Government Social Research
ESRC National Centre for Research Methods publish report: Qualiti (NCRM) commissioned inquiry into the risk to well-being of researchers in qualitiative research.
Key findings:
Early Years and Childcare Workforce Consultation
This study looks at ways of promoting and facilitating the social well-being of 'frail' people living in extra care housing.
Promoting social well-being in extra care housing
Interventions to promote positive early childhood development are widespread and are based on the belief that early benefits in child cognitive and emotional development will carry on into later life. This review of the existing research and policy evidence set out to collect and evaluate existing evidence relating to the effectiveness of parenting interventions.
Cost benefit analysis of interventions with parents (PDF 667 Kb)
The report describes the topic and each intervention that the WWC reviewed for that topic. The topic report describes each intervention, presents the findings of the WWC review, and indicates the extent and overall strength of the research base for each intervention.
Beginning reading: topic report
YP4 is a randomised controlled trial of service delivery options for people experiencing the double disadvantage of homelessness and unemployment. This paper focuses on the unusual experience of designing and implementing a randomised controlled trial in Australia and on the various challenges of creating a joined up service delivery model. It also provides detailed information about the experiences, before joining the trial, of the 414 trial participants.
Improving outcomes for homeless jobseekers: the YP4 experience
This report presents research findings based on interviews with victims of corporate fraud. It shows that the harms caused are equivalent to, and often more devastating than, those usually focused on by the criminal justice system and argues that the consequences not fully appreciated by government policy.
'Knowledgeable consumers? Corporate fraud and its devastating impacts' (PDF)
The policy evaluation service assesses the current use by government of such methods, the key issues involved and the support needed to promote their use (when appropriate).
The annual report outlines the main findings from interviews carried out with 31,013 households throughout Scotland in 2005 and 2006, providing detailed information about people living in Scotland today. It reports at both national and local authority level. The survey has been commissioned to provide accurate, representative and up-to-date information on the characteristics, composition and behaviour of households in Scotland in a number of areas, particularly relating to communities, transport and local government.
The eighth annual and technical reports of the Scottish Household Survey (SHS)
"The center merges disability researchers from the Cornell University Institute for Policy Research and Mathematica. The mission of the new center is to inform disability policy formation with rigorous, objective research and data collected from the people disability policy aims to serve."
"For some time, the two organizations have collaborated on large-scale studies of Social Security disability programs that seek to improve the employment and economic independence of people who receive disability benefits. Staff members at both organizations also conduct research into many other disability-related issues, including ways to facilitate consumer choice, care coordination, long-term care, health insurance coverage, children with special needs, and mental health services research. Looking to the future, the center will disseminate its work through a new website and issue brief series as well as through continued publication in professional journals." (Press release)
Mathematica launches Center for Studying Disability Policy