3.1
Political engagement
Keywords
Politics, governmental practices, the state,
ethnography, social science
Expertise
Politics plays an important part in everyday life and the
development of society; it is essential that the political
machinery is carefully scrutinised to ensure that it
adequately supports democratic governance and
delivers the policies and legislation that respond to
social and economic demands.
We have experts conducting research into politics,
governmental practices and the contemporary role of
the state. Our current focus is on the political logic that
underpins the Big Society agenda and its expression in
the Localism Act. Our research team is examining how
the Big Society alters practices of political accountability;
we seek to link this current political framework to
previous policy initiatives around public-private-
partnerships, specifically the Private Finance Initiative.
Engage@liverpool is a cross-faculty initiative
that showcases methodological expertise within
the University. The programme promotes and
facilitates methodological excellence, innovation
and interdisciplinary dialogue. It provides a range
of audiences with an introduction to cutting-edge
research in an accessible and inclusive way.
The core element of engage@liverpool is the ‘How To’
talk series which features experienced researchers
discussing methods and methodology based on
examples drawn from their own research. A key theme
running through the series is an emphasis on the
importance of critical thinking.
Relevant centres and groups
•
Centre for Lifelong Learning.
Society & Culture
169
3.
Political engagement and democratisation
APPLICATION AREAS
•
Built environment
•
Civil engineering
•
Energy
•
Food supply
•
Sustainability
•
Transport and infrastructure
Also see:
Risk, Safety & Security –
3.
Human rights, social justice and
political solutions, page 124
engage@liverpool:
establishing a vibrant
research culture and
cementing the University
of Liverpool’s status as a
leader in engaged forms
of research.
