Social Science for Public Sector Challenges: From Challenges to Evidence

Overview

This practical course is designed to strengthen organisations’ understanding and use of social science in tackling complex policy, organisational and operational challenges. Working collaboratively with the client, the course is tailored around the specific challenges and questions facing their teams, using these as the starting point for exploring relevant policy science research, evidence and analytical approaches.

Rather than teaching research methods in isolation, participants will explore what social science tells us about their chosen challenge, how this knowledge has been generated, and how different research methods and analytical approaches can be applied in practice. Through case studies, taught content and practical activities, the course provides a framework for turning complex real-world problems into questions that can be explored through the latest and best social science.

Who is this for?

Typical participants may include:

• Public sector leaders and professionals seeking to strengthen their organisation’s social science capability
• Policy, research, analytical and evaluation professionals working on complex societal challenges
• Teams looking to develop their use of research evidence, methods and analysis to inform decision-making

What will I learn?

• How social science research can help address complex policy, organisational and operational challenges
• How different research methods, designs and analytical approaches generate evidence and insight
• How to move from a real-world challenge to relevant evidence, research questions and methodological approaches
• How social science can inform public-sector decision-making and problem-solving
• Practical skills and tools for applying social research approaches to your organisation’s own challenges
• How to strengthen social science capability and make better use of research evidence

Course leads