Research Integration, PCCS Ethics and Rights Call
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Warwick
Department Name: Politics and International Studies
Abstract
The Integrator role is to assist the project teams awarded funding in the Ethics and Rights Call to (a) understand the ethical issues that can be treated systematically in their projects; (b) make use of synergies between project themes; (c) maximize impact through interaction with practitioners and timely interaction with PCCS and the press offices of the universities hosting the awards.
Planned Impact
The Integrator role will be to maximize impact planned by the project teams. This will occur primarily through identifying synergies between the projects, representing these through the programmes of workshops, and combining the Integrator's networks among practitioners and non-academics with those of the project teams. The lists of beneficiaries in the project applications will be made full use of. So will the Integrator's lists of users and his GULF's user-group expander.
Organisations
- University of Warwick (Lead Research Organisation)
- Arts and Humanities Research Council (Co-funder)
- UNIVERSITY OF OXFORD (Collaboration)
- UNIVERSITY OF GLASGOW (Collaboration)
- Cardiff University (Collaboration)
- Lotus Engineering Ltd (Collaboration)
- Centre for Research and Evidence on Security Threats (Collaboration)
- UNIVERSITY OF BIRMINGHAM (Collaboration)
- University of Hull (Collaboration)
- QUEEN'S UNIVERSITY BELFAST (Collaboration)
People |
ORCID iD |
| Thomas Sorell (Principal Investigator) |
| Description | As our Research Integrator Proposal states, the primary aim of this integration project is to use cross-cutting ethical themes to connect the seven successful projects in the PCCSR Ethics and Security Call, and to communicate their results to a policy, practitioner, and wider public, audience. To this end we have met individually with each project, attended and participated in individual project events, set up a single website for the Ethics and Rights call, and held two dedicated integrator workshops. We will be holding the third and final integrator workshop in November. Between 12th May and 15th July 2015 we met with each of the seven project groups individually. These facilitated an understanding of the overall workings and direction of the Ethics and Rights Call. At each of these meetings the PI of the project was present along with some of the Co-Is, as well as a local university press officer. Minutes were circulated afterwards. In each case there was an overview of the Integrator role, an outline of the project's work packages and progress in completing these, and discussion of the project's contributions to the workshops. Furthermore, dissemination and press opportunities were discussed in each case. For instance, with the Hull project it was noted that they were planning to produce a policy brief and it was suggested to them that they may gain traction for this through the Industry and Parliament Trust or Westminster Briefings (groups with whom we have been involved in the past). With several of the projects there had been little or no prior connection between them and their university press officers. Discussion was held concerning how to maximise impact of publications, noting that it is important to let communications officers know timelines for publication so that they may form strategy, how to time release -- for example, news items of this type are more likely to be picked up in summer -- and how to find genuine consonance with project reasons for seeking press exposure. Similarly, we urged the value of producing videos as ways of enhancing dissemination. This is a method that we have successfully deployed recently on the ESRC project Assuming Identities Online. The issue of funding for video production was raised by several of the projects: while some had access to in-house teams and facilities, others would require further funds to produce these. In one case we facilitated, through the Partnership for Conflict, Crime and Security Research, a grant for video production. We also attended and participated in several project meetings: 'Surveillance and Citizenship' (Cardiff), 'IAMCR Preconference on Algorithmic Surveillance' (Leicester), and 'Digital Wildfire: respond now at the Digital Catapult!' (London). Furthermore, we met with the PACCSR external champion, Tristram Riley-Smith. These activities furthered our understanding of the individual projects and the direction of the ethics and rights call, and facilitated networking across them. The first workshop involved the projects based in Oxford, Hull, and Cardiff. It took place on 17th February 2016 in London and was entitled 'Citizens Online: Governing the internet and the possibility of privacy'. Presentations were made by Arne Hintz (Cardiff) and Ian Brown (Oxford) on 'Challenges to Digital Citizenship in the Age of Mass Surveillance'; Tom Sorell (Warwick) on 'Grooming Online'; Adam Edwards (Cardiff), on 'Social Media and Civil Society: Participation, Regulation and Governance' and James Connelly on 'Chasing the Common Good in the Cyber World'. The event was livestreamed on twitter via the periscope app and reached around 200 viewers. The second workshop, 'The Limits of States: