A space to explore, share and shape the issues facing social scientists

Tag: Research

Sir Cliff Richard, the BBC and the Ethics of Interviewing

By Robert Dingwall | Published: July 19, 2018

The recent brouhaha involving the BBC and the singer points out something the journalists and qualitative researchers share: the need to develop a common approach to the ethics of interviewing.

Posted in News, Research, Research Ethics | Also tagged Ethics, interviewing techniques, Journalism, qualitative interview, Social Research | Leave a comment

UK HE: Markets Are Good for Everyone – Except Academics….

By Robert Dingwall | Published: August 4, 2017

So if markets are truly good for English higher education, as many seem to think, should we follow that train of thought to its logical conclusions?

Posted in Brexit, Career, Higher Education Reform, News, Public Policy, Research | Also tagged Brexit, Economics, Policy, REF | Leave a comment

The Stern Review of the REF – An Economist Against Markets!

By Robert Dingwall | Published: August 1, 2016

In an effort to prevent 'gaming' the REF, new recommendation from Lord Stern cuts down on the freedom of academics to move from institution as they see fit. Is the cure worse than the disease?

Posted in Academic Funding, Impact, News, Public Policy, Research | Also tagged Lord Stern, Policy, REF | 1 Response

Quantophrenia is Back in Town

By Robert Dingwall | Published: May 27, 2014

Many social scientists find themselves members of a cult of quantification, argues Robert Dingwall, in love with numbers for their own sake even when those numbers produce no useful knowledge.

Posted in News, Public Policy, Research, Teaching | Also tagged ESRC, Impact, Policy, Social Research, Social Science Research, Statistics | 3 Responses

The Ethics of Impact

By Robert Dingwall | Published: October 15, 2013

Back in the summer, John Holmwood, the current BSA President, sent me an email about impact and research ethics. Various contingencies have got in the way of discussing his concerns – but they are important. John’s argument, in essence, is that the implications of the UK impact agenda for research ethics have been overlooked, and […]

Posted in Impact, News, Public Engagement, Public Policy, Research, Research Ethics | Also tagged Ethics, Impact, Policy, Research Funding, Social Research, Social Science, Social Science Research | Leave a comment

Mental Health Measurement and the Workplace

By LSE Impact | Published: October 13, 2013

Due to the confusion over what counts as evidence, mental health research has largely failed to make a significant impact on workplace wellbeing and employment relations practices. Elizabeth Cotton argues that in order to make a positive difference, academic research will have to involve new technologies and communication strategies aimed at helping people to improve their mental health at work.

Posted in Research, Research, Resources | Also tagged Fit for work, mental health, Social Science, Workplace | Leave a comment

The New National Service for Social and Economic Data

By British Sociological Association | Published: September 10, 2013

This year’s British Sociological Association annual conference saw countless presentations from all over the country, many of which were based on secondary data, many of which are preserved and distributed by the UK Data Service. essay writing services Established on 1 October 2012, the UK Data Service is a new national data service for social […]

Posted in Research, Resources | Also tagged Census, Census Programme, Economic and Social Data Service, longitudinal studies, Resources, Secure Data Service, Social Science, UK Data Service | Comments closed

‘Reasonable Suspicion’ That Race Matters in the Immigration Debate

By Pacific-Standard Magazine | Published: August 12, 2013

In the furor over immigration reform in the U.S., many taking a tougher line cite the law, not the evident ethnicity of the immigrants, for their stance. But that ethnicity matters, new research suggests.

Posted in Research, Resources | Also tagged Immigration, Mexico, Political Science, Psychology, Racism, Social Psychology, Social Science, Study, United States | 1 Response

Engaging Community Researchers: What Works?

By Jessica H Smith | Published: August 12, 2013

A massive qualitative research undertaking at the Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service engages community researchers, lead researcher Jessica H. Smith discusses the benefits and difficulties of this approach.

Who Really, Really Wants Open Access?

By Robert Dingwall | Published: June 22, 2013

There is broad agreement is the desirability of wider access by readers to scholarly journal articles. There is less agreement on who these imagined readers might be.

Posted in News, Open Access, Public Policy | Also tagged Humanities, Open Access, Policy, Publishing, Social Science | 1 Response

Can Brands be Intellectuals?

By Daniel Nehring | Published: May 27, 2013

As an academic, you are a brand not only as a matter of choice, but, increasingly, due to powerful institutional imperatives that are becoming harder and harder to ignore.

The BBC, North Korea and the Culture of Impunity

By Robert Dingwall | Published: April 16, 2013

The controversy over BBC journalists’ use of a student tour group linked to the London School of Economics should not be allowed to go away quietly.

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