Government Social Research
30 September 2005 - DWP publish research on Jobcentre Plus customer satisfaction and experience
A recent report from the Department of Work and Pensions provides national representative data on customer experience and levels of satisfaction with Jobcentre Plus services. The research was carried out by the Policy Research Institute, Leeds Metropolitan University though telephone surveys.
30 September 2005 - ONS publishes Population Trends 121 - Autumn 2005
The social class of parents is a strong influence on the social class of their children in later life, according to a study published today by the Office for National Statistics.
29 September 2005 - Publication by DWP of Factors affecting the labour market participation of older workers: qualitative research
Presents the findings from in-depth interviews and focus group discussions with a range of people aged between 50 and 69. These were conducted to increase understanding about older workers' decisions to leave, remain in or return to the labour market and their attitudes to work, training, retirement planning and saving. This is the second, qualitative, part of a research project designed to explore the labour market experience of older people. Findings from the quantitative stage of the project can be found in Factors affecting the labour market participation of older workers, DWP, 2003 (DWP Research Report 200).
28 September 2005 - Department for Transport have commissioned NatCen to undertake some qualitative research into the possible impacts of an ageing popution on transport demand and wider social policy implications
Issues include the aspirations of different older age groups and the likely implications for transport as well as the impact of increasing retirement age.
28 September 2005 - Call for papers for the Sixth LSRC International Research Conference
To be held at Queen's University, Belfast, on the 20th and 21st April 2006. The conference is for leading researchers, policy makers, professionals and commentators in the legal aid field from around the world. Those who wish to submit a paper proposal for the conference should do so by 31st October 2005.
27 September 2005 - GSRU brings a smile, a sing-along... and some cakes
Members of the Government Social Research Unit (GSRU), Cabinet Office ventured out of Admiralty Arch to Age Concern's Sherborne Day Centre in Pimlico, London on 27 September, as part of the Cabinet Office Volunteering initiative.
26 September 2005 - Publication of update from Mathematica
Contents include:
23 September 2005 - Department for Work and Pensions publish The use and development of alternative service delivery channels in Jobcentre Plus: a review of recent evidence (Research Report No 280)
Jobcentre Plus commissioned three research projects to inform future policy and investment decisions on the use of alternative channels as a means of delivering services to its clients. The three research elements were:
To further assist in the use of the evidence, the Institute for Employment Research (IER), University of Warwick, was commissioned to draw together the three sets of evidence into a single report and to provide a synthesis of the key research findings, highlighting key messages for policy and decision-making in Jobcentre Plus.
22 September 2005 - Office for National Statistics publish the results of a survey on public confidence in official statistics
Results show that people are more likely than not to believe official figures are accurate. This is no significant change from a survey in 2004.
The figures show that 37 per cent of people agree that figures are generally accurate while 31 per cent disagree - 32 per cent are unable to give an opinion. However, only 17 per cent of people believe that official figures are produced without political interference and only 14 per cent say the government uses official figures honestly. The most common reasons for not trusting statistics were that they contradicted someone's personal experience or that they are perceived to be open to manipulation.
The survey also covered trust in various institutions the Civil Service, the UK government, the police, the courts, and the National Health Service (NHS). Asked for their sources of opinions, 71 per cent said television, 59 per cent newspapers, and 43 per cent family and friends (respondents could choose more than one source). Seventy per cent of people thought statistics were mportant in decision making.
20 September 2005 - Publication of update from Mathematica
Contents include:
17 September 2005 - Publication of Social Sciences, Issue 61
Topics include: towards evidence-based policymaking; alleviating poverty; putting people at the centre of rural change; and more. Social Sciences is the regular newsletter from ESRC which provides up-to-date information about ESRC policies, new research and findings from completed research. It is published three times a year in February, June and September.
16 September 2005 - Social Acceptance of Renewable Energy Innovation - Call for papers by the University of St. Gallen, Institute for Economy and the Environment
The deadline for submissions is 1 November 2005.
16 September 2005 - Global social justice and environmental sustainability - Call for session proposals
The Urban Geography Research Group (UGRG) of the RGS-IBG seeks proposals for sponsored sessions at next year's RGS-IBG Annual International Conference, to be held 30th August - 1st September 2006 at the RGS-IBG, London. Deadline for submissions is 9 October 2005.
16 September 2005 - Research Methods Programme - the next call for RMP Training Bursaries
Will go out in November 2005 and applications are welcomed from HEFC-funded staff in the UK engaged in teaching methods or supervising research to update their skills, as well as from contract researchers working in HEIs.
16 September 2005 - Methods News - The fourth issue of the NCRM newsletter Methods News is now available
Contents include news from the NCRM, NCeSS,RDI, spotlight on CAQDAS.
16 September 2005 - NCRM Launch and Summer School
Papers and presentations from the NCRM launch and the first NCRM summer school on Data Generation, Complexity & Synthesis, can now be found on the NCRM website.
15 September 2005 - Society Today, the ESRC website, carries an article by Sue Duncan, Chief Government Social Rearcher (towards evidence-inspired policy making)
Argues that the term 'evidence-based policy making' is widely misunderstood, and that the use of research evidence as a basis for policymaking is alive and well, and set to play a more fundamental role than ever before.
