The Wales Institute of Social and Economic Research and Data (WISERD) has been awarded £1.6 million by the UKRI Economic and Social Research Council for a three-year research initiative titled "People, Places, and the Public Sphere." The project will involve researchers from Swansea University examining how democratic activities, collaborative governance, and citizen science can address collective challenges.
The program is structured around four main research themes:
1. Workplaces and participatory democracy will focus on the Fair Work Agenda in Wales.
2. Rights, refugees, and marginalized communities will explore civil society's role in supporting refugees and state surveillance issues.
3. Collaborative governance and deliberative politics will investigate new ways to engage citizens in policymaking.
4. Local economies and place-based innovations will examine economic actor involvement in local leadership.
These themes will be supported by the WISERD Data Lab to aid community-led data collection for co-production projects.
Principal investigator Rhys Davies emphasized the impact of WISERD’s interdisciplinary research on social science in Wales, stating that "this new funding will allow us to expand and strengthen this work even further."
Swansea University's WISERD team, led by Professor Nigel O'Leary and Dr Matthew Wall from the School of Social Sciences, aims to lead innovative research at the intersection of democratic renewal. This aligns with Swansea's commitment to impactful scholarship as part of its Civic Mission.
Professor O’Leary highlighted that their focus would be on developing policies for inclusive economic development: “This will be an exciting opportunity to shape...work packages that have far-reaching impacts across economics, education, and social policy.”
Dr Matthew Wall added: “Through this work...we aim to bridge academic research with practical solutions that empower communities."