Securing Funds Future
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March 2011, ISSN 0955-6281, Vol. 22 No. 1 Securing Funds Future Political science and related disciplines discussions on the EU’s future research joined with politics professional bodies are vitally important in helping to plans. in France, Germany, Ireland, Spain and deal with Europe’s many problems The Green Paper’s proposals set other European countries in a letter to including slow growth, the need for out the EU’s goal in the 8th Framework Máire Geoghegan-Quinn, European financial reform, social exclusion, civic Programme to speed up progress toward Commissioner for Research, Innovation capacity building, and so on, according a genuinely unified European Research and Science to press the claims for to Professor Vicky Randall, Chair of Area but signal a possibly reduced role social sciences and humanities to play a the Political Studies Association. She for politics as well as other social sciences vital role in meeting the challenges and was reacting to speculation that the and humanities subjects. Observers opportunities Europe is facing. social sciences may be substantially have also seen ominous signs at an disadvantaged in EU funding from organisational level with the integration Discipline’s Capacity 2013 onwards, according to critics of of the specialist section of DG Research Professor Vicky Randall, Chair, has the recently published Green Paper on dealing with social science into a broader liaised with the European Confederation research funding. Professor Randall grouping. Professor Randall urged the of Political Science Associations to draw went on to say that she was sure that the Association to adopt a less pessimistic the Commissioner’s attention to the strength of politics in the UK, together view. dangers of a compartmentalised with its record of achievement in approach to the natural and social previous Framework Programmes, would Joint Approach sciences. In the letter, the heads of stand the discipline in good stead in The Political Studies Association has continued on page 4 REF Panel Announced Vicky Randall In addition, the Association was communication between the REF sub- Political Studies Association Chair consulted about the selection of ‘user’ panel and the Association’s membership. members to be included in the sub-panel It will consider the best mechanisms to In the last issue of Political Studies and whose views on ‘impact’ would ensure this, as the process gets underway. Association News, I reported that the be particularly valued. The three user All in all, this appears to be an Association had submitted a list of 15 members will be Peter Kellner (YouGov excellent panel, high calibre, experienced nominees to HEFCE for the REF Politics Plc), the Rt Hon Peter Riddell (Institute and representative as well as reflecting to and International Studies Sub-panel. I for Government) and Martin Williamson a considerable degree the Association’s also reported that Professor Colin Hay (formerly Foreign and Commonwealth own recommendations. We wish the had been appointed as Chair of the sub- Office). panel every success in their challenging panel. Rather later than expected, on All in all, this appears to be an but vital task of adjudicating fairly 21st February, the final composition of excellent panel, high calibre, experienced between departments and defending the the sub-panel was officially announced. and representative as well as reflecting to discipline of political studies. (Full details are available on the HEFCE a considerable degree the Association’s In the meantime the Political website. See: http://hefce.ac.uk/research/ own recommendations. We wish the Studies Association Executive recognises ref/panels/main_panel_C.pdf). panel every success in their challenging that it will have an important role to The 17 academic members of the but vital task of adjudicating fairly play in facilitating full and regular sub-panel, in addition to Colin Hay, are between departments and defending the communication between the REF sub- listed in full on p15. discipline of political studies. panel and the Association’s membership. Of these, nine (in addition to Colin In the meantime the Political It will consider the best mechanisms to Hay) are individuals the Association had Studies Association Executive recognises ensure this, as the process gets underway. nominated. And we obviously extend our that it will have an important role to warm congratulations to them all. play in facilitating full and regular continued on page 15 PSA_March_2011_aw_03.indd 1 25/03/2011 15:48 2 Association News Association News | 2 Thomson ISI Recognition for PSR | 2 Irish Political Studies Call for Proposals | 2 Thomson ISI Recognition for PSR Nottingham Team to edit Political Studies and PSR | 3 As members of the Political Studies arrived at by counting how many times a Geoffrey Howe receives Award | 4 Association, readers of Political Studies journal article has been cited in other ISI