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Based on his acknowledged research expertise in the areas of voting behaviour, electoral systems and survey methodology, John Curtice was widely consulted by the media before and after the 2010 UK general election to provide expert predictions on the likely outcome and to explain the results. By engaging with a variety of non-academic audiences, he informed public debate and understanding, and influenced pre-election planning by the UK Civil Service. He also contributed to the election night coverage by the three major UK broadcasters by accurately predicting the final result based on exit poll data. This informed much of the election night coverage, particularly on the BBC.
The British Local Elections Database and accompanying research output comprise a unique national resource through which political parties, media organisations, official statistical sources, central and local government, and public affairs companies have been able to report on and analyse electoral trends. This has informed and impacted on political debate and policy-making, and in turn has led to an increased public understanding and awareness of how to benchmark and interpret election outcomes. The impact of the research peaked in reach and significance at the time of the 2010 general election, but is also apparent at the annual local elections and in the constant tracking of patterns of behaviour at local by-elections.
Researchers in the Centre for Media, Elections and Participation (CEMaP) have improved the quality of electoral administration and enhanced the quality of understanding and debate about electoral systems in New Zealand. Following a transition from a First Past the Post to a Mixed Member Proportional System in 1996, New Zealand has become an electoral reform model of international interest and the country held a referendum in 2011 on whether to retain the new system. CEMaP research has had impacts on the NZ Electoral Commission, the general public and electoral system campaigners. The main impacts of the research have been:
The impact arises from research on electoral malpractice and electoral registration in the UK, carried out by Dr Stuart Wilks-Heeg, and which made a clear and identifiable contribution to public and parliamentary debate and to policy development. The research was published in the period April 2008 — March 2012 and the impact is identifiable from April 2008 onwards. The impact has been manifested in the influence of the research on national political debate, campaigning by a leading democracy pressure group in the UK, the work of the Electoral Commission and, ultimately in its contribution to bringing about legislative change.
This case study encompasses research carried out within the participation and representation research group. It reflects a body of research on elected bodies at UK, devolved and local tiers, which has taken place within the School over the past twenty years. Among other things it has: provided the principal body of data collection and analysis on Scottish local elections; influenced debates on the (lack of) diversity of representatives, particularly women; and fed into debates about stimulating voting and enhancing political literacy. The research continues to develop and have an impact, for example with recent work on citizenship and political education and the role of public petitions in elected bodies.
Professor Philip Cowley's high-profile research into the attitudes, motivations and voting behaviour of MPs has transformed press reporting and improved public understanding of their actions. Widely disseminated via social media, briefing notes and events, the research has become an on-going authoritative resource for journalists, MPs and lobbyists, and the findings have been covered by all major media outlets in the UK and beyond, reaching an audience of millions.
Nick Robinson, the BBC's Political Editor, has described it as `academic political research doing exactly what it should do — helping to inform the public debate — and in real time not years after it matters'.[source 1]
A new procedure for defining UK Parliamentary constituencies was strongly influenced by research led and directed by Professor Ron Johnston of the University of Bristol. The Parliamentary Voting System and Constituencies Act, 2011, created new rules for the redistribution of seats and also reduced the size of the House of Commons from 650 Members to 600. Throughout the proceedings, from initial meetings with the Conservative Party to completion of the legislation, Johnston was a key advisor to all three main political parties, civil servants, MPs (including a House of Commons Select Committee), the Boundary Commissions and members of the House of Lords (in whose debates his advice was cited on several occasions). He co-authored reports, gave oral evidence, and advised individuals. His expertise was called upon by the media during the debates on the Bill, to explain its intricacies and the many amendments. For this work, Johnston received the Political Studies Association's `Political Communicator of the Year' award in 2011.
Since 2001 Professor Jo Silvester of City University London and academic colleagues have pursued a programme of applied occupational psychology research designed to improve the selection, development and performance of UK politicians. Original research with the Conservative Party (2001 to 2003) aimed to improve the quality and diversity of prospective parliamentary candidates by analysing the competencies required by MPs and designing the first evidence-based selection process for political candidates. The research triggered wide media interest and led to further projects creating and implementing evidence-based development practices for elected members in local government. In 2008 Silvester redesigned candidate selection procedures for the Liberal Democrat Party and today approximately 60% of UK parliamentary candidates are assessed using procedures developed by Silvester based on best practice in occupational psychology.
This case study describes the impact achieved by novel methodology for election exit-poll design and analysis, at the 2010 UK General Election. The context is that the underpinning research had already led to success in predicting the outcome of the May 2005 General Election for public broadcasts by BBC and ITV. Its direct impacts at the 2010 General Election were significant and far-reaching:
(i) The same statistical methods were used successfully in 2010 also by a third major UK and international broadcaster, Sky (in addition to BBC and ITV).
(ii) The TV, radio and internet audiences of the three channels combined totalled many millions of people who were thereby informed of the likely 2010 election outcome immediately after the close of polling stations.
(iii) The prediction that was produced and broadcast at close of polls in May 2010 was both surprising to political commentators and extremely accurate.
As a result of these successes, the statistical methods we developed are now the "industry standard" for electoral exit-poll design and analysis in the UK.
Essex research on electoral administration has informed the development of practical measures to reduce electoral corruption in a number of different countries. Work led by Professor Sarah Birch has contributed significantly to promoting good practice in elections both in the UK and in a number of new and semi-democracies. In the UK, Birch's research played an important role in shaping the Electoral Administration Act 2006, which led to a significant reduction in postal voting abuse in the 2010 General Election. In Macedonia, Birch's research was used to inform a UN Development Programme project on proxy voting that fed directly into strategy documents from the State Election Commission and a Code of Conduct signed by all parties. Following the project, 'family voting' in Macedonia declined 17 per cent in the 2011 parliamentary elections. Birch extended her work in a series of training projects on parliamentary strengthening in Lebanon and Mozambique as part of a £5 million programme funded by DFID and the FCO and implemented through the Westminster Foundation for Democracy. In addition, her research regularly informs the practical work of various international organisations involved in the organisation and monitoring of elections.