The Nuffield Foundation, in collaboration with the British Academy, has awarded £1.1 million to six research teams that will inform policy and practice on how communities can improve social well-being across the UK.
The COVID-19 pandemic and the cost of living crisis have highlighted the essential role communities play in individual and collective well-being. At the same time, deep seated inequalities of ethnicity, gender and socioeconomic status have been exposed and exacerbated.
Over the next two years, the six projects will engage with communities to improve our understanding of the characteristics that make some communities more vulnerable or resilient than others.
The six projects were developed during the Understanding Communities research innovation workshop. Together, the projects aim to improve individual and collective well-being and will include towns, cities and rural areas across the four nations of the UK.
Nature-based integration: Connecting communities with/in nature led by Dr Azadeh Fatehrad (Kingston University), Caitlin Nunn (Manchester Metropolitan University) and Davide Natalini (Anglia Ruskin University). Awarded £199,350.
This project will explore whether administrative data about behaviour, already gathered by local authorities, can be ethically used to provide insights into community well-being and to inform policy.
Using administrative data to understand community well-being led by Professor Lasana Harris (University College London). Awarded £120,397.
This project will explore whether administrative data about behaviour, already gathered by local authorities, can be ethically used to provide insights into community well-being and to inform policy.
The role of communities and connections in social welfare legal advice led by Dr Sarah Nason (Bangor University). Awarded £198,377.
The research team will examine the social welfare legal advice-seeking behaviours of people through the lens of four local case study areas, their community characteristics and social networks. The project will provide evidence for policymakers and practitioners to respond to local needs and overcome barriers to access.
Rural assets: Policy and practice insights from the devolved nations led by Dr Danielle Hutcheon (Glasgow Caledonian University). Awarded £199,841.
The research will explore divergence in policy application and local level practice in each nation to compare the impacts of the different local asset acquisition processes on rural communities’ empowerment, resilience, and well-being. The direction of the research will be informed by knowledge exchange events across all four nations.
Transformative Justice, women with convictions and uniting communities led by Dr Tirion Havard (London South Bank University). Awarded £184,442.
This research aims to establish whether Transformative Justice supports women with convictions to reintegrate into communities and if it facilitates social connections and promotes equality. The findings will be used to develop a toolkit which will form the basis of a training programme for interested organisations.
Beyond school gates: Children’s contribution to community integration led by Dr Mona Sakr (Middlesex University). Awarded £246,782.
This project will investigate how children’s perceptions, experiences and attitudes contribute to community integration. The team aim to inform local and national policymakers on how children’s social cognition, experiences of integration and friendship networks impact community integration.
