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Reanimating participatory democracy on the left of British politics

Summary of the impact

Professor Stears' research addresses a widespread concern that modern political parties are increasingly disconnected from traditions of democratic participation, with adverse consequences for political engagement and the wider quality of democracy. His research develops strategies to recover and reanimate twentieth-century traditions of participatory democracy in present day politics. The work has (1) contributed to outlining a new democratic agenda for the British Left, (2) shaped a reorientation of the policy agenda of the Institute for Public Policy Research, one of Britain's leading think tanks (3) influenced discussions in the Labour Party, especially Ed Miliband's `One Nation project', and (4) informed the on-going Collins Review of the Labour Party's organisational structure. The significance of Stears' research impacts is evidenced by his appointment as Ed Miliband's Chief Speechwriter in May 2013.

Submitting Institution

University of Oxford

Unit of Assessment

Politics and International Studies

Summary Impact Type

Societal

Research Subject Area(s)

Studies In Human Society: Political Science

Engaging Citizens with Democratic Politics

Summary of the impact

Award-winning and ESRC-funded research by Professor Matthew Flinders and Professor Colin Hay into political participation and public engagement has led not only to direct and on-going changes within the political system (notably in relation to the operation and governance of parliamentary select committees) but has also delivered wider impact through the promotion of a major public debate — embracing several million people within and beyond the UK — concerning the need to understand and defend the essence of democratic politics. Additional impact has been delivered on parliamentary outreach both in the UK and internationally through the development with the Houses of Parliament of partnership-based teaching of politics. The breadth and depth of this public scholarship has been recognised through a range of awards and prizes (including the Political Studies Association's Political Communicator of the Year prize and an ESRC Impact Prize).

Submitting Institution

University of Sheffield

Unit of Assessment

Politics and International Studies

Summary Impact Type

Societal

Research Subject Area(s)

Studies In Human Society: Political Science, Sociology
History and Archaeology: Historical Studies

Impact on NGOs, activists and journalists engaged with Haitian politics

Summary of the impact

Peter Hallward has undertaken the most detailed research in English on recent Haitian politics, focusing on the complex travails of Haitian democracy that began soon after the Duvalier dictatorship collapsed in the mid-1980s. This research has had a significant input into the understanding, advocacy and practices of NGOs working in Haiti, and on journalists and campaigners internationally, with regard to questions of freedom, equality and democracy, and the relationship between domestic and international factors in Haitian politics. Impact has been on opinion-formation and advocacy in NGOs, international media and public political discourse regarding international aspects of Haitian politics.

Submitting Institution

Kingston University

Unit of Assessment

Philosophy

Summary Impact Type

Societal

Research Subject Area(s)

Studies In Human Society: Political Science
History and Archaeology: Historical Studies
Philosophy and Religious Studies: Philosophy

Deepening public and media understanding of the 2012 French presidential election

Summary of the impact

Philippe Marlière's research on social democracy in Europe, and particularly in France, extended the range and quality of information regarding the French presidential election (2012), and thus made an important contribution to public understanding in both the UK and France. This was achieved through a series of high profile press publications in Le Monde, Mediapart, the Guardian, OpenDemocracy and other outlets, which were both widely read and led to substantial debate online and on social media. This, along with an invitation to brief the BBC, led to far more informed coverage of the election and the role of left and far-right parties in its final result.

Submitting Institution

University College London

Unit of Assessment

Modern Languages and Linguistics

Summary Impact Type

Cultural

Research Subject Area(s)

Studies In Human Society: Political Science
Language, Communication and Culture: Other Language, Communication and Culture
History and Archaeology: Historical Studies

Peruvian Political History and Its Importance for the Present

Summary of the impact

The impact of Natalia Sobrevilla Perea's research on Peruvian political history has been to transform the public understanding of the importance of constitutions and elections in the search for political legitimacy in Peru. This impact has been achieved through engagements in the media (public online discussions, public presentations, and newspaper articles), as well as through a two-phase British Library-funded project to catalogue and digitize newspapers held in provincial Peruvian archives. The reach and significance of the impact achieved by Sobrevilla Perea's research is evidenced by her being identified in the 3 March 2012 issue of Revista Somos (the Saturday supplement to the Peruvian newspaper El Comercio) as one of the eight most influential new voices commenting on, and contributing to, national debate in Peru.

