Oxford Social Sciences Division
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socsci.ox.ac.uk
Oxford Social Sciences Division
@socsci.ox.ac.uk
We bring together the outstanding departments, faculties and schools that make up the University of Oxford's Social Sciences Division.
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How can the social sciences help us to understand our interconnected world? 🌍Social scientists contribute to vital conversations on related topics including infrastructure, transport, migration, technology and more.

Follow along with #SSDConnections!
The Migration Oxford Podcast needs YOU 🫵

Calling all academics, researchers, and big thinkers alike.

Fresh perspectives wanted to contribute to the global conversation on migration. #SSDConnections

Call for pitches closes 13 Feb. Find out more and apply 👇
Have you recently published research that could help shape how migration is understood? 🎙️

If so, we would love to hear your pitch for a slot on the Migration Oxford Podcast.

📅Submit your pitch by 13 February 2026 to be considered.

www.compas.ox.ac.uk/article/call...
January 27, 2026 at 3:51 PM
Global wildlife trade is estimated to be worth $400 billion annually #SSDConnections
@oxmartinschool.bsky.social researchers were part of a team that categorised 3 areas of legal uncertainty in the trade. How can understanding these help with conservation? www.oxfordmartin.ox.ac.uk/news/legal-g...
New study highlights legal “grey areas” in wildlife trade
The Oxford Martin School at the University of Oxford brings together the best minds from different fields to tackle the most pressing issues of the 21st…
www.oxfordmartin.ox.ac.uk
January 21, 2026 at 4:55 PM
Reposted by Oxford Social Sciences Division
We’re delighted to be partnering with @socsci.ox.ac.uk as part of the 2026 Social Sciences Impact Conference, Impact in Motion: Navigating Uncertainty, Creating Change. The conference is taking place on 24-25 March 2026. Find out more & hope to see you there➡️
Social Sciences Impact Conference 2026
Social Sciences Impact Conference 2026
www.socsci.ox.ac.uk
January 20, 2026 at 2:54 PM
🎉 Registration now open: Social Sciences Impact Conference 2026 @ox.ac.uk
📅 24–25 March
📍 St Anne’s College
🔎 Impact in Motion: Navigating Uncertainty, Creating Change
Join researchers, policy makers and practitioners shaping impact in the social sciences.
👉 www.socsci.ox.ac.uk/impact-confe...
January 20, 2026 at 11:01 AM
Don't miss these fiction and non-fiction recommendations on the topic of #migration from members of @compasoxford.bsky.social @oxford-anthro.bsky.social 📚 #SSDConnections
To mark #InternationalMigrantsDay, our colleagues, affiliates, and students reflect on the books that have enriched their understanding of migration in 2025 📖

🔗 Access the full list of recommendations: www.compas.ox.ac.uk/article/comp...
January 15, 2026 at 1:39 PM
❄️Winter's here & keeping #homes warm is a priority.
@uk.theconversation.com article by Dr Brenda Boardman, Dr Thomas Longden, and @tinafawcett.bsky.social calls for increased cold weather payments to protect households in hard-hit areas. ⤵️ @ecioxford.bsky.social
doi.org/10.64628/AB....
#SocSciHome
How the UK’s cold weather payments need to change to help prevent people freezing in winter
The cold weather payment is important but needs to be made in advance of freezing temperatures.
doi.org
January 15, 2026 at 10:07 AM
Reposted by Oxford Social Sciences Division
This UNIQ+ paid summer internship would be based here @oxfordcrim.bsky.social, @oxfordlawfac.bsky.social working with our colleagues @bordercrim.bsky.social. please share with eligible UK undergraduates
January 14, 2026 at 3:37 PM
🏡Ewan Archer-Brown, Dr Brenda Boardman, and Prof. @janrosenow.bsky.social look to Germany to inspire a recovery approach to the UK's home insulation 'fiasco' in this @theconversation.com article.
Read more: doi.org/10.64628/AB....
#SocSciHome
@ecioxford.bsky.social @oxfordgeography.bsky.social
A home insulation fiasco has left tens of thousands in cold and leaky homes over winter
The UK still needs to retrofit millions of homes. We can’t leave it up to the market, say experts.
doi.org
January 14, 2026 at 3:18 PM
'Beyond Town and Gown: Working Towards a More Inclusive Oxford' co-authored by @alexanderbetts.bsky.social @odid-qeh.bsky.social shows @ox.ac.uk's commitment to positive social change in the city. Find out more about our division's involvement ⤵
www.socsci.ox.ac.uk/local-policy...
#SocSciHome
Local Policy Lab
www.socsci.ox.ac.uk
January 14, 2026 at 2:02 PM
How welcoming are UK cities? 🌃
In this @migobs.bsky.social podcast, @jacquibroadhead.bsky.social joins host Rob McNeil to explore optimism surrounding the future of welcoming newcomers in UK cities.
🎧 Listen here: staged.podcasts.ox.ac.uk/how-welcomin...
#SocSciHome
How welcoming are UK cities for newcomers? | University of Oxford Podcasts - Audio and Video Lectures
Should we be optimistic about the future of welcoming in UK cities? In this feature episode, we navigate the policies, practices and perseverance essential to strengthen migrant welcoming and inclusio...
staged.podcasts.ox.ac.uk
January 13, 2026 at 3:11 PM
How can the social sciences help us to understand our interconnected world? 🌍Social scientists contribute to vital conversations on related topics including infrastructure, transport, migration, technology and more.

