Dear all
To follow on from Jo's point. Having moved from academic research to
'commercial research' with among others the Employment Service, DfEE
and DSS, I would encourage academics to get involved further in
welfare to work research.
Your contribution would be vital if interconnected with the evidence
based policy research that, for example, ECOTEC conducts on behalf of
the above. We as a firm can only go so far in unpacking a lot of the
salient points that emerge from the research we undertake in the
welfare to work field. A recent example, has been in relation to new
deal research and gender relations, or questions of masculinity and
femininity within (for want of a better expression) the working class.
We do not have the expertise to explore this in depth, only to
signpost certain readings or projects, but academic involvement in
this from the 'get go' would enable such ideas to have a much more
central focus.
Moreover, some (but not all) government departments would very much
encourage such types of partnerships, because their R+D 'arms' contain
very capable and very astute researchers and policy thinkers. There
has been a change in the way that government research is conducted
with partners (though probably less so with academic colleagues if you
are to believe David Blunketts interpretation of 'evidence based
research') and as a former sceptic of this work I would encourage more
involvement. Yes, there is an agenda, but more often than not, that
agenda comes from the 'policy customers' in-house, whose minds can be
changed if there is compelling evidence to the contrary, and this can
be done.
Yours with unusually large amounts of optimism
Shaun
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