School of Social and Political Science

School of Social and Political Science

For as long as we have society, we'll need social scientists.

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Across all our programmes, students are encouraged to question the social, political and technological systems and structures that surround us.

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Research

Our researchers are tackling some of the biggest issues facing society today, aiming to understand a world that’s changing more rapidly than ever.

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Subject areas

Our subject areas are the heartbeat of our School, with communities of staff and students working together across the social sciences to explore, challenge and identify how to create better societies.
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Students

Whether you’re a current student or you want to join us, you’ll find all the information you need about studying, academic life, and all our support and services here.

Latest news

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pandemic
03/06/2026

University of Edinburgh experts strengthen pandemic preparedness

A new initiative led by University of Edinburgh researchers will help the world prepare more effectively for future pandemics by addressing one of the major lessons of COVID-19 – that pandemics affect far more than healthcare systems alone.

Leiden
03/06/2026
Science, Technology and Innovation Studies

AI is challenging the core values of mathematics: researchers call for urgent action

As the rise of artificial intelligence forces mathematicians to rethink what makes their field reliable and valuable, an international group of researchers has warned that AI is putting fundamental values of the discipline under threat.

report
18/05/2026
Social Work

Experts call for urgent reforms to better protect and support children affected by parental domestic homicide

Researchers at the University of Edinburgh are calling for urgent reforms to better protect and support children affected by parental domestic homicide, following a major new study examining the long-term impact on young people across the UK and Ireland.

lukas lehner

Dr Lukas Lehner honoured for research impact by Wiley Research Heroes Prize

Dr Lukas Lehner was highly commended in the international Wiley Research Heroes Prize, recognising the societal impact and benefit of his work.

Lukas was honoured in the Impact Beyond Academia category for his research on job guarantees, which aim to abolish long-term unemployment. This category is for researchers ‘whose work has made a tangible difference in policy, industry or society’.

14/05/2026

Upcoming events

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event poster
11 June 2026
13:00 - 15:00

Net Zero: Governance Through Goal Setting and Competing Knowledge Claims

Where to next for science, knowledge and policy?
Event poster
16 June 2026
14:00 - 17:30
Centre of African Studies

AI Futures Seminar Series: keynote by professors Paola Ricaurte Quijano & Nick Couldry

General Event
17 June 2026
13:00 - 14:00

Launch of the Democratic Capabilities Framework: Strengthening inclusive participation in democratic life

In this webinar, Lucy Parry, Oliver Escobar and Adrian Bua will introduce the Democratic Capabilities Framework (DCF) as a conceptual and practical resource for reorienting the design and evaluation of participatory processes, as well as of policies that aim to support a more participatory democracy.

Social Work logo
19 June 2026
09:30 - 16:30
Social Work

Annual Spring Edinburgh Global Mental Health Day

Join us for the annual spring Edinburgh Global Mental Health day – Friday 19 June 2026.
This online and in-person event brings together University of Edinburgh students, alumni, staff, and external colleagues with an interest in the interdisciplinary field of global mental health. The event will feature a key note talk 'by Professor Alastair Ager (QMU) and Professor Karin Diaconu (QMU): Understanding The Landscape of Psychological and Social Interventions for Anxiety, Depression & Psychosis: A Pipeline Analysis. This is followed by a panel discussion including experts from India, Kenya, Ghana and Ethiopia.
The afternoon sessions highlight early career researchers and a careers panel.