1,734,726 research outputs found
Evaluating the Business Impact of Social Science: a report to the ESRC
Full text linkThis report presents the main findings from a project entitled ‘Evaluating the Business Impact of Social Science', commissioned by the Economic and Social
Research Council (ESRC) and undertaken by a team of
researchers from the University of Hull. In brief, the project involved an examination of the processes through which social science research and related activities impact upon business (defined broadly to incorporate large and small private sector businesses as well as social enterprises, but excluding public sector organisations) in relation to three of the UK’s leading business/management schools that have received significant amounts of ESRC funding in recent years: Cardiff Business School, Lancaster University Management School, and Warwick Business Schoo
The Political Mentoring Toolkit
No full textESRC Impact Report, to be disseminated to all UK local authorities by Local Government Group
The Social and Political Bases of the Orange Order in Northern Ireland: Full Research Report ESRC End of Award Report, RES-000-23-1614
No full textAlthough still one of the largest organisations in civil society in Northern Ireland, the Orange Order has only recently been the focus of serious academic study. Kaufmann (2007) and Patterson and Kaufmann (2007) enjoyed unprecedented access to Orange Order archives and Ulster Unionist Council papers to produce illuminating studies of the evolution of the Order, Orange geographic density and relations with the Ulster Unionist Party. Their findings refute perceptions of a homogeneous, united Orange-Unionist movement, instead offering a more nuanced and convincing picture of, firstly, intra-Orange divisions between urban, left-leaning working-class Orangemen and conservative rural brethren suspicious of Catholic encroachment and secondly, a sometimes fractious relationship between the Orange Order and the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP). Nonetheless, an overarching sense of cross-class Protestant-Orange-British-Unionist unity usually inhibited serious fragmentation.
The Northern Ireland peace process and the 1998 Belfast Agreement brought to the fore internal
unionist divisions. Although the UUP supported the deal, it was soon evident that this backing
was not shared by many Protestants. Most Orange Order members opposed the Agreement and the anti-Agreement Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) increased its support. Long bereft of political influence, strongly opposed to the Agreement and fearful of a dilution of their Orange-British culture (a concern exacerbated by restrictions upon some contentious Orange parades) the Orange Order finally severed its contentious, century-old formal alliance with the UUP in 2005, many of its members within the UUP having opposed that party’s leadership and many of those outside the party supporting the DUP.
To properly assess these developments, it was necessary to explore the demographic basis (was there, for example, a social class or age basis to the allegiance shift?) and political outlook (is there a clear ‘Orange’ view on political issues?) of the Orange Order membership. Hitherto, no systematic study of Orange Order members had been conducted. This research aimed to fill that void by completing a detailed quantitative survey of the characteristics and attitudes of Orange Order members, allied to in-depth qualitative interviews. Seemingly politically isolated, afflicted by secularism, culturally defensive and socially increasingly confined to the lower social classes, what are the contemporary characteristics of a member of the Orange Order; what shapes continuing loyalty to Orangeism and what does this entail
ESRC Undergraduate Quantitative Methods Initiative list of resources for teachers
Full text linkThis is a draft list of internet resources that teachers of undergraduate quantitative methods may find helpful, or which contain resources that might be of general interest. It is a draft version and Professor John MacInnes, the ESRC Strategic Advisor for the Undergraduate Teaching of Quantitative Methods, would welcome suggestions for additions. Please email useful sites etc to [email protected] who will post updates to the methods teachers' mailing list
Report of the ESRC Expert Advisory Group on International Development October 2014
Full text linkVery real transformations are now occurring in the nature and extent of poverty, in the processes leading to impoverishment, inequality and injustice, and in the policy space and practices that can address these. The purpose of this report is to identify for ESRC the new challenges that these unfolding realities pose for social science researchers in the field of international development.This will (a) inform emerging ESRC research strategy more broadly and (b) inform the development of joint funding arrangements between ESRC and funding partners. In our increasingly interconnected world, the emerging research priorities in international development that we document inevitably dovetail closely with emergent social science agendas more generally.There is not one discipline for ‘the developing world’ and many for ‘the developed’. Development studies research and teaching centres do bring new tools, frameworks, methods and experience to grapple with these future development pressures and problems, but all social science disciplines are expanding their boundaries to think more globally rather than territorially – and in ways that the emergence of international development studies as a field has been encouraging. Re-emphasising the opportunities for research in international development to draw on and feed into wider methodological, theoretical and substantive research repertoires echoes a core principle of the post-2015 Sustainable Development Agenda which is to be ‘integrated, holistic and universal, applying to all countries and all people’ and which thus eschews specific geographical foci. It echoes, too, the proposed Sustainable Development Goals which, beyond the principles of ending extreme poverty, seek to integrate social, economic, and environmental sustainability and inclusive growth within “a common understanding of our shared humanity, based on mutual respect and mutual benefit.”The ‘Third World’ and its euphemisms are fast becoming history. International development