Follow along with #SSDConnections!
January 5, 2026 at 2:33 PM
🐈‍⬛Research finds that cats set-paw over our thresholds far later than originally thought finds @gregerlarson.bsky.social @unioxarchaeology.bsky.social
📸 We'd love to see some snaps of the feline friends that make your house a home! Share with #SocSciHome
More: www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Cats became our companions way later than you think
In true feline style, cats took their time in deciding when and where to join us on the sofa.
www.bbc.co.uk
December 22, 2025 at 11:17 AM
📮Would a letter from the police make you rethink home security? #SocSciHome
@criminologist.bsky.social's research finds law enforcement letters do not encourage behaviour change to prevent burglary.
Read the full study: doi.org/10.1080/0735...
@dspi-oxford.bsky.social
#HomeSecurity #Police
Burglary prevention advice letters: a cluster randomised controlled trial in Luton, England
We evaluate law enforcement letters aimed at raising awareness of burglary rates and providing home security recommendations in the UK, examining whether such interventions can reduce burglary inci...
doi.org
December 19, 2025 at 1:32 PM
🏠For the next few weeks we'll be spotlighting how the social sciences explore topics linked to 'home and belonging', including
- #Migration
- Health and #wellbeing
- Economic inequality
- Infrastructure
- Community
Follow along with #SocSciHome to find out more!
December 18, 2025 at 4:14 PM
Reposted by Oxford Social Sciences Division
Celebrating 25 years of global impact at the Department of Politics & IR! 🌍✨

We’re a diverse community driving real-world change — and we’re just getting started.

Dive into our journey and discover how we’re shaping the future of global leadership:
Join us – be part of our future
Film about the Department of Politics and International Relation at the University of Oxford featuring our academic staff and students.
youtu.be
December 12, 2025 at 2:00 PM
Reposted by Oxford Social Sciences Division
A portrait of Anne Davies, Professor of Law and Public Policy, features in the Bodleian Libraries’ new Catalysts series celebrating researchers @ox.ac.uk whose work is having global impact 🌏 Her portrait will enter the permanent collection at the Weston Library in 2026 📸🏛️👩‍🎓

https://shorturl.at/HdHpA
December 15, 2025 at 11:03 AM
ICYMI: @blavatnikschool.bsky.social, The Clooney Foundation for Justice & Microsoft have partnered to launch The Oxford Institute of Technology and Justice - exploring how #AI can make legal systems fairer and more accessible.⚖️
#TechForJustice #SocSciAI
www.ox.ac.uk/news/2025-10...
Oxford's Blavatnik School of Government and Clooney Foundation for
The University of Oxford's Blavatnik School of Government and the Clooney Foundation for Justice (CFJ) have launched the Oxford Institute of Technology and Justice, the first global initiative
www.ox.ac.uk
December 16, 2025 at 3:04 PM
Are people comfortable with AI-generated journalism?
ICYMI: this report from @reutersinstitute.bsky.social l for the Study of Journalism explores recent trends in #AI usage across 6 countries.
Find out more ⬇️#SocSciAI
How do people use generative AI in their daily lives? And how do they use it for news?
These are two of the questions we explore in a new report, based on fresh survey data from 🇦🇷🇩🇰🇫🇷🇯🇵🇬🇧🇺🇸

