Building a social science research network
Social science research is in a “healthy state” but a lot more needs to be done to meet future challenges, says Professor Paul Spoonley, acting director of the new social sciences research network, BRCSS Net.
BRCSS Net, funded by the Tertiary Education Commission through the Government’s $8 million Building Research Capability in the Social Sciences (BRCSS) programme, comprises a nine-person Board of Management and a Research Council of 40 senior researchers from throughout New Zealand, mostly from tertiary education institutions.
Paul said there was a “real commitment” from those in the sector to the collaborative, networking process that underpinned BRCSS. “The feeling and the commitment is very strong. It brings us together in new and exciting ways.”
He said the sector was in a healthier state now than it had been in a long time. “The number of jobs available to social science researchers has increased noticeably since the 1990s, and social science research is seen as contributing to the economic, social and cultural wellbeing of the country,” he said.
“The training of social science researchers is a priority now, and tertiary institutions are keen to contribute to the supply of qualified researchers. The number of postgraduates has increased and there are some very good postgraduate courses.”
However, there were also some problems. “There are gaps in methodology, such as in evaluation, and there’s a need for a better alignment of the training of researchers with the needs of those employing them,” Paul says.
“There are also gaps in terms of the next generation of senior researchers. The nature of this country in the late eighties and the nineties means we have an age gap. We’ve got good senior and junior researchers but it’s not clear who will provide the next generation of research managers and leaders.
“There are also issues relating to Maori, Pasifika peoples and new settler researchers. It is very important to train and improve the skills of social science researchers from these communities.”
The BRCSS Net brings together 36 existing funded projects. The work is grouped into four themes: new wealth creation and distribution systems; social justice and development; transmission of wealth and knowledge in the context of demographic change; and sustainability of diverse households, communities and settlements.
“We’ve got $250,000 a year to seed new research and new research teams,” Paul said. “We’ll be holding meetings and workshops on the individual themes that will bring all those researchers interested in that theme together, including private sector researchers who are outside the tertiary education sector. Then we will provide seeding funding for the teams that will emerge from those discussions. The result will be a more obvious, horizontal layer than now – a layer that runs across institutions, across disciplines and across the country. The funding will be seed funding only – the teams will need to apply elsewhere for further funding.”
BRCSS Net would also build the sector’s research capability by supporting postgraduate, postdoctorate and emerging researchers through workshops, internships and placements, postdoctoral fellowships, mentoring schemes, regional seminars and distinguished visitor fellowships.
The BRCSS Net will develop a high-tech video conferencing facility in each of its constituent universities to support its work, and it will conduct a survey of social science research every two years to assess the state of the sector. It is also committed to data sharing and working strategically with SPEaR.
The network is looking to appoint a director. The position is at professorial level and based at Massey University’s Wellington campus.
For details, email p.spoonley@massey.ac.nz or go to www.BRCSS.net
