LEIDEN STATEMENTTHE ROLE OF THE SOCIAL SCIENCES AND HUMANITIES IN THE GLOBALRESEARCH LANDSCAPEANNOUNCED BY
AAU, AEARU, LERU, GO8, RU11,RUSSELL GROUP AND the U15 CANADAPURPOSEThe social sciences and humanities are indispensable to understanding and addressing
contemporary global challenges and to grasping emerging opportunities. Every challenge
the world faces has a human dimension, and no solution can be achieved without enlisting
the support and efforts of individuals, communities and societies. The social sciences andhumanities cultivate knowledge about human expression, behaviour, and social life that isessential to understanding the human context of these challenges and crafting viable
solutions to them. Because of the centrality of these disciplines to these issues, as well as
their intrinsic value, it is essential within the global research landscape to promote,nurture, and cultivate social science and humanistic research. The purpose of thisstatement is to restate and champion the fundamental role that the social sciences andhumanities play in the new global community and call for an expanded role for the social
sciences and humanities in tackling problems through interdisciplinary research.
In October 2013 four groups representing the research-intensive universities in theirregions signed the Hefei Statement on the ten characteristics of contemporary research
universities. Since then five similar groups representing the research-intensive universitiesof other regions have expressed their support by becoming signatories to the statement.
Seven signatories to the Hefei Statement are signatories to this Leiden statement. They
are: The League of European Research Universities (LERU), the Association of American
Universities (AAU), the Association of East Asian Research Universities (AEARU), the Groupof Eight Australia, the RU11 Japan, the Russell Group (UK), and the U15 – Group of
Canadian Research Universities.
The purpose of the Hefei statement was to identify and affirm the importance of thosegeneral characteristics of research universities which enable them to play a unique role
within modern societies and to draw attention to the need for a policy environment which
protects, nurtures and cultivates the values, standards and behaviours that underlie thesecharacteristics. The development of the statement took place in a global environment
having an uncertain economic outlook and with tight financial controls in most countries.
1

In this environment, policy makers were taking an increasingly short-term view, seeking
immediate and practical outcomes from their investments in education, research andscholarship.
One consequence of this policy environment has been growing pressure to refocus areas ofscience, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) research onto more applied
areas and to increase the purely vocational aspects of teaching in these disciplines. In thesocial sciences and humanities (SSH) disciplines, the debates in some cases have been
more stark, questioning the need for government support, at least for some disciplines, inboth education and research. However, investing in the SSH disciplines is essential if theglobal community is to develop the knowledge and expertise needed to address thefundamental problems facing the world, to make effective use of the opportunities
presented by STEM research, and to develop as societies and individuals functioning
effectively in an increasingly interconnected and interdependent world.

The signatories to this statement commit themselves to working collaboratively to:•ensure that the SSH disciplines continue to receive effective support within theirinstitutions and play an explicit role in forming institutional curriculums;•increase recognition of the importance of SSH disciplines within their countries andregions by highlighting the contributions of these disciplines to national and globalwellbeing;•ensure that the benefits of SSH research and education programmes flow without
unnecessary constraint to the wider community in order to maximise the return on
the investments in SSH research, scholarship and education made by governments,
the business sector, donors, and students;•

promote strong funding and support of SSH research;•facilitate international cooperation in the SSH fields to foster a deeper, sharedunderstanding of the commonalities and differences that contribute to the world’s
social and cultural realities; and•advance global research collaborations including interdisciplinary approaches toglobal societal challenges in partnership with the natural and life sciences andengineering.

2

PREAMBLE
Although the humanities and social sciences have distinct methodologies and perspectives,
together, they help us understand what it means to be human in a complex world that isdynamic and multi-dimensional. 1•By emphasizing philosophical and historical perspectives, critical thought andimaginative response, the humanities - including the study of languages, literature,
history, law, philosophy, religion, and the arts – help individuals fulfil theirpotential, fostering creative thinking, providing a deep understanding of cultural
diversity, and thereby updating and expanding the global store of knowledge abouthuman expression, actions, and institutions.

•The social sciences - including anthropology, economics, sociology, psychology,education, human geography, political science and government – reveal patterns in
our lives as individuals, groups and society at large, and they address questions ofcritical importance in times of global change and conflict by employing a range ofresearch methods, including observational, qualitative and quantitative
methodologies and experimental methods.

Social science research and humanities scholarship at research-intensive universities
focuses on expanding knowledge, leading to new understandings that improve the qualityof life of the nation’s citizens by promoting global understanding, invigorating national
economies and educating citizens.

Promoting Global Understanding
The humanities and social sciences teach us how to understand, interpret, and respect ourcommonalities and our differences. Because increased interconnectedness brings increased
cultural, social, and economic tensions, a peaceful and sustainable future based on
successful economic and societal development requires an awareness of different
perspectives and an understanding of diverse cultures, histories and social institutions.
Mutual understanding can foster the respect necessary for a peaceful and stable worldorder in which economic and societal progress is possible.
In this regard it is important to re-examine the relationship between the social sciences
and humanities and country-specific studies or area studies. Area and regional studies
constitute a production ground where new understandings about human society can begenerated. They are also sources of interdisciplinary theory and method that can expand
the boundaries of disciplines, again producing new knowledge and understanding.

