The Campaign for Social Science has today launched its new hub which showcases research and evidence-based insights from the social sciences to offer informed perspectives on devolved and sub-national government in the UK, including what the four nations might learn from one another in approaching a range of policy areas.
2026 is a critical year for devolution in the UK. Scotland will hold elections to Holyrood with the result arguably less predictable than any time since 2007. The Senedd will hold elections on new constituencies and under a new voting system with Welsh Labour widely expected to lose its dominance in Wales for the first time in a hundred years. In England, the devolution white paper will progress its way through the Union Parliament, fundamentally changing the landscape of mayoralties and combined authorities. And in Northern Ireland, we can expect a ramping up of political rhetoric ahead of Stormont elections in 2027.
Through a range of comment pieces and events taking place throughout the year, our Devolution Hub will garner the insights of leading social scientists to shine a light on these issues not just individually across the four nations, but also by asking how the different polities across the UK might learn from each other, and whether the inconsistencies of the UK’s devolution map are an inherent strength or a challenge for a harmonious union of regions and nations.
Our new hub pulls together a range of comment pieces from Academy Fellows and other social scientists on many key themes, including initial pieces from Health Devolution Commissioner of The Health Devolution Commission, Phil Hope, on the devolution and integration of NHS, public health and social care services across England; Professor Michael Keating FAcSS on the UK’s unfinished Constitution; and Dr Georgina Treloar, Dr Jack Reed, Dr Joanie Willett, Professor Jane Wills, Professor Juliet Osborne and Professor Ian Bateman spotlight the opportunities for nature recovery within the devolution landscape, amongst others.
Throughout 2026, we will also be holding a range of online and in-person events, in collaboration with Campaign supporters and other partners including the Academy’s member social science societies. The first group of these events will take place in April, ahead of national elections in Scotland and Wales, and will explore a number of topics including what the four UK nations can learn from one another on health policy (15 April 2026 in association with the Social Policy Association); what can the devolved governments do to address the cost-of-living crisis (21 April 2026 in association with the Centre for Public Policy at the University of Glasgow); and how have the four nations sought to tackle child poverty and what might they learn from one another (28 April 2026 in association with the Safety Nets Project and the Nuffield Foundation). Registration for these online events is now open.
Other forthcoming events in this programme taking place later in the year include explorations of a variety of topics through a social science lens including devolution in the Liverpool City region, and how the social sciences can play an active role in the agendas of the Scottish Government and Northern Ireland Executive, amongst others. Further details and information of how to register will be available on the devolution hub and our events page in due course.
Explore the devolution hub
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