Submitting Institution

University of Kent

Unit of Assessment

Modern Languages and Linguistics

Summary Impact Type

Cultural

Research Subject Area(s)

Studies In Human Society: Political Science
History and Archaeology: Historical Studies

Shaping the Ideology of Red Tory and Blue Labour

Summary of the impact

Professor John Milbank's research at the University of Nottingham has:

  • Influenced policy formation, as a crucial inspiration for the new `postliberal' politics of Blue Labour and Red Toryism in the United Kingdom;
  • Influenced the theological discourse of Anglican and Catholic churches here and abroad;
  • Contributed to changes in theological education through becoming an object of study in theological curricula as well as an object of debate among other disciplines such as political and social theory.

Submitting Institution

University of Nottingham

Unit of Assessment

Theology and Religious Studies

Summary Impact Type

Societal

Research Subject Area(s)

Studies In Human Society: Political Science
Philosophy and Religious Studies: Philosophy, Religion and Religious Studies

The use of research-based teaching materials in political philosophy

Summary of the impact

Professor Jonathan Wolff at UCL has produced several important monographs which are aimed at both researchers and students, including An Introduction to Political Philosophy (1996 and 2006) and Ethics and Public Policy (2011). These books continue to have great influence on the way in which political philosophy is taught, and are widely used in schools and adult education, as well as within Higher Education Institutions. Curricula throughout the world are designed around them. Both books, but particularly An Introduction to Political Philosophy — which exists in English and in many translations — have had a profound effect, both in terms of adoption, and in the response from instructors and students.

Submitting Institution

University College London

Unit of Assessment

Philosophy

Summary Impact Type

Societal

Research Subject Area(s)

Philosophy and Religious Studies: Applied Ethics, Philosophy

The birth of the newspaper: understanding new media

Summary of the impact

The role of mass media in politics and society has in recent years been a subject of intense public debate, as well as lengthy legal investigation and repeated political intervention. Dr Jason Peacey's research on the earliest modern printed mass media and their relation to government and state at the time of the English Civil War illuminates the origins of the current situation, and has made a notable impact on public understanding, of the historical roots of the media's role in mediating between states and citizens in both the US and UK. This occurred through a major museum exhibition at the Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington, DC, as well as a range of public engagement and media activities in Britain.

Submitting Institution

University College London

Unit of Assessment

History

Summary Impact Type

Cultural

Research Subject Area(s)

Studies In Creative Arts and Writing: Journalism and Professional Writing

Increased public understanding of political mobilisation in the English revolution

Summary of the impact

Publications analysing political mobilisation during the English revolution, widely disseminated through sales of the book God's Fury, England's Fire, reviews, and in public engagement activities, have shaped public understandings of how popular support for radical politics can be mobilised. The book's central arguments have made a significant contribution to contemporary political and social debates and have shaped the work of programme makers and other creative artists. The widespread use of the book in teaching in higher education and at A Level in the UK and internationally means that it has played a central role in shaping student understandings of this key period of English history.

Submitting Institution

University of Sheffield

Unit of Assessment

History

Summary Impact Type

Cultural

Research Subject Area(s)

Studies In Human Society: Political Science
Language, Communication and Culture: Literary Studies
History and Archaeology: Historical Studies

POL03 - Thinking and working politically: changing development policy and practice

Summary of the impact

Adrian Leftwich's work has made a decisive contribution to changing the way that decision-makers understand `politics' in development policy and practice. Specifically, Leftwich contributed to a step change in the UK Department for International Development's (DfID) approach to the governance agenda, from a narrow technocratic focus on administrative capacity—formal structures and rules—to a much broader conceptualisation of governance as a political process. His `thinking and working politically' framework, encompassing leadership, coalitions and political economy analysis, has shaped the thinking, not only of DfID, but also the Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID) and major international NGOs.

Submitting Institution

University of York

Unit of Assessment

Politics and International Studies

Summary Impact Type

Societal

Research Subject Area(s)

Studies In Human Society: Policy and Administration, Political Science

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