Researching public and voluntary organisations

Date:

04/07/2016 - 08/07/2016

Organised by:

methods@manchester, University of Manchester

Presenter:

Nick Clifford and Nigel de Noronha

Level:

Entry (no or almost no prior knowledge)

Contact:

Mark Kelly
0161 275 0796
mark.kelly@manchester.ac.uk

Map:

View in Google Maps  (M13 9PL)

Venue:

Humanities Bridgeford Street Building, University of Manchester, Manchester

Description:

This summer school strand explores approaches to research in public and voluntary organisations.  The course will equip participants to engage critically with policy, its theoretical underpinnings and recognise opportunities for using innovative approaches to enhance their research.  It will help to bridge the gap between academic and public sector research.

The public sector’s influence is pervasive. It creates and controls public spaces, provides shelter, learning, care and control of the subjects of our research.  The council, the hospital, the police service are often seen as individual actors in people’s lives.  A deeper understanding of the ways that they operate informs research and enables it to identify and engage with the levers of power.  The voluntary sector is often embedded in the localities we work in, provides insights and understanding of the people we research and the constraints and opportunities they experience.  This course is particularly relevant and timely given the changing relationship between the state and its citizens.

The course explores a range of practical techniques that enable the researcher to engage in organisational research in the public and voluntary sector to inform their studies. Participants will be encouraged to engage with the ethical issues surrounding organisational research and the role of participatory methods to encourage co-production of knowledge.

Course summary

The organisation of the course involves lectures, activities and visiting speakers.  At the end of the course participants will be able to:

  • critically review government policy, implementation and identify intended and unintended consequences.  They will be able to identify and access public documentation to inform their inquiry and engage with local public and voluntary organisations to secure access to key sources of information
  • realise the benefits of participatory research in the public and voluntary sector
  • capture and analyse evidence using a range of techniques to inform their research findings
  • appreciate the ethical aspects of research in the public and voluntary sector and manage issues when they arise
  • develop and present a research design that incorporates public and voluntary sector perspectives and increases the practical impact of the knowledge gained.

Course content

Participants who are already planning or involved in research with public or voluntary organisations are encouraged to bring their own materials to use within the course. For these participants it will be useful to bring a laptop to enable them to access relevant material.  Case studies and documentation will be provided for participants who are not at this stage. Guidance on preparatory readings will be available two weeks ahead of the course.

Day one

The session will provide an introduction to the structure of public services in the UK and the dynamics of public sector change over time.  It will explore the changing role of the voluntary sector and its relation to public services. 

Participants will carry out a short exercise designed to engage critically with national policy.

Day two

The morning sessions will explore how to design a research inquiry that gathers knowledge and insight from public and voluntary sector organisations. Participants will use techniques to map key stakeholders, gather evidence from existing sources and develop a pitch to maximise their chance of gaining access to the target organisation. 

In the afternoon we will consider the ethics of working with public and voluntary organisations.  The dynamics of working in these organisations may provide privileged access to material, evidence that compromises identifiable individuals or even raise safeguarding issues. 

The day will conclude with a discussion of the methods available for working with public and voluntary organisations.  The benefits and issues associated with documentary analysis, observation, interviews and focus groups will be explored.  The relevance of triangulation and grounded theory will be covered.

Day three

In the morning participants will explore the types of research and investigations that are carried out in the public and voluntary sector.  They will look at the function and scope of research within the sectors and explore the relevance of techniques used in audit and inspection work.

In the afternoon we will explore participatory research techniques which enable co-production of knowledge with actors within the private and voluntary sector.

Day four

Participants will apply their learning to case studies or their own materials.  The exercises will be designed to illuminate the strengths and pitfalls of research with public and voluntary organisations.  They will prepare individual or group presentations of a research design.

Day five

The morning will be devoted to the presentation of student work and an evaluation of the learning gained from the course.

Course team

This course has been developed specifically for this event. It involves 28 hours of contact time led by two experienced tutors, Nick Clifford and Nigel de Noronha. Nick worked in local government before joining Manchester Business School where he is a Senior Fellow in Executive Education.  His doctoral research was on corporate organisational change in local government in England.  Nigel de Noronha is currently a research student at the Cathie Marsh Institute for Social Research.  His research is on housing in England. He has previously worked in further education, criminal justice and most recently the Audit Commission which regulated local government, aspects of health and criminal justice in England.  They both have extensive experience of working in the voluntary and community sector.

Course requirements

No prior knowledge is required.  The course is aimed at the Masters/ PhD level of achievement and aims to help researchers who wish to publish their own original findings in their later careers.

Cost:

Students £600 | University of Manchester staff £600 | other attendees £900

Website and registration:

Region:

North West

Keywords:

Frameworks for Research and Research Designs, Evaluation Research, Policy evaluation, Participatory Research, Inclusive research, Participatory Action Research (PAR), User engagement, Participatory Action Research (PAR), Research Management and Impact, Research and Project Management, Research Ethics, Research Policy, Evidence-Based Policy and Practice

Related publications and presentations:

Frameworks for Research and Research Designs
Evaluation Research
Policy evaluation
Participatory Research
Inclusive research
Participatory Action Research (PAR)
User engagement
Participatory Action Research (PAR)
Research Management and Impact
Research and Project Management
Research Ethics
Research Policy
Evidence-Based Policy and Practice

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