🔗 Full report
buff.ly/mv3Jc5r
🧵 Key findings in thread
December 15, 2025 at 3:40 PM
Can AI companies keep pace with the skyrocketing costs of the industry?
@carlbfrey.bsky.social (Associate Professor of AI and work @oii.ox.ac.uk) comments in this article from @theguardian.com ⬇️ #SocSciAI
“On various measures AI adoption has been falling in the US since the summer. We do not know exactly why, but it does suggest that we are at a stage where some users and businesses feel they are not quite getting what they hoped for from AI so far,” says @carlbfrey.bsky.social @oii.ox.ac.uk.
Can OpenAI keep pace with industry’s soaring costs?
December 12, 2025 at 2:37 PM
Reposted by Oxford Social Sciences Division
@reuters.com quotes the OII's Dr. Fabian Stephany commenting on @time.com's Person of the Year selection, emphasising the role of the people behind AI systems.

Watch the full video here: www.reuters.com/video/watch/...
Time honors AI architects; researcher urges more human recognition
Time magazine named the architects of artificial intelligence (AI) its "Person of the Year" on Thursday (December 11), citing their ability to deliver the age of thinking machines with transformative ...
www.reuters.com
December 12, 2025 at 11:37 AM
Dr Paula Sheppard @oxford-anthro.bsky.social speaks to BBC News about the UK's 'fertility gap' www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
ICYMI: Dr Sheppard wrote for @ox.ac.uk about her research into fertility decision-making & why people are leaving it so late to have children: www.ox.ac.uk/news/2024-12...
How a 'fertility gap' is fuelling the rise of one-child families
'For every three children wanted… only two are born,' says one expert. So, what has led to this gap?
www.bbc.co.uk
December 5, 2025 at 10:43 AM
AI is driving innovation in healthcare - but what 'legal tensions' does this involve?
Questions like this and more are explored by @oxfordlawfac.bsky.social's new 'Law and AI' hub featuring research on how AI is transforming the practice of law.
Learn more: www.law.ox.ac.uk/law-and-ai
#SocSciAI
Zoya Yasmine is an DPhil student at the Faculty of Law and @somervillecollege.bsky.social looking into biases and legal issues in medical AI🩺

How can we protect people’s rights without stifling innovation❓

www.youtube.com/shorts/QK1VV...

@ox.ac.uk
The legal tensions behind technological advances in healthcare
YouTube video by Oxford Law Faculty
www.youtube.com
December 5, 2025 at 10:28 AM
Reposted by Oxford Social Sciences Division
Academics from across @socsci.ox.ac.uk reflect on the #UKBudget25 including changes to income, electric vehicle, and property taxes, as well as the lifting of the two-child benefit cap. ⤵️ www.ox.ac.uk/news/2025-11...
@oxfordecondept.bsky.social @inetoxford.bsky.social @dspi-oxford.bsky.social
Oxford academics comment on the UK Budget 2025 | University of Oxford
The Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rachel Reeves, presented her Budget 2025 to the UK Parliament on Wednesday 26 November. Three Oxford academics provide expert comment on tax rises and new taxes being
www.ox.ac.uk
December 4, 2025 at 11:32 AM
Local Policy Lab, an alliance between @ox.ac.uk, Oxford Brookes and @oxfordshirecc.bsky.social appoints its first Chief Scientific Advisors to tackle Oxfordshire's biggest challenges: www.socsci.ox.ac.uk/article/loca...
Local Policy Lab appoints first Chief Scientific Advisors to tackle Oxfordshire’s biggest challenges
www.socsci.ox.ac.uk
November 27, 2025 at 1:26 PM