Memorandum submitted by the Economic and
Social Research Council (ESRC)
1. The ESRC welcomes the Committee's new
inquiry and the opportunity to comment on its scope.
2. The Council hopes that the Committee will
consider, as a central part of its inquiry, Defra's engagement
with, and use of social science research, given the central importance
of bringing together economic, social and environmental concerns
to Defra's mission. Strengthening Defra's social science capabilities
and use of social science evidence was a key recommendation (rec
2) in the Office of Science and Innovation's 2005-06 Science
Review of Defra. The ESRC also welcomes the recent report (November
2007) and recommendations of the Defra Science Advisory Council
on Social Research in Defra. The Committee may wish to consider
how Defra might build upon recent progress to further develop
its strategy for strengthening its capabilities in the social
sciences.
3. The ESRC welcomes the steps taken by
Defra to enhance the number and range of social scientists within
the Department and also to enhance knowledge exchange with the
social science research community through, for example, collaboration
in ESRC's Placement Fellowships, collaborative studentships schemes
and public policy seminars. The Committee may wish to consider
the potential to learn lessons from this and to further develop
such activities in the future. A recent report by the Environmental
Research Funders Forum (2007) on Using Research to Inform Policy:
the Role of Interpretation makes a number of recommendations which
could be considered in enhancing the potential for research to
inform Defra's policy-making processes (http://www.erff.org.uk).
4. The Committee may wish to consider how
Defra could strengthen its links with existing and new Research
Council initiatives in areas central to its mission, such as the
recently announced ESRC Centre on Climate Change Economics and
Policy at the LSE and University of Leeds and ESRC Climate Change
leadership fellowships, to ensure optimum arrangements are in
place for knowledge exchange and utilisation of research outcomes.
5. In terms of collaborative research, Defra
has made an important contribution to the Research Councils' inter-disciplinary
Rural Economy and Land Use (RELU) Programme and the Committee
may wish to consider the potential lessons and good practice which
can be learnt from RELU for future collaborative research activities.
The ESRC also welcomes the recently announced partnership between
Defra, the ESRC, the Environment Agency and the three UK Devolved
Administrations to commission a new joint independent Research
Centre on Sustainable Behaviours and also the joint commissioning
by Defra, EPSRC, ESRC and NERC of a centre of excellence on natural
and environmental risks, both of which might provide useful models
for future collaboration.
6. The new Living with Environmental Change
(LWEC) Programme (http://www.nerc.ac.uk/research/programmes/lwec/)
provides an important new opportunity for Defra and its agencies
to engage in collaborative research with the Research Councils
and other funders of environmental research to adress the new
inter-disciplinary research challenges which are raised by Defra's
mission and strategy. We would encourage the Committee to consider
how Defra might exploit the new opportunities offered by LWEC,
alongside existing collaborative fora including the Environmental
Research Funders Forum (ERFF), to further develop its research
strategy in co-ordination with other research funders.
March 2008
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