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This case study comprises a set of qualitative and quantitative analyses of contemporary right-wing extremism in Britain. This research has been extended beyond academia to non-academic beneficiaries in Britain and continental Europe. The research has informed public debate amongst civil society (as indicated by take-up in NGO reports and the media). It has informed policy development (as evidenced by participation in Government advisory processes and through expert advice to Government). The research has also responded to personal and professional development needs of young people. Impact has derived from the quality of the underpinning research and from a variety of external engagement and knowledge transfer activities.
After losing the 2010 general election the Labour Party began an important debate about the Party's future direction, focusing in particular on how to advance Labour's traditional redistributive commitments at a time of economic austerity. Ben Jackson's research has informed some of the key discussions on this subject among politicians, advisors, commentators, and think tank researchers. His analysis of the ideological roots of these debates, especially of the distributive politics generated by economic austerity, has provoked and informed debate, and has contributed to the development of Labour's new direction under Ed Miliband.
Wolfreys' research has had impact in areas of public discourse and civil society. His analysis of the contemporary extreme right has had practical implications for `unofficial' networks in combating far- right penetration of mainstream political structures and civil society and has contributed to the development of grass-roots anti-fascist campaigns in the UK. Related research on marketisation and neoliberalism in public institutions highlights the scope for mobilisation in defence of higher education and has contributed to the establishment and development of networks mobilising in defence of public education. The beneficiaries of the impact have included anti-fascist organisations and `unofficial' networks of activists in the UK public sector.
Lancaster research on the persecution of minorities in European societies, from the 1930s to the present, helps guide human rights activism to challenge the rise of far right ideologies. Civil rights NGOs, government authorities, media, and educational institutions use the research to study the dangers of extremism and discriminatory propaganda. Impact is achieved through i) trans- European civil rights NGOs, which draw on the research and seek expert advice, particularly with regard to the fight against Islamophobia; ii) advice to an EU and Turkish National Assembly project on Muslim migration; iii) the media, through which it contributes to the deeper public understanding of - and awareness against - discrimination and extremism; iv) public engagement, informing local community awareness and action.
The modern and contemporary British historians in the School of History at Queen Mary have a reputation for rigorous, yet relevant and engaged scholarship which has bearing on contemporary policies. Three historians — Peter Catterall (01 Sep. 1992-31 August 2012), Martyn Frampton (01 Sep. 2009-) and Tristram Hunt (30 Jun. 2003-) — have followed the influence of Peter Hennessy and the School of History's Research Strategy to make high profile and high value interventions in shaping public policy debates that surround the making of various policies, including contributing directly to the policy-making process in Whitehall. As a result, Queen Mary historians are recognised as reliable and expert interlocutors on counter-terrorism (Frampton), democracy and heritage (Catterall), and policy related to the cities and the countryside (Hunt).
Based on knowledge exchange with international agencies and think-tanks, briefings to politicians, workshops with local government and police authorities, and a full-time secondment within central (UK) government, Dr Matthew Goodwin's distinctive work has become a crucial part of changing attitudes and influencing policy for dealing with the rise of right-wing extremism in the UK, and elsewhere. As one of the most-followed political scientists in the UK, Goodwin has used extensive social and traditional media engagement to bring this ground-breaking work to the attention of the wider public. One senior Government Minister reflects that Goodwin has `helped to develop government policy to counter the far right', and `provided government with a substantial evidence base which continues to change and inform policy'.[source 1]
Chantal Mouffe's insights on agonistic democracy have had significant impact on political discourse, policy and political strategy, most obviously as an intellectual resource for the approach to governing instigated by the Argentinian President, Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner, often referred to as the National and Popular Model of Democracy. The actions of key actors in the governing regime have been influenced by reading her work and interacting directly with Mouffe. This is the subject of heated discussions in news media of all political persuasions. Mouffe's analysis of right-wing populism has also affected the political position and strategy of politicians in Belgium, informing debates on how to resist the growth of extreme right-wing parties. Beyond mainstream politics, she has shaped the work of artists: for example, through her invited residency at the Kunstenfestivaldesarts in Brussels.
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.
The principal forms of impact flowing from this body of research lie in two interconnected areas:
a) Improving public understanding of right-wing populism, by influencing how journalists around the world and their international audiences, including policy makers, have interpreted its success in Europe and its characteristics (see source 3 below);
b) Informing political debate in Italy and Finland concerning populist parties and the strategies the Left should adopt in response to the actions of populists in government (sources 1 and 2). By contributing to such debates, the research has influenced the way members of civil society (such as trade unionists and NGO activists, among others) see right-wing populism in the aforementioned countries. In the case of Italy, it has also helped beneficiaries make sense of the actions of populists in government.