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The Eurozone crisis has exposed the limited capacity of the Greek government to implement structural reforms. As a result of Kevin Featherstone's record of academic research on reform capacity, his newspaper articles and private discussions with politicians, Prime Minister George Papandreou appointed him to an informal group, and then as member and rapporteur of a formal Committee whose remit was to propose reforms of governance. In a subsequent live televised cabinet meeting Papandreou, citing Featherstone by name, announced his intention to reform the central offices of government in line with the recommendations of the Committee's Report.
The resulting Presidential Decree has survived two successive governments. An OECD Report, citing Featherstone, made the same argument, and the reforms were reaffirmed by Greece's major creditors (the International Monetary Fund [IMF], the European Union [EU] and the European Central Bank [ECB]) for the second `bailout'.
Following on earlier research which re-examined the construction of modern Greece, in 2008-12 Beaton researched the contribution of Byron (and Romanticism) to the creation of the Greek nation-state in the early 19th century, and has published the results in his 2013 book (3.4). The principal impact of Beaton's researches has been to challenge traditional Greek cultural and social assumptions about the continuity of their national identity from the ancient world. The main pathway is his distinctive contribution to the 200-year Greek debate about their national identity which has been intensified by the current socio-economic crisis. The principal beneficiaries are the Greek people, as reflected in public discourse in their mass media, and the non-Greek public interested in these issues. Other nascent beneficiaries are the worldwide community of Byron enthusiasts through cultural enrichment in their knowledge and understanding of Byron's role in creating modern Greece.
The Cambridge Greek and Latin Classics Series is central to the University's commitment to the teaching and spread of knowledge of Greek and Latin at a time when these languages are under increasing pressure in schools and HEIs. Hardie, Hunter and Oakley are General Editors of a series of Greek and Latin texts with commentaries aimed at a broad public readership, from the higher levels of school onwards. This series, now numbering 94 volumes in print, has, through its international adoption in schools and colleges, greatly broadened the range of texts which are accessible at all levels and changed the way these texts are read and studied. The series has huge brand recognition as `the Green and Yellows' (or `Green and Golds' in the USA) and has had considerable economic impact within the book market.
Papanikolaou's regular writing in mainstream media and public speaking on queer theory, Cavafy, the history of the gay movement and cultures of sexuality in Greece, have aroused public interest, improving understanding and liberalising attitudes. In Greece a dynamic queer movement is emerging, but in the current crisis, homophobia is also increasing. His insights have attracted wide attention on the internet and social media, with gay activist groups using his research to further their debates. He has affected policy, notably proposals for a gay marriage bill and legislation against homophobia, by advising policymakers. Publishers have consulted Papanikolaou to expand their lists to include queer theory; and he advised the Greek Ministry of Culture on cultural and educational policy.
Research at Newcastle has been instrumental in developing an internationally recognised research collection of ancient Greek and Etruscan artefacts. Research insights directly influenced how the Shefton Gallery was presented in the Great North Museum: Hancock (GNM), and in particular informed the labelling and interpretation of the objects. By adding meaning and context to the artefacts, the research thus enabled museum staff to: i) deliver public lectures on the research collection thereby resulting in loans to national and international museums; and ii) develop educational resources and events (including worksheets, workshops and object loan boxes) to support innovative teaching in schools and universities. The research has therefore informed the understanding of the Ancient Greek and Etruscan past of the hundreds of thousands of visitors who visit the GNM annually as well as thousands of school-age children and students.
This case study concerns the impact of a major translation and publishing project unique in its scale and ambition. The surviving ancient Greek commentaries on Aristotle were published in a series titled Commentaria in Aristotelem Graeca (ed. Diels, 1882-1909). This made the texts available to readers of ancient Greek, but their length and technical nature meant that even classically trained scholars made rather sparing use of the commentaries. The Ancient Commentators Project was initiated in 1987 in order to translate these texts into English. The project has now succeeded beyond all original expectations. The 100th volume was published in December 2012, and nearly the entire corpus of late antique commentaries is now available in English.
By making the commentaries accessible to a vastly increased audience, the project has made a contribution to the preservation and presentation of our cultural heritage. This impact has been felt especially in the field of education: the availability of these primary sources has influenced deeply and widely the design and delivery of curricula of ancient and medieval philosophy at HEIs internationally.
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Dr Sitaridou's research on Romeyka, an endangered Greek variety still spoken in mountainous Turkey, has had a profound effect on the self-image of the community, in particular its women, as well as on how Romeyka is viewed within Turkey. Both the actual fieldwork and the publicity have raised the prestige of the language and the community, which is the only realistic means of revitalisation. Dr Sitaridou's research, featured in international and national media, engaged audiences in both Turkey and Greece into discussions about identity and the "other". Globally, audiences were captivated by the plethora of Ancient Greek features in Romeyka.
The impact being described in this case study relates to the influence of Professor Martin Gainsborough's research on the international donor community's thinking behind and design of governance programmes in Vietnam and on understandings of these issues in news media coverage. Donors, in particular the World Bank, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the Australian government aid agency AusAid, and the Irish government aid agency Irish Aid acknowledge that Gainsborough's research has been a major influence on their understanding of Vietnamese politics which in turn has informed how they have designed their policy interventions during 2008-13. The research has resulted in greater reliance by donors on Vietnamese government systems, new risk mitigation measures and moves to `mainstream' governance across a range of aid programmes. The impact of Gainsborough's research has also reached beyond Vietnam by informing the World Bank's Worldwide Governance Indicators.
Research at UCL has underpinned two significant activities which bring our work to students, non-traditional learners and the wider world: the UCL Greek play and the programme of events surrounding the London Olympics. These exemplify the profound public impact of our research in Greek performed poetry in its social context. Each year, almost 2,000 people attend the Greek play, along with workshops and lectures about staging, interpretation, and the play's relationship to its social and historical context. The research also informed the development of a collaborative programme of cultural events celebrating the 2012 Olympics, with emphasis on the festival's ancient roots. Open lectures, workshops, debates, interviews and exhibitions were supplemented by websites, which increased the range of our educational and public information impacts by sharing research-led activities with thousands more people.
Research by Rutter and collaborators led to the production of Historia Numorum. Italy, a handbook of the coinages of pre-Roman Italy. HNItaly has become a tool for coin dealers, museum staff, and archaeological services alike, used both to identify, value and market goods, and to identify, label, study, and display holdings for public appreciation. In addition, HNItaly has been employed in the training of numismatists world-wide, including in the worlds of commerce and trade as well as public security.