Securing Funds Future | 4 Association News will be familiar with journals over a specific 2-year period, and Exchange Visits for Association Members to Political Studies and its sister journal then dividing the total by the number of Overseas Conferences | 5 Political Studies Review (PSR) and articles the journal has published over Links to other Associations | 5 they are probably aware that a major the same period. The higher the Impact Sao Paulo Conference a Success | 5 component of PSR is the 100-plus book Factor, the higher the journal sits in the Personal Reflections on New Zealand PSA Conference | 6 reviews which provide incisive analysis list of recognised journals. Making Sense of Political Science of new books being published in the and Politics | 6 field. Readers might be less aware of the Thomson ISI quality and range of articles that PSR has In 2009, the editorial team at Sheffield Specialist Group News | 7 French Politics, Policy and Society | 7 also published over recent years. made an application to Thomson ISI for New Developments for Political Thought | 8 Political Studies Review to be included in The Political Life of Things | 8 Unrivalled Review the citations index, stressing the rigour Anarchist Studies in 2010 | 9 PSR was initially established to provide of the article submission process and GPSG awards Research Fieldwork Prize | 9 its unrivalled review coverage of new quality of the papers now appearing in its Department Profile | 10 books and literature on political science pages. Politics and International Relations at Kent | 10 and international relations. During Department News | 11 its time at Sheffield, it has evolved by Proud Team Family Values | 11 offering a forum for peer-reviewed In brief, Political Studies Review has Ulster to Host 2012 Annual Conference | 11 original research articles which reflect developed into a highly respected and News from St Andrews | 17 on topical and significant approaches widely read journal and the outgoing News from Nottingham | 17 to debates in the discipline, as well as editorial team at Sheffield is delighted Grad News | 12 longer reviews of related books around a to announce that the application to Editor’s Note | 12 specific subject. PSR has published work Thomson ISI on these grounds has been Graduate Conference in Oxford, 2010 | 12 by an outstanding array of internationally successful. The journal will appear for See you in London! | 12 Meet the Postgraduate Network’s renowned scholars as well as leading the first time in the index for 2010, Committee | 13 political practitioners, both from within which will be published later this year. and outside the United Kingdom. This new ISI indexing of PSR is a Conference 2011 | 14 great achievement of which the Sheffield Conference Workshops | 14 REF Panel Announced |15 Key Debates team is very proud, and it reflects the Your Research Council Needs You | 15 The articles published in Political Studies extent to which the journal has been able Speakers’ Biographies | 16 Review are widely cited and have helped to position itself as having a sizeable shape a number of key debates in presence in the field of political science, In Full View | 18 ‘Can Government be Repaired? Lessons political science, but until now it has not both within the UK and internationally. from the USA’ | 17 been possible to judge the success of the It can rightly claim to be at the cutting Talking to Honourable Members | 18 journal against others in the discipline edge of a range of current issues within Appearing in Front of a Select because – unlike Political Studies – it the profession, publishing articles that Committee | 19 Tuition Fees: Voting Against Party Whip | 20 has not been included in the Thomson have both contributed to and helped The Human Rights Consortium, School of ISI ranking of journal citations and their shape the contours of a variety of Advanced Study | 20 Impact Factor. The Impact Factor is important debates. Teaching Contemporary Palestinian Political History | 21 The Campaign for Social Science | 22 Time to Confer | 23 Contemporary Aristotelian Studies in Politics Conference | 23 Irish Political Studies Call for Prague Summer Schools 2011 | 23 David Willets Announces £33.5 Million of Proposals Funding for New Cohort Study | 23 Irish Political Studies publishes a special This means that IPS is now captured issue each year on a theme relating to by the two most eminent academic Irish politics. If anyone has a proposal databases - Web of Science and Scopus for a special issue, they should contact - as well as Google Scholar. We hope Eoin O’Malley at [email protected] this endorsement of the professionalism with it. and scope of the journal will encourage Political Studies Association members to Irish Political Studies is now included submit their research to the journal. in the ISI Web of Science database. PSA_March_2011_aw_03.indd 2 28/03/2011 12:10 Association News 3 Nottingham Team to edit Political Studies and PSR higher and more international profile”.