Researcher, activist or both?

The influx of academics and researchers into social media platforms, sharing their work, their opinions and interacting with others, challenges us to reconsider the relationships between research and activism. For some, the two cannot be separated. Others are less comfortable with taking normative positions.

 ResearchersJulia Olmos, Paul Benneworth and Elena Castro studied researchers’ willingness to include influences from users in the overall research process. Researchers who are more open to external (non-academic) influences in their research are able to more easily share their research with users, stakeholders and partner. You can access the full working paper here. This post was originally published on the LSE Impact Blog.

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Policy and governancePower to Persuadecross-sector relationships
What public health has been doing about social inequalities in Austrlaia

Last year saw the establishment of the Australian Social Determinants of Health Alliance (SDOHA) (now with over sixty organisational members) and the release of the final report from the Senate Inquiry into the Social Determinants of Health. The ‘social determinants of health’ is simply another name for the type of social problems the community sector works to address every day, such as housing, income insecurity, poor access to education and disadvantage. Public health research has shown that these social issues are the primary cause of health problems like cardiovascular disease, diabetes and obesity. Socioeconomic position can predict who develops and eventually succumbs to heart disease, diabetes, respiratory disease and particular cancers. These findings have given us new allies in the fight to see policies that reduce, not expand, social inequalities. 

 Below, Melanie Walker, SDOHA Manager and Deputy CEO of the Public Health Association of Australia, reports on the recent activities of SDOHA (@sdohalliance), including their National Press Club Address and Research Forum progress Social Determinants of Health goals.

 

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Issues, AdvocacyPower to Persuadesocial inequalities, data and evidence for advocacy
What House is it? How case-by-case policy advocacy upholds all tenants' privacy

If renting is to be a legitimate, appropriate and long term housing option for those who choose it, then our laws and culture should reflect this. James Bennett, Policy & Liaison Worker at the Tenants Union of Victoria, unpacks what this means in practice, and shows how rights-based advocacy for individual tenants is able to achieve policy change through impacting on legal determinations.

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Issues, AdvocacyPower to Persuadehousing and homelessness, data and evidence for advocacy
Carrots or sticks? How policies stack up to the evidence on motivating behaviour change

The current government’s reform agenda has been analysed from many angles.  In this article Susan Maury, Social Policy Researcher from Good Shepherd Australia New Zealand, suggests using the lens of motivational psychology to design effective responses to complex social problems. Policies such as ‘work for the dole’ have not proven nearly as effective as holistic support such as Youth Connections, which had 94% of participants still engaged in employment or education six months after completing the program. There is a wealth of evidence about what motivates people to change their behaviour that does not seem to be part of the current policy debate.

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Social Policy Whisperer, Creating using evidence, IssuesDr Susan Mauryevidence-based policy, young people, susan maury
Whose mission: the historical role of the church in delivering welfare services and the challenges presented in the contracting era

Welfare services are being reshaped again as governments pursue commissioning policies that blur the boundaries between the government, for-profit, secular nonprofit and faith-based sectors. In this article social policy consultant Wilma Gallet captures this historical movement and the inherent threat to faith-based organisations of being seduced away from their mission by government agendas.

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Policy and governanceDr. Kathy Landvogtcommunity sector
Academic depth and complexity vs snappy story-telling: resolving the tension?

The Lowy Institute published an important and attention-grabbing analysis today: Violence against women in PNG: How men are getting away with murder. Written by award-winning freelance Australian journalist, author and editor Jo Chandler, it’s not your standard form of thinktank analysis. Instead it takes the form of an essay or long piece journalism.

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AdvocacyPower to Persuadecommunication
Reasserting the public interest from Australians' kitchen tables

The “business as usual” lobbies are co-ordinated, cashed up and have a highly sophisticated mechanism to spring into action whenever a whiff of reform is in the air, writes Emeritus Professor Robert Douglas from the National Centre for Epidemiology and Population Health at Australian National University in this piece from The Conversation.

Looking at "kitchen table" initiatives from the past and present, he asks whether Australia needs a new non-government structure to coordinate debate and act on a range of pressing issues in the public interest.

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AdvocacyPower to Persuadecommunication
Social Policy Whisperer: Which way out? The Abbott Government's social policy alternatives

Prof Paul Smyth examines the similarities between the Australian Government's approach to social policy and the UK's Big Society agenda and warns that rather than emulate this unsuccessful approach to social investment we should be adopting alternatives such as Inclusive Growth.

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Social Policy Whisperer, Policy and governanceProfessor Paul Smythpolitics and democracy, professor paul smyth
Throw the glitter in the air: The power and importance of disability advocacy

Graeme Innes is the former Disability Discrimination Commissioner at the Australian Human Rights Commission and is now Chair of the Attitude Foundation which works to change attitudes to people with disabilities. Graeme delivered the following Keynote Speech at the Strengthening Disability Advocacy Conference in Melbourne on 4 August 2014. In it he talks about the importance of value of advocacy at a time when the right and the capacity of individuals and organisations to advocate for themselves and others is being challenged by governments.