1

American Academy of Arts and Sciences, The heart of the matter
http://www.humanitiescommission.org/_pdf/hss_report.pdf

3Invigorating Nations
Innovative societies are those with the ability to understand, absorb, and drive social,cultural and economic changes. The effective development and implementation ofeffective societal policies requires concomitant progress in understanding the behaviour of
the individuals and groups who create and face today’s opportunities and challenges.
Research in the social sciences and humanities addresses issues that are essential to social
stability, social progress and social understanding while also promoting individual
creativity and inspiration.

Educating Citizens
Humanities and social science research promote the cultivation and dissemination ofknowledge about civic institutions, citizen participation and the foundations of community.
A sustainable future for the world depends in significant measure on a global citizenry
educated in the humanities and social sciences. Although the focus of this statement issocial science and humanities research, it is important to recognize the connection
between research and vibrant educational curriculums for first-degree (undergraduate)
students. Strong humanities and social sciences faculties, in addition to their own research
agendas, contribute to the salience and effectiveness of the educational missions of theinstitutions of which they are a part. Indeed, in the context of a “general curriculum,”these disciplines play a crucial role in providing the educated citizenry that an increasinglyinterconnected world will need to draw on, as well as providing the foundational educationof future social science and humanities researchers and scholars.

Tackling Global Challenges
The world is changing rapidly and faces formidable challenges concerning individuals,societies, nations and regional groupings. Increasingly, these challenges are global andcostly, and present political and other risks whose consequences could be very serious. Tolist just a few examples: the anxieties and unease resulting from the geopolitical situationin the Middle East, Eastern Europe and parts of Africa; the continuing apprehensions
around global economic fragility, financial austerity and how people are responding tothese; the need to understand what generates jihadists in developed countries, or why
religious extremism is becoming more evident around the world; coping with population
aging and population decline; understanding and responding to the growth in prison
populations; appreciating the drivers and consequences of growing inequality at scales
from local to the global; understanding and adapting to the declining or changing
importance of the nation state; and responding to climate change. Developing theunderstanding necessary to solve or mitigate just some of these challenges would provide
profound benefits to human wellbeing.

4Confronting these complex social issues will need to build on research and scholarship in
the SSH disciplines and on the widespread dissemination of the resultant new knowledge
through education. Research that contributes to better cross-cultural understanding,whether this be through history, comparative theology, law, comparative literature,philosophy, anthropology, criminology, the basis of human behaviour or decision making, isan imperative if we are to make the world a better, more tolerant and peaceful place. Theconcepts, theories and practices that flow from high quality research in SSH disciplines cancreate the tools and knowledge that will help manage the many significant risks that arise
from the current political, social and economic environments.
A fully effective implementation of technological responses to such global challenges or to
newly recognised opportunities requires a profound understanding of human needs, values
and motivations. The effective use of new technologies as diverse as genetic engineering,
nuclear power, stem cells and cyber monitoring systems all depend on community
acceptance, community understanding, and the willingness of individuals to change their
behaviours. These require an awareness of what, how and why people believe, behave andchange – an awareness that only the SSH disciplines can produce. For instance, the initial
responses to the 2014 Ebola outbreak were deficient because they did not take into
accounts factors such as local knowledge, beliefs and cultural practices.

The Role of Research Universities
Because the world today is more interconnected than ever before, the many challenges weface are by definition global. The world’s best comprehensive research universities have avital role to play in addressing these global challenges by bringing together the largest
number and highest quality of social science and humanities (SSH) researchers,
complementing the depth and breadth of the capabilities of these institutions across theirnatural science and engineering disciplines. The collective university memberships of AAU,AEARU, LERU, Go8, RU11, Russell Group and the U15 Canada embrace the full range ofacademic disciplines, making them ideal sites for developing interdisciplinary research
related to contemporary global issues and problems.
As the Humanities World Report has indicated, humanists are deeply committed to thesocial value of their work, both its fundamental role in promoting the intellectual andmoral development of the individual and the long-term importance that role has inbuilding the capacity for addressing global challenges. 2 By definition, social scientists areengaged in addressing questions of social relevance. While the benefits of advancing thisknowledge are extensive, the path to exploiting this new knowledge is usually long,indirect, iterative and requires contributions from outside the university environment.
However, research universities are increasingly under pressure to shift from basic to2

http://www.palgrave.com/page/detail/humanities-world-report-2015-poulholm/?isb=9781137500267

5

applied research in pursuit of short-term results at the expense of the longer term benefitsof advancing the frontiers of knowledge. The increasing tendency of research funders inmany countries to focus on short-term projects with narrow, practical objectives andeasily applicable research results is a dangerous trend; it threatens to constrict the broad
pursuit of new knowledge and to foreclose extraordinary breakthroughs that could notinitially be envisioned. It is critical that all relevant policies recognize the broad, pervasive
and long-term benefits of university research and education and provide the support andenvironment that will ensure that these institutions continue to flourish, sustaining thefoundational characteristics that make research universities an invaluable part of any
national infrastructure. 3The following statement identifies actions by research universities, the networks of these
institutions, and governments to assure the essential contributions of the social sciences
and humanities to national and global wellbeing.

