H&P historians reflect on the process of historical research and writing, what they discovered and the relevance of their findings for policy - whether at international, national or local levels.
Martin Johnes discusses how he approached the history of Wales since 1939, studying it as both a 'complex and contradictory' nation in its own right, and also as a witness and participant to the events and changes that shaped the UK and the wider world in the twentieth century.
In this groundbreaking new study, Pat Thane and Tanya Evans challenge many of the stereotypes and historical myths that are prevalent in present-day media and policy discussion about unmarried mothers. Co-author Pat Thane explains that, far from being a creation of the 'permissive 1960s', unmarried mothers were both more prevalent, and more diverse, than is often assumed.
There is a long transatlantic intellectual history of ideas, akin to 'the Big Society', stretching back at least to Adam Smith. Today's 'Big Society' policies draw on institutions and activities that have a long history in Britain. To explore the implications of that history for civil society and welfare provision today, historians and social policy scholars have collaborated on a new book.
Jon Agar's global history of science raises significant intellectual dilemmas not easily captured by historical case studies. Should the social sciences be included alongside the physical and life sciences? How to integrate national stories of scientific development into a global narrative of change? In answering such questions, Agar came to two conclusions with policy implications that historians can assist with.
Helen McCarthy considers the challenges of balancing foreign policy imperatives and democratic practices through the lens of the League of Nations Union (LNU). As one of the largest voluntary organisations of its time, the LNU promoted international cooperation, arguing that foreign affairs should be within the purview of all citizens. But as McCarthy's new book suggests, there are limitations to such campaigns when it comes to foreign policy.
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