studies research does not secure its identity in a focus on a particular sub-set of countries or methods. International development research is, however, characterised by a problem-focused approach which this report is built around. But whilst much research in international development studies is unashamedly impact-led and supports a ‘what works’ agenda that speaks directly to wider policy concerns, this report prioritises, too, increased attention to the rapid transformations in global environments, economy, societies, cultures, politics and technologies that now reshape poverty and so reshape ‘what works’ as well as ‘for whom, when and why’.These changes are happening so fast and are so massive that for research to have maximum impact in informing the alleviation of mid-21st century poverty and inequality, it will need to be couched within new conceptualisations and new theorisations that capture these future realities. In particular, given the rising inequalities associated with current economic growth and new geographies of poverty that do not easily fall into particular countries,‘worlds,’ or points of the compass, it is our contention that ‘international development’ research needs not only to dwell on a broader range of countries and regions, but also to capture changing global orders producing and addressing poverty. In particular, embracing research on ‘middle income countries’ (MICs) is now important for understanding not only the predicament of the poor within, but also the drivers of steeply rising inequalities there which are of significance to the poor in countries with middle income aspirations. It will help, too, in understanding the nature of the multi-polar international order in which this will happen. In addition, BRICS and other MICs are sources of enormous social policy innovation that other countries stand to learn from; yet are often not well analysed. This report outlines challenges for a wide range of research, from that focused on refining specific interventions (education, health etc.) to the much broader analytical challenges that will necessitate conceptual breakthroughs and new analytical paradigms. Given the availability of more operational funding for the former, we suggest that there is a clear opportunity (and need) for ESRC to focus more (though not exclusively) on the broader questions and conceptual challenges. There are many ways to relate the cross cutting issues that we identify. Rather than develop a matrix, we set out key challenges and opportunities for research in relation to eight key trends: 1. Increasing inequalities in a connected world 2. Massive, differentiated urbanisation 3. Climate change and pushing against planetary limits 4. Emerging sensitivity to shocks, and their securitisation 5. Increasing political multipolarity 6. Emerging challenges to nation states in delivering development: social and physical infrastructure 7. New cultural shaping of poverty 8. Digital development, Big Data and the technological revolution We also highlight more methodological challenges: - Levering change: learning, incentives and beyond - Governing ‘international development’: measurement and beyon
ESRC-DFID Raising Learning Outcomes in Education Systems
No full textThis booklet provides an overview of education research encompassing 30 projects focused in 24 countries which have been enabled by the UK's Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) and the Department for International Development (DFID) Strategic Partnership
Innovation An ESRC research programme
No full textFolder containing 27 leaflets describing 25 ESRC funded projects on innovationSIGLEAvailable from British Library Document Supply Centre-DSC:GPE/0981 / BLDSC - British Library Document Supply CentreGBUnited Kingdo
Poll Tax photograph © Garry Clarkson/Alamy used in 'Society Now', the journal of The Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC). Summer 2013. Nick Stevens, Editor - [email protected]
Full text linkPoll Tax photograph from 1990, used in 'Society Now', the journal of The Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC). Summer 2013. Used to illustrate, 'The Blunders of Our Governments, by Anthony King and Ivor Crewe (Oneworld Publications September 2013.
Contact Professor Anthony King,
University of Essex
Email [email protected]
Telephone 01206 873393
ESRC Grant Number RES-062-23-2036
Nick Stevens, Editor - [email protected]. Photograph licensed through Alamy photo agency, © Garry Clarkson worldwide rights
HRM systems, internal marketing and performance in Indian call centres:non-technical summary (Research summary) ESRC end of award report, RES-000-22-1876. Swindon: ESRC
Full text linkConsidering the rapid growth of call centres (CCs) in India, its implications for businesses in the UK and a scarcity of research on human resource management (HRM) related issues in Indian CCs, this research has two main aims. First, to highlight the nature of HRM systems relevant to Indian call centres. Second, to understand the significance of internal marketing (IM) in influencing the frontline employees’ job-related attitudes and performance. Rewards being an important component of IM, the relationships between different types of rewards as part of an IM strategy, attitudes and performance of employees in Indian CCs will also be examined. Further, the research will investigate which type of commitment mediates the link between rewards and performance and why. The data collection will be via two phases. The first phase would involve a series of in-depth interviews with both the managers and employees to understand the functioning of CCs, and development of suitable HRM systems for the Indian context. The second phase would involve data collection through questionnaires distributed to the frontline employees and supervisors to examine the relationships among IM, employee attitudes and performance. Such an investigation is expected to contribute to development of better theory and practice
ESRC-DFID Research for Policy and Practice: Urban Community Resilience
No full textWhilst cities have the potential to be great drivers of improvements in human wellbeing, impoverishment is an unrelenting feature of urban life. This collection of ESRC-DFID-funded research explores urban community resilience highlighting research from Bangladesh, Cape Verde, Nepal, Nigeria, South Sudan, and Timor-Leste
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