3

http://www.leru.org/files/news/Hefei_statement.pdf

6STATEMENT
1. Commitment to Humanities and Social Sciences. Comprehensive research
universities commit themselves to the development within their institutions ofstrong programmes of research and education in the social sciences and humanities.
These institutions will provide opportunities for students from other disciplines tobenefit from exposure to social sciences and humanities. In particular, theuniversities will promote the benefits of SSH study and research in supporting
generic skills such as: skilful communication, critical and independent thinking
based on sound evidence and transparent analysis, the ability to recognise and movebeyond a personal perspective, the ability to acknowledge and respect differing
perspectives by developing an empathy with those holding them, an ability to accept
ambiguity, and a recognition that local conditions and cultures can be as importantas universal laws, especially when the intent is to change rather than just describe
the world. In a fast-changing world in which we will face many new national andglobal challenges, the role of social sciences and humanities research will be of vital
importance in enabling the nations of the world and their citizens to think critically,
be tolerant, and become more innovative and inclusive.
2. Interdisciplinary Research. In addition to helping us understand what it means to be
human and to connecting individuals with the global community, the social sciences
and humanities also foster practical applications that enhance the effectiveness oftechnical solutions. Research universities recognize the growing potential ofinterdisciplinary research to expand knowledge and understanding in ways nototherwise achievable. Most global challenges, such as those related to health,population aging and population decline, war and terrorism, cultural diversity,
religious tolerance, environmental sustainability, climate change or the diminishingsupply of natural resources, are by their very nature complex, and tackling themrequires drawing on insights, perspectives and methodologies from across the entire
research base. Research universities can function as the optimal platform on whichscholars from all disciplines can develop interdisciplinary research questions.
Integrating social sciences and humanities with the natural sciences andengineering, including appropriate programmes of post-graduate education andtraining, can provide the broad interdisciplinary connections that bring to bear
multiple perspectives, knowledge bases, and analytic techniques to tackle major
global challenges. For example, intercultural competencies, linked with expertise in
the humanities and social sciences, enable health sciences investigators to analyseand understand health-care disparities (linked both with variations in health-careaccess and health-care practices and lifestyles), differing responses among ethnic
groups to therapies and treatments, and differences in resilience in the face oftrauma and hardship. Cultural expertise derived from the social sciences aids
engineers in the development of devices and technologies that will be more rapidly
deployed and adopted in particular communities. Human factors research inengineering requires collaborations with social scientists and, to address linguistic
issues, with humanists.
7

3. Academic Freedom. As is true for researchers and scholars in all disciplines, those in
the social sciences and humanities must have the freedom to conduct investigatorinitiated research without undue constraint. To maximise the benefits of researchand innovation, national and international funding agencies and organisations must
give researchers the opportunity to use their expertise to develop their research inways they consider most appropriate and productive to advance knowledge in andbeyond their disciplines.
4. Funding. Given the importance of the social sciences and humanities, the networksof the leading research universities urge governments and research funders toprovide strong funding for social sciences and humanities research and particularly
to reverse the downward trend in the funding for these disciplines seen in someparts of the world. Most research done at research-intensive universities, includingin the social sciences and humanities, is fundamental or basic research, expanding
the frontiers of knowledge through researcher-directed methodologies of discovery
and analysis. The expansion of knowledge is, of course, important for its own sake,but the countless practical applications that arise from research in all disciplines
often take a long and unpredictable path. Strong and stable research funding will
enable both the short-term and long-term benefits of university research to be fullyrealized.
5. International Research Cooperation. The networks of the leading universities will
promote international cooperation in education and research and explore thefeasibility of creating more formal collaborative projects in social sciences andhumanities research. International cooperation in education in the fields of social
sciences and humanities will be developed also through the use of modern online
learning technologies. 4 International cooperation is essential if researchers in thesocial sciences and humanities are to address successfully global challenges and tounderstand social and cultural reality on the global scale. Global networks ofresearch universities can play an important role in supporting international
cooperation. European and North American universities have played a leading role inthis cooperation. In recent years, Asian universities have also been developing theirown networks in various fields of social sciences and humanities. However, networksof leading research universities have not been established in every region. The
signatories to this statement will work with research universities, especially in Latin
America and Africa, to establish cooperative relationships and assist them in building
strong sectors of comprehensive research universities.

4

http://www.leru.org/files/publications/LERU_AP16__Online_Learning_at_RIUs_final.pdf

8