Ethics, War, and Migration' took place on 28th June 2016. Its overarching theme concerned the frontiers of war and security. Presentations were made on 'Nuclear Ethics and Global Security: Reforming the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Regime' by Nicholas Wheeler (Birmingham); 'Moral Victories: Ethics, Exit Strategies, and the Ending of War' by Cian O'Driscoll (Glasgow); 'Acting as a Good International Citizen: Balancing Responsibilities or Dirty Hands?' by Derek Edyvane (Leeds) and James Souter (Leeds); 'Repairing the migrant crisis - Rights as ethics and a solidarity of care' by Tom Walker (Queens University Belfast) and Bal Sokhi-Bulley (Queens University Belfast); and 'Making 'regime change' possible despite the limits on intervention. A critical assessment of UK/French policy and discourse on Syria 2011/3' by Jason Ralph (Leeds). Along with academics, those attending included representatives of Chatham House and the FCO. Through this work and also in the final showcase workshop, held in London in November 2016, possible research projects and themes for future Calls have been identified, taking into account practitioner input. |
| Exploitation Route | The networking and dissemination outcomes of this project will be put to use in the formation of future collaborations. |
| Sectors | Government, Democracy and Justice,Security and Diplomacy |
| URL | http://www.paccsresearch.org.uk/research/research-portfolio/ethics-and-rights-in-a-security-context/ |
| Description | The projects involved in this 'Integrator' grant, and the findings presented at our concluding event in November 2016, generated debate and interest from practitioners and policymakers in attendance (see event summary). |
| First Year Of Impact | 2016 |
| Sector | Government, Democracy and Justice |
| Impact Types | Societal,Policy & public services |
| Description | Assessor panel, CREST |
| Organisation | Centre for Research and Evidence on Security Threats |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | Assessor of applications and member of commissioning panel. |
| Collaborator Contribution | The Centre for Research and Evidence on Security Threats (CREST) is a national hub for understanding, countering and mitigating security threats. CREST brings together the UK's foremost expertise in understanding the psychological and social drivers of the threat, the skills and technologies that enable its effective investigation, and the protective security measures that help counter the threat in the first place. It does so within a context of significant stakeholder and international researcher engagement, and with a clear plan for sustained and long-term growth. |
| Impact | Assessment of applications and drafting of calls |
| Start Year | 2017 |
| Description | Integrator for ESRC Projects: Initial Meetings |
| Organisation | Cardiff University |
| Department | Criminology |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | Series of seven meetings at each of the projects under the ESRC call 'Ethics and Rights in a Security Context'. In each case with the PI and other project partners. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Agreements to take part in Integrator workshops in London in 2016. |
| Impact | February workshop 'Citizens Online'. June workshop 'The Limits of States: Ethics, War, and Migration' Collaboration covers: Philosophy, Political Theory, Political Science, Journalism Studies, International Relations, Computer Science |
| Start Year | 2015 |
| Description | Integrator for ESRC Projects: Initial Meetings |
| Organisation | Cardiff University |
| Department | School of Journalism, Media & Cultural Studies |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | Series of seven meetings at each of the projects under the ESRC call 'Ethics and Rights in a Security Context'. In each case with the PI and other project partners. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Agreements to take part in Integrator workshops in London in 2016. |
| Impact | February workshop 'Citizens Online'. June workshop 'The Limits of States: Ethics, War, and Migration' Collaboration covers: Philosophy, Political Theory, Political Science, Journalism Studies, International Relations, Computer Science |
| Start Year | 2015 |
| Description | Integrator for ESRC Projects: Initial Meetings |
| Organisation | Lotus Engineering Ltd |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Private |
| PI Contribution | Series of seven meetings at each of the projects under the ESRC call 'Ethics and Rights in a Security Context'. In each case with the PI and other project partners. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Agreements to take part in Integrator workshops in London in 2016. |
| Impact | February workshop 'Citizens Online'. June workshop 'The Limits of States: Ethics, War, and Migration' Collaboration covers: Philosophy, Political Theory, Political Science, Journalism Studies, International Relations, Computer Science |
| Start Year | 2015 |
| Description | Integrator for ESRC Projects: Initial Meetings |
| Organisation | Queen's University Belfast |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | Series of seven meetings at each of the projects under the ESRC call 'Ethics and Rights in a Security Context'. In each case with the PI and other project partners. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Agreements to take part in Integrator workshops in London in 2016. |
