The essays presented in this volume examine knowledge mobilisation and its relation to research impact and engagement. The social sciences matter because they can help us to understand and address the complex challenges confronting society. This is particularly true in an era of significant downward pressure on public expenditure, a consequence of the global fiscal crisis, when there is a striking need to ensure that policies are demonstrably effective and efficient. The impact agenda in the UK, reflected in parallel global debates, actively encourages the social sciences to make and demonstrate a difference; to justify and protect social science funding. This volume shows how knowledge mobilisation can be thought of systematically as a process, encompassing engagement, leading to the co-production and channelling of knowledge to make a difference in the economy and society.
This book was originally published as a special issue of Contemporary Social Science.
Table of Contents:
Introduction: Knowledge mobilisation and the social sciences: dancing with new partners in an age of austerity Jon Bannister and Irene Hardill Part 1: Knowledge Mobilisation and Research Impact 1. Impact and knowledge mobilisation: what I have learnt as Chair of the Economic and Social Research Council Evaluation Committee Ann Buchanan 2. A model for knowledge mobilisation and implications for the education of social researchers Paul Ellwood, Richard Thorpe and Charlotte Coleman 3. Why social scientists should engage with natural scientists Philip Lowe, Jeremy Phillipson and Katy Wilkinson 4. Researching with impact in the Global South? Impact-evaluation practices and the reproduction of ‘development knowledge’ Glyn Williams 5. Research, policy and knowledge flows in education: what counts in knowledge mobilisation? Gemma Moss 6. Knowledge mobilisation and the civic academy: the nature of evidence, the roles of narrative and the potential of contribution analysis Jon Bannister and Anthony O’Sullivan Part 2: Knowledge Mobilisation and Engagement 7. Everyday ethics in community-based participatory research Sarah Banks and Andrea Armstrong with Kathleen Carter, Helen Graham, Peter Hayward, Alex Henry, Tessa Holland, Claire Holmes, Amelia Lee, Ann McNulty, Niamh Moore, Nigel Nayling, Ann Stokoe, Aileen Strachan 8. Mobilising knowledge in community – university partnerships: what does a community of practice approach contribute? Angie Hart, Ceri Davies, Kim Aumann, Etienne Wenger, Kay Aranda, Becky Heaver and David Wolff 9. ‘It’s what gets through people’s radars isn’t it’: relationships in social work practice and knowledge exchange Mark Smith, Heather Wilkinson and Michael Gallagher 10. Mobilising the experiential knowledge of clinicians, patients and carers for applied health-care research Pam Carter, Roger Beech, Domenica Coxon, Martin J. Thomas and Clare Jinks 11. Enlivening evidence-based policy through embodiment and emotions Irene Hardill and Sarah Mills 12. Rethinking policy-related research: charting a path using qualitative comparative analysis and complexity theory Tim Blackman 13. Intangible assets, absorbing knowledge and its impact on firm performance: theory, measurement and policy implications Richard Harris and John Moffat
About the Author :
Jon Bannister is Professor of Criminology at Manchester Metropolitan University, UK, and a Professorial Fellow at the University of Glasgow, UK. In promoting a civic agenda for the academy, Jon has supported the establishment of multiple knowledge mobilisation initiatives in the field of criminal justice.
Irene Hardill is Professor of Public Policy, Northumbria University, UK, and a member of the Training and Skills Committee of the Economic and Social Research Council. She has a particular expertise in knowledge exchange and user engagement.
