The Research Relationship: Practice and Politics in Social Policy Research.

We have been stimulated by this exchange on both personal and intellectual levels. Intellectual pursuits have been subdivided by scholars with various interests. However, specialization is not in itself an evil, except when it constrains fruitful analysis of empirical issues that have real-world implications for social policy and people's lives. Problems of social life and social policy typically speak to and provoke scholars of all kinds. Hence opportunities to investigate empirical interests from a variety of perspectives are opportunities forus all to learn the strengths and limitations of our tools. We wish this kind of discussion about the importance of the informal sector and marketplaces had occurred before the destruction of the Maxwell Street Market. This exchange might have further informed policy decisions and perhaps avoided some of the negative effects of dismantling the market. Nonetheless, we thank those who commented for their thoughtful responses. We agree with many but not all of their views, as the responses below suggest. Our methodology involved integrating ethnography and analytical economics; throughout, we have tried to strike a reasonable balance between analysis and participation.

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Building Research Capacity and Organizational Empathy Among Students: Making Connections Beyond the Data

International Journal for Population Data Science ◽

10.23889/ijpds.v5i5.1557 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 5 (5) ◽

Author(s):

Anita Durksen ◽

Shannon Struck ◽

Alexandra Guemili ◽

Soomin Han ◽

Emily Brownell ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Social Policy ◽

Administrative Data ◽

Linked Data ◽

Common Ground ◽

Social Issues ◽

Policy Research ◽

Complex Data ◽

Research Experience ◽

Data Repositories ◽

Linked Administrative Data

IntroductionThe leveraging of multi-sector, whole-population, linked administrative data is advantageous for conducting research on complex real-world problems. However, such large and complex data repositories can sometimes appear impersonal and overwhelming. Establishing organizational empathy (OE) in thecontext of a multi-sector partnership between academic, government and community representatives can help us understand the data better for social policy research. Evidence stemming from this research can then inform policy decisions, ultimately increasing the potency of linked data analysis and creating more meaningful student experiences. Our objective is to examine the role of OE in the student research experience. Objectives and ApproachSPECTRUM (Social Policy Evaluation Collaborative Team Research at Universities in Manitoba) is a multi-disciplinary partnership working to provide evidence-based solutions to ‘wicked’ social issues by using linked data from multiple sectors. SPECTRUM provides fellowships to students to become partners in the collaboration. Students have participated in quarterly workshops, building relationships with community leaders, government decision-makers and academic researchers. Students are from various faculties, bringing their unique frameworks and research interests to the collective. Through OE, students observeand participate in SPECTRUM, relating its goals and outcomes to society and their own research. ResultsStudent inclusion in SPECTRUM enhances the partnership by providing a greater range of perspectives and facilitates the development of OE among SPECTRUM members. Students are using linked administrative data, while actively engaging in dialogue with stakeholders, thereby enriching their knowledge and understanding of research. Conclusion / ImplicationsData linkage involves more than just use of the repository; it requires establishing common ground since the data have different meaning to each partner. OE developed through SPECTRUM provides invaluable insight into and context for the data. Knowledge transfer among members of the partnership will enrich SPECTRUM’s research outcomes while building capacity among Students.

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Ungleichheit, Sozialstaat und demokratische Repräsentation: Marktkorrigierende Politik durch den Medianwähler?

Zeitschrift für Sozialreform ◽

10.1515/zsr-2017-0021 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 63 (4) ◽

pp. 483-515 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Ursula Dallinger

Keyword(s):

Social Policy ◽

Low Income ◽

Median Voter ◽

Policy Research ◽

Electoral System ◽

The Political ◽

Welfare Programs ◽

Political Factors ◽

Income Disparities ◽

Government Responsiveness

AbstractPolitical economy of redistribution and comparative social policy research view the median voter as the political force, which demands marketregulating social policy in periods of increased income disparities and to which governments – to be re-elected – must respond. However, government responsiveness has been questioned, especially the responsiveness for political demands of low-income households. Are even the preferences of the median voter only selectively addressed through politics? If the median voter is actually influential, its redistributive preferences should explain the outcome of government action, e.g. size of redistribution. Is this true? Based on a pooled dataset with observations between 1980 and 2012 for 13 OECD-countries it is shown that the political position of the median voter alone has no impact. Rather mediating political factors like a proportional electoral system and left parties with wider welfare programs provide for broader representation and more redistribution.

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