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For the last two decades, sociologists at Lancaster have demonstrated the centrality of social organisation and practice for climate change policy. This case study focuses on the impact of Elizabeth Shove's research in particular. Shove's work challenges the prevailing emphasis on individual attitudes and behaviours and shows that the consumption of energy, water and other natural resources is an outcome of shared social practices. Through innovative forms of interaction and collaboration ("working parties"; exhibitions, etc.) Shove has inspired organisations such as WWF, the Environment Agency, DECC, DCLG, DEFRA, the Scottish Government and the International Energy Agency to take social practices seriously as topics of policy, planning and intervention. Individual behavioural models are no longer the only point of reference in policy design.
Interdisciplinary research undertaken by Shaw, Barr and Coles at Exeter has examined the use of social marketing to influence pro-environmental behaviour policy and behaviour change for environmental sustainability. This body of research has resulted in three main types of impact: it has influenced public policy making, it has promoted product development for SMEs and it has informed public debate on the issue of sustainability. These impacts have been achieved through: reports for Defra that relate to UK behaviour change policy; collaboration with social marketing businesses that has resulted in mobile application development for UK and European travellers; and informed public debate around issues of behavioural change and flying. The latter has been achieved through coverage by journalists and the instigation of debate in national (UK) and international media outlets.
Research undertaken by Dr Barr and colleagues at Exeter has examined pro-environmental behaviour policy and notions of behavioural change for environmental sustainability. This body of research has resulted in three main types of impact: it has informed public policy making, it has promoted product development, and it has informed public debate on the issue of sustainability. These impacts have been achieved through: reports for DEFRA that relate to UK behaviour change policy, collaboration with social marketing businesses that has resulted in mobile application development for UK and EU travellers, and informed public debate around issues of consumer behavioural change and flying. The latter has been achieved through citation by journalists and the instigation of debate in national (UK) and international media outlets.
The Centre for Decision Research and Experimental Economics (CeDEx) at Nottingham is a world leader in the development and application of experimental and behavioural economics. CeDEx's research is increasingly influential in affecting the way in which experimental methodology is utilised by public sector agencies (e.g. Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs, DEFRA) and in fashioning the public and policy makers' understanding of how human motivations and decision processes affect individual and group behaviour and, in particular, their responses to different policy tools (e.g. incentives, regulation, information, `nudges' etc). The research of the CeDEx group has had broad and diffuse impacts on public decision-making and public debate; through public events, the provision of advice to government departments and regulators, the delivery of training workshops, commissioned research and an active strategy of engagement in public debate.
Country houses form a key part of our national heritage. As accumulations of goods and windows onto past lives, they are popular visitor attractions. Yet only recently have they begun to be seen as sites of consumption as well as artistic treasure houses. Research by Jon Stobart and Mark Rothery into the consumption practices and material culture in a number of country houses in the English midlands has: (a) heightened awareness amongst curators and the public of the country house as a site of consumption; (b) enhanced the role of academic research in the interpretation of the study houses, and has thus (c) enriched public understanding of historic owners and their houses.
University of Manchester (UoM) sociologists have responded to escalating policy interest in the cultural and creative industries as generators of social and economic value; developing a more complex analysis of the significance of these sectors for understanding social inequality. Through a distinctive form of `cultural class analysis' (CCA), three key impacts are generated. Firstly, co-producing the BBC `Great British Class Survey' (GBCS) as a major public sociology intervention on understandings of `class'. Secondly, influencing new market research frameworks. Thirdly, applying CCA within the cultural sector, challenging policy understandings of how class inequalities are bound up with cultural participation. In a period of austerity and sharply increasing social, cultural and economic inequality, these impacts have successfully provoked renewed media and public engagement with issues of class division.
Surrey's research programme on the environmental, social and technological dimensions of sustainable development has generated widespread societal debate about the nature of the relationship between prosperity and sustainability. This has influenced national and international responses to the financial crisis, shaped long term international development plans and influenced industrial strategy. The best-selling book Prosperity without Growth has been translated into numerous foreign languages; Professor Jackson's TEDtalk has been viewed over a million times and has subtitles in 26 languages. The research continues to influence business leaders, policy-makers and civil society organisations globally.
There is strong policy interest in more effective ways to increase citizen engagement, including time contributions and the donation of goods. Research undertaken at the University of Manchester (UoM) has stimulated debate around localism and the `Big Society', directly influencing central and local government policy. Specifically, the research has shaped debates on the role of `nudge' mechanisms in the generation of the `civic goods' that underpin effective public service delivery, with impact demonstrated in two ways. Firstly, documenting and mobilising civic participation (volunteering and donations) through the use of innovative field experiments, including Randomised Controlled Trials (RCTs). Secondly, demonstrating an influence on policymakers through clear illustrations of the rigorous and scalable methodologies that underpin the research.
Professionals in the third sector have changed the key messages of their campaigns as a result of research from Cardiff University. In this research it was shown that people were more likely to be eco-friendly when campaigns appealed to their concern for the welfare of others, rather than financial savings. The findings have stimulated ongoing debate among eco-campaigners and a wider range of professionals in the third sector, government, the national press and online publications. Leading international non-governmental organisations (NGOs) such as Worldwide Fund for Nature (WWF) and Oxfam have formed the Common Cause initiative to improve their communication practices and this has led to changes in campaigning strategy.
Research by the University of Southampton into ageing, intergenerational relations and the life course has influenced policy debate and practice at national and international levels, highlighting the importance of adapting social policy to take account of the changing shape of the life course. Empirical research evidencing the impact of earlier life course events on women's resources in later life informed the UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women. Other research has informed the policy work of the European Commission, the UN Economic Commission for Europe and national and local governments, potentially affecting the lives of millions of people.