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The place of SRU within PNL
Research centres sometimes sit uncomfortably within academic institutions: it was no different with SRU and PNL, but at least I tried. it lasted 16 years and I'm proud of what we achieved
Proposed Centre for Applied Social Research
This is an outline proposal to develop a major national centre of applied social research. It is edited from an amalgam of three proposals, the first in 1976 which led to the setting up of the Survey Research Unit at the then Polytechnic of North London, the second in 1979 which was a bid to SSRC for Designated Research Centre status and the third in 1984 for funding from the National Advisory Body. The 1979 bid was unsuccessful, but all the papers were then given to SCPR to help in their second round bid which was successful and led to the eventual establishment of Natcen. The 1984 bid was not considered as the NAB funding was restricted to Science and Technology (but nobody told us before we put in all the work!)
Director's Working Group on the Survey Research Unit
Changes to senior management structures at the Polytechnic in the mid-1980s resulted in problems for research units as control of research was centralised and autonomy severely curtailed. In a highly political move, instigated by a malevolent and misguided cadre within senior management, a Director's Working Group on the Survey Research Unit was set up, which reported in March 1988. No other research unit was subjected to such a process. The entries presented here are an object lesson in how not to run research in universities and illustrate how academic politics can take precedence over research excellence.
The draft report of the Working Group is not currently available, but my response gives a good idea of what it contained.
The draft report of the Working Group is not currently available, but my response gives a good idea of what it contained.
In Defence of Research Units, Research Training and Research Careers
Response by John Hall to a report on the Survey Research Unit. (March 1988)
Outlines the development of applied social research at PNL (including setting up the first undergraduate degree in social research in the UK) and details my approach to training in (quantitative, empirical) social research and to providing career structures for social researchers, all then woefully inadequate in the UK. It also illustrates the problems of setting up, resourcing and maintaining research centres in academic institutions, and goes some way to explaining my eventual decision to take early retirement in 1992.
Outlines the development of applied social research at PNL (including setting up the first undergraduate degree in social research in the UK) and details my approach to training in (quantitative, empirical) social research and to providing career structures for social researchers, all then woefully inadequate in the UK. It also illustrates the problems of setting up, resourcing and maintaining research centres in academic institutions, and goes some way to explaining my eventual decision to take early retirement in 1992.
