WORKING WITH POLITICAL INSTITUTIONS AND PUBLIC OFFICIALS
15th November 2017, Park Plaza County Hall, 1 Addington Street, London, SE1 7RY
PROGRAMME
10:00-10:10 WELCOME
10:10-10:30 SESSION 1: INTRODUCTION AND OVERVIEW OF POLITICAL INSTITUTIONS
Sarah Foxen, Social Science Adviser, Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology (POST)
This opening session will be delivered by Sarah Foxen from POST. Sarah will provide an overview of the ‘policy world’, explaining the difference between government and parliament, their respective roles and functions and how they are structured. The different ways in which to engage with both the government and parliament will then be covered through the rest of the workshop.
10:30-12:30 SESSION 2: ACADEMIA AND POLICYMAKING: UNDERSTANDING THE DIFFERENT ROLES AND CULTURES
10:30-11:30 Liz Shutt, Director of Policy, University of Lincoln and Lincolnshire Local Enterprise Partnership
Liz Shutt is Director of Policy for the University of Lincoln and the Greater Lincolnshire Local Enterprise Partnership. This dual role covers a broad range of policy issues including Higher Education and Innovation but also areas such as Agriculture, Energy, Health and Devolution in line with the region’s Strategic Economic Plan. She was previously Head of Policy at University Alliance, helping to establish and grow the organisation over a period of 6 years. She has also worked at Universities UK, Sheffield Hallam University and the Department for Work and Pensions.
This session will draw on Liz’s current role and previous experience working across a number of different organisations, understanding the different cultures, how these organisations can work together to achieve their own ambitions and reflect on some of the key learning from working with the Local Enterprise Partnership. Liz will also reflect on how to work strategically and proactively and identify current and upcoming themes in Westminster and reflect on the different challenges and opportunities of for academia and policymaking to engage.
11:30-11:45 REFRESHMENT BREAK
11:45-12:30 Louise Kempton, Senior Research Associate, Centre for Urban and Regional Development Studies, University of Newcastle
The Centre for Urban and Regional Development Studies (CURDS) at Newcastle University has a 40 year history of impactful research which is both academically rigorous and policy relevant.This presentation will explain the CURDS approach to achieving impact on the conceptual, theoretical and policy dimensions of urban and regional change and development. This will be illustrated through a case study of one area of work that was ranked as four star in the last REF. It will finish with some reflections, hints and tips based on CURDS’ long experience of working in the policy arena.
The presentation will be delivered by Louise Kempton. Louise is a senior research associate at CURDS whose work is focused on role of universities as actors in local and regional economic development. She is also currently project manager for the RCUK/Innovate funded Urban Living Partnership Pilot – Newcastle City Futures. Louise has recently been appointed impact manager for the Geography department and has several years’ experience of supporting colleagues on impact tracking and planning.
12:30-13:30 LUNCH
13:30-14:30 SESSION 3: (SESSION TBC)
Final session details TBC
14:30-14:45 REFRESHMENT BREAK
14:45-16:15SESSION 4: ENGAGING WITH PARLIAMENT
This session will provide an in-depth and practical insight into the structure of parliament, the ways in which there is scope to engage from an academic perspective and some reflections on examples of interactions that have worked well and some of the challenges we face when trying to influence Westminster.
Sarah Foxen, Social Science Adviser, Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology (POST)
Sarah Foxen is a Social Science Adviser in the Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology (POST) – Parliament's in-house source of independent, balanced and accessible analysis of public policy issues related to science, technology and the social sciences. Within POST, and working closely with Parliament’s Outreach team, Sarah’s role focuses on strengthening and increasing Parliament’s engagement with academia and on supporting academics and researchers to engage. Sarah has a background in education and a PhD in Linguistics from the University of Exeter.
In this session Sarah will offer a practical insight into the different mechanisms for engaging with parliament and how we can support our academics to have the greatest chance of impact. Sarah will explore the various different functions such as Select Committees and All Party Parliamentary Groups, as well as an insight into the Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology, explaining how each of the offices engage with research.
Gabriel Huntley, Head of Communication and External Relations, University Alliance
My interests lie in the intersection of politics, policy and evidence – and the way in which these themes interact with communications. I worked for five years at the heart of Westminster including for a backbench MP and subsequently as an Adviser to a member of the Shadow Cabinet, shadowing the largest government department at the time, BEIS and working on high-profile issues such as the proposed merger of AstraZeneca and Pfizer and the privatisation of Royal Mail.
Now working for a university mission group, I have seen Parliamentary processes from the perspective of both inside and outside Westminster, with an understanding of how Parliamentarians and their offices approach policy issues, how evidence can achieve the most impact and the process of policy development in opposition. Drawing on my experience, I would be looking to provide insights on how researchers can understand and navigate this landscape, the importance of timing and the contexts in which evidence can most usefully be marshalled. In addition to my current role, I am a Fellow of the University of Cambridge Centre for Science and Policy (CSaP).
FINAL Q&A AND CLOSE