Title: Research Centre on Micro-Social Change
Funder: Economic and Social Research Council

Abstract: This proposal sets out a new research programme for the Research Centre on Micro-Social Change. The Centre has previously made major contributions to scientific knowledge and public understanding of how individuals' life chances develop over their lifetimes, and how they are influenced by family background, living arrangements and household composition, education, and attachment to employment. But there is much more to learn. It is important to understand the way that socio-economic structures, relationships, values and behaviours adapt to the changing social and physical environment and this presents new challenges for researchers. At the same time, the resources and methods available to researchers are being transformed by new types of evidence about families and individuals, and new ways of analysing them. In response to these developments, we propose significant new research contributions to the understanding of people's lives and of social change more generally, through a research programme organised under four headings. First, we consider 'Family and Social Ties'. What are the processes determining the life chances of children in the shortand longer-term, and also what are factors explaining the changes in the family itself (e.g. fertility, partnership formation and dissolution)? What are the family or social factors causing some children to be drawn into risky, anti-social or criminal behaviour, while others are not? What are the long-term consequences and what preventative policies might be effective? Second, we will contribute to a better understanding of 'Working Lives', focusing on how individuals' attitudes, expectations and preferences in relation to education and work shape lifetime employment careers, and also how the experience of education and work influences individuals' views towards education and work, and those of their children. Third, we examine 'Inequalities and Opportunities'. We will provide new evidence about the nature of social divisions and diversity defined in terms of economic outcomes, such as wages and household income, and non-economic outcomes, including access to a safe and healthy local environment. We will explore in depth the scope for governemnt tax and expenditure policy to influence the distribution of well-being in society and compare the effects of policy differences across European countries. Fourth, we will make important 'Advances in Research Methods' by developing and applying new methods for analysing data on individuals' lives observed over time. We also seek to improve our understanding of the consequences of imprecise survey measurement and explore methods for combining evidence from different sources, including social surveys, behavioural experiments and in-depth qualitative interviews. To achieve these aims, we have broadened and strengthened the multi- and inter-disciplinary nature of our research team, drawing on expertise from applied and theoretical economics, sociology, social policy, health sciences, psychology and political science. The outputs from the research programme will be targeted at a wide range of potential beneficiaries. Academic audiences will receive our research findings mainly through publication in working papers and international scholarly journals. We will engage with government through commissioned research and by feeding evidence and advice into the policy process. We are similarly engaged with a wide range of UK and international non-government organisations we provide research evidence directly to the public through the news media. The Centre will also make an important contribution to the development of UK research capacity in the social sciences, by providing a wide range of training opportunities for new and established social scientists.


Research activity codes: 2.3 PSYCHOLOGICAL, SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC FACTORS;1.2 PSYCHOLOGICAL AND SOCIOECONOMIC PROCESSES
Health categories: MENTAL HEALTH;GENERIC HEALTH RELEVANCE