15 September 2005 - MOLS 2006: Methodology of Longitudinal Surveys - Call for papers
Closing date for abstracts: 30 November 2005
15 September 2005 - The NHS Service Delivery and Organisation (SDO) Research and Development Programme - Call for proposals
15 September 2005 - Professional Skills for Government
The Government Social Research Unit have published a short guide to Professional Skills for Government and how it will affect social researchers.
15 September 2005 - Competency Framework
The new competency framework for government social researchers is now available on the GSR website. It defines, for the first time, the range of skills and expertise needed for the many roles in the Government Social Research Service (GSR).
14 September 2005 - Demand for places new Masters qualification in Policy Analysis and Evaluation has been high.
The good news from the Government Social Research Unit and the Institute of Education, University of London is that demand for places new Masters qualification in Policy Analysis and Evaluation has been high. The deadline for applications was 1st September.
The MSc is tailored to the needs of government social researchers looking to increase their professional knowledge, and it is an element of GSR career development and is tied to the Professional Skills for Government agenda. Unlike many other courses of longer duration, the MSc is part-time over two years, with all modules running during normal working hours.
Ricky Taylor, who is responsible for the degree programme for GSRU, said 'We are delighted by the number of applications that we have received, and the quality of applicants. The admissions panel faces a difficult task in selecting students, but all applicants will receive a decision by 3rd October'.
13 September 2005 - Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) publish Education at a glance 2005 - OECD indicators 2005
An OECD briefing note says that this points to strong performance and progress in the UK's education system over recent years, both in terms of educational investments and outcomes, for example at the pre-primary and primary level. However, they also show that in areas such as university-level education, progress has now levelled off and no longer matches that in other countries. The indicators provide data until 2003, the latest point where internationallycomparable data are available.
12 September 2005 - Publication of latest update from Mathematica
Contents include:
12 September 2005 - Scottish Executive publishes Public perceptions of Scotland after devolution
This report presents findings from a core module of questions included in the 2004 Scottish Social Attitudes survey, commissioned by the Scottish Executive's Office of Chief Researcher. The module was developed to inform policy development and evaluation, by providing robust measures of public attitudes towards key devolved policy areas. Overall, the results suggest that people in Scotland believe in devolution, but there is some confusion about how it actually works and how much difference it is making.
9 September 2005 - Assessing the quality and impact of research in Australia
The Australian Department of Education, Science and Technology (DEST) published a report (Research quality framework: assessing the quality and impact of research in Australia: the preferred model) which outlines possible approaches to assessing the quality and impact of original research in Australia. The features of assessment described in the paper reflect a desire, according to the government, to identify high quality and high impact research in an international context, while also recognising the research priorities for Australia in the future.
This paper is part of the development of the the federal government’s new Research Quality Framework (RQF). The Expert Advisory Group for the RQF developed this paper after consultation with the higher education sector. The model is built on the responses to the RQF Issues and Advanced Approaches Papers and the outcomes of the National Stakeholder Forum held in June 2005.
9 September 2005 - Interventions related to obesity
The Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada (HSFC) report (Interventions related to obesity: a state of the evidence review) groups into three categories, the evidence on interventions related to obesity: Interventions that have been proven to be effective; Interventions that have some evidence of promise, but require more research to address evidence gaps; Interventions that have been proven not to be effective.
8 September 2005 - Publication of Meeting DWP's long-term information needs on disability - a feasibility report
Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) published a report (Meeting DWP's long-term information needs on disability - a feasibility report (DWP research report no. 267)) which provides advice on research design options for addressing DWP's likely information and evidence needs in the area of disability.
8 September 2005 - Publication of Review of evidence on the extra costs of disability DWP working paper no 21
Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) published a report (Review of evidence on the extra costs of disability (DWP working paper no 21)) which reviews research carried out on the level of extra costs faced by disabled people.
8 September 2005 - Publication of semi-monthly update from Mathematica
Contents include: Telemedicine development issues; Donated care: a strategy for dealing with the uninsured?; Turning research knowledge into practice: a look at IDSRN; Improving quality of care: conference examines link to reporting; Childhood obesity: strategies for the home.
Market Research Society publish new Code of Conduct
The new Market Research Society (MRS) Code of Conduct has been completed and is available on the MRS website. Key differences between the old and new Code are highlighted in a document which is available on the website, together with a presentation that can be used to help staff understand the new Code. The new Code will become binding on all MRS Members and MRS Company Partners from 1 December 2005, and will be used for disciplinary purposes from that date. If you have any queries regarding the new Code of Conduct, contact the MRS Codeline service , tel 020 7490 4911.
Reports bi-annually on a range of social research projects carried out in-house or commissioned by the Executive and Communities Scotland relating to Social Inclusion and Equalities strategies. It provides an update of ongoing projects, information about recent and forthcoming publications and details of new research likely to be commissioned over the coming months.
Professional Skills for Government
The Government Social Research Unit have published a short guide to Professional Skills for Government and how it will affect social researchers.