Government Social Research
Welcome to the November GSR bulletin.
Please use the links below to navigate to sections of interest to you.
Visit the Homepage and Research news pages for more recent items.
Social Sciences in government: economists and social researchers
working together
Tuesday 21 November from noon till 5pm at HM Treasury
With the increased profile of evidence-based policy, this half-day seminar
will discuss the role of social sciences in providing a reliable evidence
base. A collaboration between the Government's Social Researchers and Economists,
the afternoon includes a valuable opportunity to hear from and question
both the Chief Government Social Researcher, Sue Duncan, and Sir Nick Stern,
Head of the Government Economic Service. Open exclusively to GSR and GES
members at no charge. Now fully subscribed.
House
of Commons Science and Technology Committee publish: Scientific evidence,
risk and evidence based policy making (Seventh Report, HC 900-I)
Includes evidence from Chief Government Social Researcher, Sue Duncan
This year's hugely successful GSR Conference was held at Cardiff
in October
A summary of the main points, made by the plenary speakers at the conference,
will be posted on the GSR website next week. As well as contributions from
the heads of all the government's analytical professions, there are also
reports on presentations from the wide range of external contributors. These
will include David Walker, editor of The Guardian's 'Public' magazine, challenging
government professions to speak out more; Professor Colin Talbot from Manchester
Business School on production, uses, abuses and neglect of evidence; and
Ben Page from MORI questioning what we mean by 'putting citizens first'.
Carole Willis has sadly died. She had been fighting cancer for some time.
Before her illness, Carole was Head of Profession for Government Social
Researchers in Home Office, and will be known to many GSR members both in
and outside the Home Office. Carole made a long and substantial contribution
to social research and will be sorely missed.
Following a Whitehall-wide competition, Teresa Williams has been confirmed
as the new Deputy Director of GSRU on promotion to SCS1. GSRU also ran a
board to appoint a Social Research/Evaluation Consultant to the team and
are delighted that Sara Trikha will be joining them on 2nd January, on promotion
from the Home Office. Congratulations to Teresa and Sara. Following these
changes GSRU are reviewing responsibilities and reporting lines within the
team and will keep you informed of changes.
GSR in-service Fast Stream success
the professional profile of government social researchers has
been given a major boost with the announcement of the first GSR members
of the Fast Stream. Ten GSR members from across government have passed the
final stage of the selection process and will start on the scheme between
now and January. The process has required dedication and commitment by all
the candidates, culminating in an intensive final selection process run
by the civil service Fast Stream team.
The in-service Fast Stream has been created to develop the GSR leaders of tomorrow - Heads of Profession, Chief Research Officers, Heads of Analytical services. Participants may also decide to broaden their career path and compete for senior roles in operational delivery or corporate services within the civil service. There will be another intake in 2007, follow the fast stream link to find out more.
A further ten students have recently been enrolled onto the GSR Masters qualification in Policy Analysis and Evaluation run by the Government Social Research Unit (GSRU) and the Institute of Education, University of London.
There are now 27 students registered onto the degree programme.
Sue Duncan, Chief Government Social Researcher commented that "I am committed to a Government Social Research service that is well-qualified and respected. It is essential that researchers understand current thinking and can use proven techniques. I am therefore delighted that so many students have taken up the MSc and I would encourage others to consider this opportunity".
A reception event has been organised to take place at the Institute of Education at 17:00 on Monday 4th December for existing students and tutors. Prospective students for the 2007 intake are also welcome to attend when they will have the opportunity to ask questions of both current students and tutors. Please email to reserve a place.
You can submit an application form at any time to be considered for entry onto the degree.
The
new Continuing Professional Development (CPD) handbook has now been published
in the Professional Development section of the site.
It builds on and incorporates the Government Social Research (GSR) Competency
Framework that was published in 2005. Now, for the first time Government
Social Researcher's have a formal and comprehensive guide which covers every
aspect of professional development at every career stage.
See new dates for the popular range of GSRU courses designed for researchers and other analysts working within government, and for policymakers who work closely with researchers.
Be sure to visit External events for details of other forthcoming courses, seminars etc
International Bibliography of the Social Sciences (IBSS) ask for
GSR help with their user survey to monitor user satisfaction and to help
improve the service for users.
The results of the survey will also feed into the application to the ESRC
for funding beyond March 2008.
Call for evidence: closing date 15 December
The Academy of Medical Sciences has established a working group
to produce a set of principles, illustrated with specific examples, to determine
the potential problems and likely success of non-experimental methods in
biomedical research. The foundations of this proposal lie in a feeling of
public scepticism about the value of non-experimental approaches in biomedical
research, which arises when claims from one study are so soon reversed by
the findings of another. Nevertheless, in some cases, non-experimental methods
have clearly been successful, for example in determining the health risks
associated with smoking. The Academy now invites views on this topic in
order to build a robust evidence base from which to make helpful recommendations.
ONS announce Economic & Labour Market Review
New ONS
publication in January 2007 to replace two current titles, 'Economic
Trends' and 'Labour Market Trends'
ESRC
has invited applications from the academic sector under the Survey Design
and Measurement Initiative
Full proposals must be submitted to the ESRC by 4pm on Thursday 30 November
2006.
Home Office publish:
Scottish Executive publish:
DCA publish:
Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) publish:
Mathematica publish semimonthly update
Contents include:
ESRC publish: Risk in social sciences
Mathematica publish semimonthly update
Contents include:
Institute for Employment
Studies
Embraces all aspects of public employment policy and HR practice. Research
is widely disseminated as reports, articles and papers. Website includes
news, research reports, events.
Visit the Bulletin Archive to view the contents of previous Bulletins.
Copy deadline for next Bulletin is 12 December 2006