PSA Strategic Plan 2025-28: Our Progress During Year One!
When we published the PSA’s Strategic Plan for 2025-28, I was clear that this tome wouldn’t gather dust. In fact, the reverse has happened! My sense is that the process of the PSA’s trustees and staff setting a direction of travel has made us a more confident association and has been the catalyst for some very positive developments. I am sharing here my reflections on the ‘headlines’ and some of the wonderful things members have told us over the last year about being part of the PSA. “The PSA provides an academic and professional community, a home from home, where […]
New British Academy report shows degree course cold spots across the UK
Our friends at the British Academy (BA) have produced a hard-hitting new report which shows that financial difficulties or strategic choices in our universities have led to large swathes of the UK becoming cold spots for social sciences, humanities and arts degrees. What are the implications and why does this matter? More students than ever are choosing to study close to home – some 56% of undergraduates in 2023/24. Historically underrepresented or disadvantaged students are more likely to opt to study locally, so the disappearance of degree opportunities (especially on a regional scale) risks deepening inequalities and will impact the strength […]
Considering doing a degree? Why not choose Politics & IR?
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Michelle Doyle Wildman, PSA Chief Executive 11 August 2025 UCAS is now open for 2026 applications so I’ve set out some (hopefully helpful) pointers below on why choosing to do a Politics or International Relations degree may be right for you! What can you do with a Politics & IR Degree? Politics Degrees are relevant, enjoyable, and useful. Recent analysis by the British Academy – New report uncovers popularity of Politics and International Relations degrees, with graduates outearning national averages – found that this is a popular subject among prospective students, on its own or combined with other subjects. Politics & IR […]
New British Academy policy toolkit: Understanding SHAPE Graduates
The British Academy has recently launched a new data-rich policy resource, the Understanding SHAPE Graduates toolkit. The toolkit aims to shine a light on SHAPE (Social Sciences, Humanities and Arts for People and the Economy) graduates’ contributions to the UK economy and society and to help increase understanding of their career trajectories. It consists of an interactive data dashboard, a series of ‘key findings’ drawn from the data, and a policy briefing contextualising how graduate outcomes are understood and measured by policymakers. Why now? The Academy regularly makes the case for the positive impact SHAPE graduates make to the […]
The Different Facets of Pride Politics in Times of ‘anti-LGBTQIA+’ Backlashes
The law passed on 18th March 2025 by the Hungarian Parliament banning Pride Events in the country and allowing the use of facial recognition to identify organisers and participants has sent shockwaves across the European continent and beyond. In Russia or Turkey bans on Pride Events have been a reality for a few years already, a situation that has attracted widespread condemnation from LGBTQIA+ activists, political actors, and civil society more in general. The ban enacted by the Hungarian Parliament, however, is seen by many as opening a new fault line at the heart of the European Union. Whilst Hungary […]