Rowntree Fellows to explore impact of Charitable Trust
Posted on 24 October 2000
Steven Burkeman, Trust Secretary, said: "It is important that we have an independent and academic assessment of the impact of the Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust's support for various initiatives, for instance, identifying where our contribution was giving weight to an incipient development, or where it was itself involved in breaking the mould of conventional thought. We also hope to identify those opportunities which the Trust missed."
The four Fellows are Mark Freeman (Department of History), Lisa O'Malley (Social Policy and Social Work), and Lorna Gold and Jonathan Davies (both working in the Department of Politics). They will work together on a number of aspects of the Trust's history and activities, using various archives, including those of the Trust and the Borthwick Institute of Historical Research.
Topics to be researched are likely to include: a broad assessment of the first 50 years of Trust activity; the significance of the Trust's involvement in the fields of race and of poverty; the effectiveness of initiatives aimed at bringing about disarmament and resolving conflict; and the extent of the Trust's influence in recent British constitutional and democratic reforms.
Dr Neil Carter, Co-ordinator of the programme said: "These Fellowships offer a marvellous opportunity for young researchers to assess the impact of an organisation on the social and political development of this country. The Fellows will also make an exciting contribution to the research activities of the departments of History, Politics, and Social Policy and Social Work."
Notes to editors:
- The Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust is a grant-making trust, originally endowed by the Quaker chocolate and cocoa manufacturer, Joseph Rowntree in 1904. More details about the Trust may be found at www.jrct.org.uk
- The Department of Politics at York has particular strengths in British politics and public policy, political philosophy, and, with the integration of the Post-War Reconstruction and Development Unit, the field of peace and conflict. It has an official research rating of 4, signifying work of national and international significance.
- The Department of History at York is one of the largest in the country. Special interests include social and economic history. It has a close association with the Borthwick Institute of Historical Research, home to many national archives. History has an official teaching quality assessment of 'Excellent' and a research rating of 4.
- The Department of Social Policy and Social Work has a number of specialist research centres, in addition to its teaching interests. These include the Centre for Housing Policy and the Social Policy Research Unit. Social Policy and Social Work are assessed separately for teaching and research purposes. Both have a teaching quality assessment of 'Excellent' and research ratings of 5, signifying research of international significance.