The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) is one of the foremost social science universities in the world. LSE's outstanding success in the 2008 Research Assessment Exercise confirmed it as a world-leading research university. The School had the highest percentage of world-leading research of any university in the UK, topping or coming close to the top of a number of rankings of research excellence. Set up to improve society and to "understand the causes of things", LSE has always put engagement with the wider world at the heart of its mission. From its location in the heart of London, the School links communities across the world, from formal academic partnerships to advisory work with governments and international organisations.