We are delighted to announce that History & Policy (H&P) has returned to its original home in the Institute of Historical Research (IHR). Since its establishment in 2002, History & Policy has built up a formidable reputation as a non-partisan forum for the presentation of high-quality, policy-relevant historical research. It seeks to promote better public policy through a greater understanding of the value of history, enabling historians, policymakers and journalists to connect and learn from each other. It currently links more than 500 historians across the UK and sponsors a wide range of publications and policy-engagement events.
The IHR is a natural home for History & Policy, which promises to play an important role in the institute's mission to promote historical research and demonstrate its value to society as a whole. It is also central to the strategic vision of the School of Advanced Study (SAS) to connect humanities scholars across the UK and around the world and explore ways in which their research can enhance our quality of life and decision-making. The dean of SAS, Professor Jo Fox, was instrumental in bringing H&P back into the School. As Professor Fox notes, “I am delighted that History & Policy is returning to the IHR at such a significant time. Informed, contextualised policy will be critical to a successful post-Covid recovery and to confronting the many challenges that lie ahead. History & Policy stands ready to work with policymakers across many different sectors to assist in these important tasks.”
Supporting Professor Fox in charting the future course of H&P in SAS will be its new director, Professor Philip Murphy. “It is an enormous honour to be taking on this responsibility. The prospects for History & Policy within the IHR and the School as a whole are genuinely exciting," said Professor Murphy. "The challenges facing the UK at the moment both at home and abroad are immense, and the debates about how we should approach them inevitably draw on historical justifications and analogies. So it is particularly important that those discussions should be informed by historical research of the very highest quality. History & Policy can play an absolutely pivotal role in ensuring this.”
The IHR is enormously grateful for the work of H&P's out-going director, Dr Andrew Blick, and his colleagues Alix Mortimer at King's College London and Graham CopeKoga in Cambridge for their contributions. Professor Simon Szreter, one of the co-founders in 2002, continues as H&P’s editorial director and other senior colleagues associated with H&P will continue to make their valued contributions. We look forward to forging new partnerships, collaborations and initiatives as we approach the third decade of History & Policy’s existence.
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