Government Social Research
Welcome to the July GSR bulletin
Please use the links below to navigate to sections of interest to you.
Visit the New Research page for more recent items.
2006 GSR annual conference "Crossing boundaries - challenging what we do and what we know". Call for papers deadline extended to Thursday 20th July 2006. Abstracts should be emailed via your Communications Representative to Rebecca Sarasin at
gsrconference2006@wales.gsi.gov.uk
For up to date details see the official conference website
Treasury Permanent Secretary Nick Macpherson praised the ‘swift and striking impact’ GSRU was having in the Treasury, at the GSRU ‘house warming’ event on Monday 3 July. With an audience of GSR members from across government, the event was held to introduce them to GSRU’s new home, following its move from Cabinet Office and to update them on recent developments.
Congratulations to GSRU’s Siobhan Campbell on her appointment to the ESRC Training Development Board
MSc in Policy Analysis and Evaluation - lunchtime Q&A session, 21 July. Reserve your place now by sending your name and contact details to ricky.taylor@hm-treasury.x.gsi.gov.uk
2006 GSR annual conference “Crossing boundaries - challenging what we do and what we know” - interested delegates should ensure that they have applied to attend the conference via their Head of Profession and GSR Communications Representative. See the official conference website for more information and to book your place. We look forward to seeing you in Cardiff in October
GSRU have produced a short leaflet summarising current plans for GSR professional development, with advance notice of our up-coming Professional Development Workbook, MSc Q&A session, and a conference for recruits new to GSR.
Scottish Executive's Finance and Central Services Department's Research Programme 2006/07 - if you'd like to be kept up-to-date with the programme and Expressions of Interest for new research projects as they are advertised, then send your details to
fcsdresearch@scotland.gsi.gov.uk to be added to the mailing list.
Understanding Population Trends and Processes (UPTAP) - an ESRC-funded initiative designed to: (i) build capacity in secondary data analysis; (ii) promote the use of large-scale social science data sets; and (iii) improve our understanding of demographic trends and processes which affect society and the population. The ESRC are currently funding 21 projects by young or mid-career researchers working in academic and non-academic organizations around the country. The themes and projects are listed in the attached document
EC Sustainable Development Study - Prior Information Notice
UK research to be open access: in a long-awaited policy, RCUK mandates that all research it funds should be made freely available - article in The Scientist
Royal Society tries open access: Britain's national science academy has been one of the most vocal critics of making papers freely available - article in The Scientist
UK plans research funding overhaul: Government to debate proposals to rethink university research funding over the next four months - article in The Scientist
Commons Science and Technology committee publishes a report on Research Council support for knowledge transfer
Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) publish Social Sciences newsletter.-Issue 63 for July 2006
Mathematica publish semi-monthly update Contents include: An early look at Medicare Advantage Special Needs plans; Working with disability: first in a new series on Medicaid Buy-In released; Rates of mental health coverage nationally; The quest for better data: presentations at disability statistics conference.
Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) publish flagship survey 'Inside the workplace: findings from the 2004 Workplace Employment Relations Survey' . The survey is jointly sponsored by the DTI, the Advisory Conciliation and Arbitration Service (Acas), the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) and the Policy Studies Institute (PSI). It follows in the acclaimed footsteps of earlier surveys conducted in 1980, 1984, 1990 and 1998. The purpose of each survey in the series has been to provide large-scale, statistically reliable evidence about a broad range of industrial relations and employment practices across almost every sector of the economy in Great Britain. Also published alongside the main report is an analysis of small and medium sized firms: 'Small and Medium Sized Enterprises: findings from the 2004 Workplace Employment Relations Survey.
DTI have also published the Executive Summary of the Fair Treatment at Work Survey. This report presents findings from the first large-scale official survey of unfair treatment, perceived discrimination, bullying and sexual harassment in the workplace. The summary can be found here:
DCLG publish 4 reports on The economies of deprived neighbourhoods
These reports can be viewed on the DCLG website
Mathematica Update reviews recent publications by Mathematica on welfare-to-work - Contents include: Employment-related issues; Hard to employ; Strengthening families; Fatherhood; Child Care; Housing, sanctions, and other topics
Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) published the Citizenship survey for 2005 - The Citizenship Survey is a biennial survey of adults in England and Wales, covering a range of community based issues including views about the local area, racial and religious prejudice and discrimination.
Australian Institute of Criminology publish The impact of operational performance reviews on reported crime in Queensland which finds that Operational Performance Reviews (OPRs) had a significant impact in reducing certain crime categories in some Queensland police districts. The effects were large enough to influence the overall decline in crime and the initiative resulted in savings to the community. These findings will result in some debate, as there are always limitations to social science data and often competing explanations.
National
Data Sets: sources of information for Canadian child care data
Report from Statistics Canada “provides an overview of existing national
survey data sets that could be used to examine issues related to child care
in Canada.
The PAIS International database from CSA can be accessed at GSR desktops or by contacting your library. It contains references to more than 553,300 journal articles, books, government documents, statistical directories, grey literature, research reports, conference reports, publications of international agencies, microfiche, Internet material, and more. Includes publications from over 120 countries.
Major areas of coverage include: Climate Change; Gun Control; Home Drug Testing; Spousal Abuse; Teen Pregnancy; Violence on TV.
Visit the Bulletin Archive to view the contents of previous Bulletins.
See the updated External events page for news of opportunities in 2006.
Have a good Summer.
There will be no Bulletin in August.
Copy deadline for next Bulletin is 11 September 2006