Immigrants left out of legislatures


‘PATHWAYS TO POWER’, the first study of its kind to compare systematically the political representation of citizens of immigrant origin (IO) in the UK, Belgium, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, the Netherlands and Spain, finds that migrants and their native-born offspring are most likely to gain elected office in the Netherlands and UK. South European countries fare worst in the inclusion of citizens of immigrant origin in their national legislatures.


The representation of IO citizens in elected offices is, says researcher Professor Laura


Morales, “the gold standard for political inclusion”. Overall, the findings (which cover 1990 to 2015) show IO citizens to be under- represented in all eight national parliaments but that centre-left parties contribute most to including those of IO origin in the national political arena. n


i Contact Professor Laura Morales, Sciences Po


Email laura.morales@sciencespo.fr Telephone +33 (0)145 49 5621 Web pathways.eu ESRC Grant Number ES/K006452/1


Teachers’ role in peacebuilding


in the post-conflict contexts of Rwanda and South Africa, says a major new study of education and peacebuilding funded by the ESRC/DfiD Joint Fund for Policy Alleviation. Both Rwanda and South Africa have


I


emerged peacefully out of intense and violent conflicts in the 1990s and have been important sites for a range of post-conflict interventions, particularly in terms of education policy. Yet peace and social cohesion remain a challenge and far from being realised. As part of the project researchers considered what a socially cohesive and peaceful education system and classroom might look like – one that is well resourced, as well as staffed by teachers who are well educated


MPRESSIVE POLICY GOALS must be translated into reality if teachers are to play a more significant role as peacebuilders


and supported, and which promotes democratic participation across diverse constituencies. Findings reveal that promoting


social cohesion through education requires context-specific, proactive strategies as well as recognition that education alone cannot remedy all forms of inequity. Teachers, moreover, require education officials and teacher education providers to equip them with a variety of teaching approaches and tools that will allow them to engage productively with learners to promote peace and social education. n


i Contact Professor Yusuf Sayed,


University of Sussex Email y.sayed@sussex.ac.uk Telephone 01273 872876 Web www.sussex.ac.uk/cie/projects/current/ peacebuilding


ESRC Grant Number ES/L00559X/1


ABUSE PREDICTION Child protection relies heavily on risk prediction to identify vulnerable families whose children may become abused. Current algorithmic risk prediction systems are raising concerns due to data indicating their poor accuracy in child protection outcomes and a high number of false positives and false negatives in risk prediction. Researchers aim to investigate a new method of calculating risk that will better support child protection. ESRC grant number ES/R00983X/1


DRUG POLICY REFORM Since 2000 several countries have shifted from a policy of drug prohibition to one of reform. In discussion of reform, drug takers’ voices have been largely absent. Researchers aim to actively involve drug takers in debate by educating them about alternative policy approaches and engaging them in workshop discussions. Findings will help formulate a drug policy action plan and inform future drug policy development. ESRC grant number ES/R007225/1


OPEN SOURCE EVIDENCE Human rights investigations are turning to Open Source Intelligence (OSINT), such as social media content and satellite imagery, to overcome the physical, security and societal barriers to gathering reliable evidence. OSINT could democratise the flow of information on international human rights and violations in an unprecedented way. Researchers will examine how OSINT could contribute to human rights investigation and documentation. ESRC grant number ES/R00899X/1


SUMMER 2011 SOCIETY NOW 9 AUTUMN 2018 SOCIETY NOW


IN BRIEF


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