The role of ideology, belief and commitment in motivations, justifications and catalysts for action in the face of uncertainty

The over-arching theme of this Leadership Fellowship is 'The role of ideology, belief and commitment in motivations, justifications and catalysts for action in the face of uncertainty'. It will provide coherence for the Global Uncertainties Programme (GU), enable research to be consolidated across several core areas, make interdisciplinary links between researchers, and draw in a range of external stakeholders. Whilst being central to the GU core area of 'Ideologies and Beliefs', this theme is also relevant to the core areas of 'Terrorism', 'Transnational Organised Crime' and 'Cybersecurity', and to other areas of uncertainty and instability in relation to globalisation, financial markets and climate change.

Although sometimes overlooked or marginalised in scientific research, ideologies and beliefs often feature prominently in personal and group accounts of decision-making either as causal drivers or as explanations for the actions that follow. Examples include the role of Islamist beliefs in radicalisation and terrorism, and the culture war being fought in the US courts on evolution v. creationism. Even in cases where actions seem to be motivated by expediency, power or financial and/or territorial gain, ideologies and beliefs may underpin material interests, may be offered as justifications or may contribute to a broad canvas of different influences. Ethnic commitments and loyalties, for example, may partly explain participation in organised crime. Nationalist political beliefs may be part of a suite of causes behind gun-running, computer hacking or money laundering.

This 30-month Fellowship brings together researchers and non-academic stakeholders in a programme of activities and events to showcase and identify new applications for research contributing to this theme. It also encompasses a more focused research project, on 'Ideological commitment, boundary making and sacralisation in radical views and threats of violence'. The Leadership Fellow (50%) will be joined by a full-time research assistant, and an administrative officer who will work one day a week helping to organise programme activities.

A series of events - aimed to present research projects and to build relationships between researchers and stakeholders - will be organised, including a showcase and networking meeting, two joint UK/North America seminars, schools workshops, a Question Time event, a project symposium, and conference sessions. Collaborating with researchers, policy-makers, practitioners and other stakeholders, the Fellowship team will prepare an interdisciplinary review (on the research theme), policy briefings and forward scans, and resumés and learning resources for a wider public including teachers and young people.

In their own research project, in case studies of ideological movements, the team will analyse the connections between 'sacred' claims, boundary-making, strategies of othering, and threats of violence and violent action. They will examine how these are expressed and enacted in the discourses and spatial practices of both religious and non-religious groups (including Islamist and far right movements). They will build on their earlier work, which produced a matrix of markers of extremism.

This matrix will now be developed further and applied in an examination of different ideologies and their potential for violence. A key aim of the project is to work with stakeholders to translate the matrix into a resource that can be applied by policy makers, think tanks and other public and private sector bodies researching and assessing issues of risk, security and global instability.

The team will contribute resources to the Global Uncertainties website, and will maintain and further develop two other relevant websites that they currently edit, www.radicalisationresearch.org and www.movingpeoplechangingplaces.org, using these as vehicles to disseminate GU research to policy makers, journalists and a wider public.

The co-production and co-delivery of research, and its translation for users and a wider public are major aims of the Global Uncertainties Programme. They require external stakeholders to be involved throughout the research process, and not just as recipients of research dissemination.

Ideologies, beliefs and commitments are significant factors in the motivations and behaviours of individuals and groups operating in a context of risk and uncertainty. Greater understanding about their contributory role and their relationship to other motivating factors would be of considerable benefit to policy makers, think tanks, consultants and businesses involved in assessing issues of risk, security and global instability. However, as such stakeholders already have related knowledge, skills and experience, they will be engaged in different ways in the design, execution and application of the research.

Potential stakeholders include representatives of a range of public, voluntary and private sector bodies. In addition to inviting them to showcase and networking events, they will be involved selectively in the preparation of briefings and learning resources, in collaborative research meetings and in an advisory capacity. Within the first year of the Fellowship, several key partners will be identified for a more engaged role in the delivery of the research project.

Although different levels of participation are to be expected, we will seek to involve previous contacts and/or other representatives from the following government and other public bodies: Faiths Unit, DCLG; National Security Group at the Cabinet Office; Office for Security and Counter Terrorism at the Home Office; Foreign and Commonwealth Office; Chatham House; National Policing Improvement Agency; West Yorkshire Police; Lancashire Police Authority; Clarence House, the Imperial War Museum and the Armouries. Relevant think tanks and independent research units will be approached, particularly the Royal United Services Institute, Demos and Rand Europe. Award holders within the GU Programme will no doubt have their own user contacts whom we would also seek to include.

The team will work in partnership with several NGOs and private providers for delivery of events and resources, including the Institute of Ideas (Debating Matters), the Citizenship Foundation, Engage (Muslim political participation and media awareness), Global Link (development education), Michael Wakelin Consulting (religion and media), and Norman Winter (audio production). The team has previous experience of collaboration with all these organisations and individuals, as well as many of the public bodies and think tanks listed earlier.

In the context of global uncertainty, businesses as well as governments and public bodies depend on intelligence and evidence-based research, often drawing on the work of university or privately-based regional experts and strategy consultants. In order to develop relevant applicable resources and disseminate programme findings, we will build on an earlier link with P J Sage Inc (a US consultancy that studies contemporary threats including terrorism, drug trafficking and transnational gangs in order to help clients understand and adopt strategies for dealing with them), and will seek to forge links with Pacalis Associates (a UK based international company offering consultancy, bespoke training and development programmes in security, policing, violent extremism and community relations), and/or other UK consultancies that help businesses and service providers respond to cultural factors and cross-cultural communications, such as Focus Consultancy, Fortis, and The Interculturalist.