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Power to Persuade
THE BULK DEBT PROJECT - Achieving institutional policy change for Centerlink recipients

This innovative advocacy project, documented here by one of the project initiators Denis Nelthorpe of Footscray Community Legal Centre, demonstrates how strategic and collective organization of individual casework can bring about systemic change in the culture of corporate institutions and lay the groundwork for regulatory reforms.

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Policy and governance, AdvocacyPower to Persuadeservice and social protection reform, communication
Wither 'welfare'? Reflecting on the proposed changes to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare

The Australian Institute for Health and Welfare (AIHW) provides a critical evidence base and statistical analysis of the Australian population, helping to develop policy and strategies for the state and federal governments. In the recent budget, AIHW was ear-marked for merger into a new super agency the 'Health Productivity and Performance Commission' (along with Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care, Independent Hospitals Pricing Authority, National Health Funding Body, National Health Funding Pool Administrator and National Health Performance Authority). While details are scant, the absence of 'welfare' from the title of this governing body and inclusion of 'productivity' is ominous.

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Finance and economics, Advocacy, IssuesDr. Gemma Careycommunication, government budget, social welfare
Providing better pathways for vulnerable women: a gendered analysis of welfare reform

The McClure interim report raises many questions about the structure and adequacy of Australia’s welfare system. It highlights that single parents, carers and people with disability have lower levels of employment than others in the community, and that the income support and welfare systems need to reflect the needs and challenges of these groups.

What is not explicit is the gendered nature of this problem. Dr Rhonda Cumberland, CEO of Good Shepherd Australia New Zealand, reflects that by ignoring gender, the review neglects some of the preventable costs that can be reduced in the Australian welfare system.

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Creating using evidence, IssuesPower to Persuaderesearch, gender, social welfare
Taming the monster: can the third sector distinguish its unique contribution?

In response to a recent speech by Tony Nicholson, several weeks ago Associate Professor Helen Dickinson (@drhdickinson) argued that 'we need to be clear about the specific strengths and skills of the sector' in any discussion about its future and funding. In a followup post, Dr James Rees (@JamesRees_tsrc) from the Third Sector Research Centre examines why and in what ways third sector organisations offer something distinctive. This is the first of three blog posts from James which tackle this issue

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Policy and governancePower to Persuadecommunity sector
Mental Health and the prison system: a policy concern

Mental health care is a significant policy challenge facing our prison systems in Australia. According to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, 1 in 3 people entering prison have a diagnosed mental illness; almost 2.5 times the rate of the general population. There is growing concern that people with an untreated mental illness are more likely to be imprisoned due to a lack of community-based care. There is also concern about the lack of quality of mental health care in prisons, and its implications for those making the transition back into the community. In this article, Stephen Hall, Leader Mission and Service, Baptistcare WA, outlines the need for better mental health services for the prison population. While the focus is on Western Australia, the issues raised here will resonate nationally, and internationally.  

This article originally appeared on Stephen Hall's professional blog. 

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IssuesPower to Persuadeprisons
Homelessness research and the influence of targeted policy

Is it more effective to target interventions at those most in need? Or should we  'act universally', addressing the basic welfare of all? When it comes to addressing the causes of inequality, there is growing evidence to suggest that universal approaches are more effective. Despite this, policymakers find a continuing appeal in targeted social programs, reserving social services for the most disadvantaged groups in society.  In taking this road, are policymakers failing to address the root causes of disadvantage?  In light of Homeless Persons' Week, Dr Pauline McLoughlin (@PJ_McLoughlin), from RMIT University, and Dr Gemma Carey (@gemcarey) from ANU explore how homelessness research in Australia must grapple with a strong current of highly targeted policy.

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Policy and governance, IssuesDr Pauline McLoughlinservice and social protection reform, housing and homelessness
Twitter and blogs reflect underlying passion of academic research

The role of the academic humanist has always been a public one – however mediated through teaching and publication, argues Tim Hitchcock. As a central means to participate in public conversations, Twitter and blogging just make good academic sense. Hitchcock looks at how these new platforms are facilitating academic collaboration, teaching and public engagement. What starts as a blog, ends as an academic output, and an output with a ready-made audience, eager to cite it.

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Creating using evidence, AdvocacyPower to Persuaderesearch, communication
Social Policy Whisperer: Andrew Forrest and the Government's welfare nightmare

Years of research neglect have left the Abbott government ill prepared for the challenge of welfare reform. Its first budget disaster arose precisely because it did not understand the post financial crisis policy context. Its calls for economic heavy lifting have not been matched by distributional fairness. Having experienced a period of economic reform when the benefits went disproportionately to the rich, people now simply wont buy an economic reform program which is not also socially inclusive. The question is can the government learn quickly enough on the job to get its social policy agenda on track before the next election?

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Policy and governance, Social Policy Whisperer, IssuesProfessor Paul Smythservice and social protection reform, professor paul smyth, social welfare