Government Social Research
Welcome to the latest GSR bulletin.
This is probably GSRU's last bulletin from our home in Admiralty Arch at the Cabinet Office. The team is on the move to the Treasury in early March as part of machinery of government changes announced by the Prime Minister last November.
Sue Duncan, Chief Government Social Researcher says:
"Many of you have taken the opportunity to visit us in Admiralty Arch. I have enjoyed welcoming you here at the Cabinet Office, where we have made great strides in developing and promoting the Government Social Research service across government and the wider research community."
"My unit will remain focused on helping you meet the new challenges facing us as government social researchers, and I hope you will take the opportunity to visit our new offices and training facilities at 1 Horseguards Road as soon as possible."
"We are looking forward to working with Treasury colleagues, to make the most of new opportunities for more effective use of research and analysis in informing and inspiring policy making and delivery."
Logistical details of the move are being finalised and new address and contact details will be published on GSRweb as soon as they become available. Email contact with the GSRU team may be patchy on 3 March. If you have any queries, contact GSRU via Contact Us on GSRweb.
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Visit the New Research page for more recent items.
GSRweb usage continues upwards. Thank you for contributing to this ongoing success. Key usage statistics for December 2005 (figures in brackets for December 2004):
Home Office senior research officer Andrew Zurawan recently completed the Pathways Programme - a National School of Government leadership programme, set up for minority ethnic staff assessed as having the potential to reach the Senior Civil Service, in the short to medium term.
Two government social researchers at the Legal Services Research Centre (LSRC) at the Legal Services Commission have accepted appointments at the Faculty of Laws, University College London (UCL). LSRC Head Pascoe Pleasence has been named as Visiting Professor, and Senior Researcher Dr. Nigel Balmer as Honorary Senior Research Fellow.
Teresa Williams has rejoined the Government Social Research Unit from maternity leave to oversee the Unit's work on recruitment, skills and stakeholder management. She is also supporting Sue Duncan on a number of strategic research issues including a review of the Unit's strategic priorities to ensure we capitalise on the opportunities presented by our move to the Treasury.
DWP’s June conference is intended to help people maintain their networks across the profession and to make sure that people have the opportunity to learn more about the work of other teams working in similar areas. It will be themed around professional skills in government and specialist skills for social researchers.
The Government Social Research Unit (GSRU) run a number of professional development courses in Policy Analysis and Evaluation. These courses have a high academic content and are specifically designed for researchers and other analysts working within Government and policymakers who work closely with researchers. These courses have proved to be extremely popular.
Ethics Course - GSRU has been working with Professor Roger Jowell to develop a new course to inform government researchers on ethics. Professor Jowell, founder of the National Centre for Social Research and the Centre for Comparative Social Surveys at City University , has extensive experience in dealing with ethical issues and has been responsible for developing some of the most important guidance in this area. The two-day course been designed to inform all government researchers about the ethical issues involved in conducting, commissioning and managing social research. Day one will cover the competing ethical issues associated with research participants, research peers, research customers and society at large. Day two will focus more on the procedural issues associated with managing ethical issues, and will be of great relevance to departmental ethical sponsors. Dates have yet to be set for this course, but it is expected to be after Easter 2006. GSR members should note their interest by emailing GSRU.seminars@cabinet-office.x.gsi.gov.uk
The Legal Services Research Centre has started a new research project on debt outreach advice. The first phase will be a survey of the incidence of debt problems, financial exclusion, and awareness, use of and attitudes to advice services. Interviews will be conducted in five outreach location types, ranging from community centres to credit unions. BMRB Social Research will be conducting the fieldwork.
Article in The Scientist reports that a leading cancer hospital in Norway has begun to investigate all the research conducted by one of its top scientists, Jon Sudbo, after claims emerged that he had invented more than 900 individuals, who served as the basis for a Lancet paper published on October 15, 2005. The study was an analysis of data from a population-based database, and found that long-term use of NSAIDs was associated with a lower risk of oral cancer (even in active smokers), but a higher risk of death from cardiovascular disease. Management at the hospital's Cancer Clinic has secured all data from his previous research for the purposes of the investigation.
Call for Papers for Evaluation in Society: Critical Connections - 4-6 October 2006, London (pdf, 371kb) Joint UK Evaluation Society/European Evaluation Society Conference. Closing date: 3 April 2006
Defra Central Analytical Directorate has established a cross-cutting research programme that aims to demonstrate that social research can be a key contributor to evidence-based policy making within the Department.
Home Office RDS have posted the following research summaries
Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) publish Extending working life: a review of the research literature (pdf) [DWP website] which aims to assess the current state of knowledge about factors influencing work and retirement with particular reference to the 50 to 69 year old age group, identify any gaps in the literature and suggest possible data sources to fill them. It analyses a range of quantitative and qualitative social research studies on work and retirement, published in the UK over the period 1999-2005.
Mathematica semi-monthly update: 4 January Contents include: Survey Methods - United Nations book Examines Household Sample Surveys; WISEWOMAN - best practices for implementing lifestyle interventions; challenges of making disability programs more work-focused; making sense of choices: how much do medicare beneficiaries know?; new NCES report explores time young children spend in child care.
Mathematica semi-monthly update: 15 December Contents include: Telemedicine and Diabetes: new Congressional Report Details IDEATel Demonstration; A look at children born in 2001: demographics, physical, and mental skills; Collaborations and incentives to improve children's health care.
Department for Constitutional Affairs publish Tribunals for diverse users which presents a wide ranging study of access, experiences and outcomes of tribunal hearings from the perspective of tribunal users in three tribunals: the Appeals Service, the Criminal Injuries Compensation Appeals Panel and the Special Educational Needs and Disability Tribunal.
Danish National Institute for Social Research - website covers research and commissioned projects in the area of welfare state policies. The aim is to generate new knowledge of relevance to society. The Institute is a sector research institution under the Ministry of Social Affairs. Its primary focus is therefore on matters concerning the Ministry, but it also deals with wider issues such as, employment, integration and labour market conditions, economic and family-related issues, and other national and international social conditions and development trends of significance to the living conditions of the population [website].
Visit the Bulletin Archive to view the contents of previous Bulletins. While visiting, see the updated External events page for news of opportunities in 2006.
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Copy deadline for next bulletin is 20 February 2006.