the REF, continues, Michael Matthews and Thomas Kelemen advocate for the benefits of meta-research for communicating and making sense … Continued

What are social structural explanations?

Social structures are often invoked as the cause of various problems in society. In this post, Lauren N. Ross discusses how social structural causes can be understood as constraints and why clarity on this point is not just a problem of definition, but important for addressing key policy issues. Some causes are harder to understand … Continued