Welcome to the Summer issue of Society Now, the


ESRC’s regular magazine which showcases the impact of the social science research we fund. This issue is focused on economics, business


and enterprise. For fifty years the ESRC has been funding economic research. What has it discovered and where has the research had an impact? Experts from the Enterprise Research Centre explain what their research has found and what can be done to stimulate growth in SMEs. Following the 2015 General Election


IFS Director Paul Johnson looks at why the centre’s research was so widely quoted by all political parties and the particular challenges of remaining impartial. Members of the British Election Study team examine why the pre-General Election polls were so inaccurate. Did voters change their minds, lie about their intentions or was the polling methodology flawed? And ESRC Impact Champion Charlie Jeffery


talks about his career, his research and what’s next. I hope you find the magazine enjoyable and informative.


Nick Stevens, Editor - nick.stevens@esrc.ac.uk Society ESRC RE


RCRESEARCH MAKIING AN IMPACT SUMMER 2015 ISSUE 22


ow


Going for growth Discovering the secrets


IFS: The challenge of being balanced


Economics: The ESRC’s fi fty-year heritage


E i


of SME success V i


Voices: Charlie Jeffery on devolution and impact


The views and statements


expressed in this publication are those of the authors and not necessarily those of the ESRC


In this issue


REGULARS 3 News


13 Opinion Responses to immigration.


17 Opinion


Religious understanding and radicalisation. 20 The UK by numbers: Spending


29 Information and updates People, publications, news in brief, websites and events.


CONTRIBUTORS


Martin Ince is a freelance science writer, media adviser and media trainer


Eric Kaufmann is Professor of Politics at Birkbeck College, University of London


Jon Mellon is postdoctoral Research Fellow at Nuffield


2 SOCIETY NOW SUMMER 2015


College at the University of Oxford and member of the British Election Study team


Chris Prosser is a political scientist based at the University of Manchester, where he is a Research Associate on the British Election Study


Professor Andrew Sturdy is Head of Department of Management at University of Bristol


John Wolffe is Professor of Religious History at The Open University


10 14 18 22


24 FEATURES


10 Fifty years of the ESRC How ESRC-funded economic research has influenced the worlds of business, politics and policy.


14 Going for growth The Enterprise Research Centre’s work to discover what’s driving the growth of SMEs.


18 Balancing act Paul Johnson explains the difficulties of being critical yet remaining scrupulously impartial, and the big economic issues of the future.


22 Polls apart Why were the opinion polls before the 2015 General Election so different from the actual election result?


24 Masters of the universe? How managers in large public and private sector organisations are taking on consulting practices as their own.


26 Voices: Impact champion Professor Charlie Jeffery is announced 2015 ESRC Impact Champion for his long-term commitment to maximising the impact of his and colleagues’ research.


26


All Society Now photography © Alamy unless otherwise marked


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