| Impact | February workshop 'Citizens Online'. June workshop 'The Limits of States: Ethics, War, and Migration' Collaboration covers: Philosophy, Political Theory, Political Science, Journalism Studies, International Relations, Computer Science |
| Start Year | 2015 |
| Description | Integrator for ESRC Projects: Initial Meetings |
| Organisation | University of Birmingham |
| Department | Department of Political Science and International Studies |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | Series of seven meetings at each of the projects under the ESRC call 'Ethics and Rights in a Security Context'. In each case with the PI and other project partners. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Agreements to take part in Integrator workshops in London in 2016. |
| Impact | February workshop 'Citizens Online'. June workshop 'The Limits of States: Ethics, War, and Migration' Collaboration covers: Philosophy, Political Theory, Political Science, Journalism Studies, International Relations, Computer Science |
| Start Year | 2015 |
| Description | Integrator for ESRC Projects: Initial Meetings |
| Organisation | University of Glasgow |
| Department | Department of Politics |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | Series of seven meetings at each of the projects under the ESRC call 'Ethics and Rights in a Security Context'. In each case with the PI and other project partners. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Agreements to take part in Integrator workshops in London in 2016. |
| Impact | February workshop 'Citizens Online'. June workshop 'The Limits of States: Ethics, War, and Migration' Collaboration covers: Philosophy, Political Theory, Political Science, Journalism Studies, International Relations, Computer Science |
| Start Year | 2015 |
| Description | Integrator for ESRC Projects: Initial Meetings |
| Organisation | University of Hull |
| Department | Department of Philosophy |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | Series of seven meetings at each of the projects under the ESRC call 'Ethics and Rights in a Security Context'. In each case with the PI and other project partners. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Agreements to take part in Integrator workshops in London in 2016. |
| Impact | February workshop 'Citizens Online'. June workshop 'The Limits of States: Ethics, War, and Migration' Collaboration covers: Philosophy, Political Theory, Political Science, Journalism Studies, International Relations, Computer Science |
| Start Year | 2015 |
| Description | Integrator for ESRC Projects: Initial Meetings |
| Organisation | University of Oxford |
| Department | Department of Computer Science |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | Series of seven meetings at each of the projects under the ESRC call 'Ethics and Rights in a Security Context'. In each case with the PI and other project partners. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Agreements to take part in Integrator workshops in London in 2016. |
| Impact | February workshop 'Citizens Online'. June workshop 'The Limits of States: Ethics, War, and Migration' Collaboration covers: Philosophy, Political Theory, Political Science, Journalism Studies, International Relations, Computer Science |
| Start Year | 2015 |
| Description | Citizens Online workshop |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Workshop in London bringing together the ESRC projects 'Digital Wildfires' (Oxford), 'Digital Citizenship (Cardiff), and 'The Common Good' (Hull). The event was aimed at further disseminating the work of those projects and facilitating meeting between them. Talks were live streamed on Twitter. Central questions: - A significant amount of online activity involves anti-social, offensive, or harmful behaviour, involving rumours, insults, or outright defamation. How can governance of conduct in digital social spaces be realised in a way that is both ethical and effective in practice? How far is this a matter for full-blown government involvement? - It is often said that functioning democratic systems require some collective commitment or identity on the part of citizens. Information technology increasingly facilitates the formation of trans-national communities. What challenges does this technological trend pose to the way that we traditionally conceive of citizenship and statehood? If the 'common good' is one of our aims, how do we delineate membership of the relevant group(s)? Are governance structures keeping up? - What counts as private is partly conventional and cultural, and internet culture is in flux. Given the arc of technological development, is there any future for privacy online? What special consideration ought we to give to political speech and activism? How do attitudes to privacy and democracy interact with new security measures and technologies? |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2015 |
| URL | http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/fac/soc/pais/research/researchcentres/ierg/events/citizens_online_schedule... |
| Description | Ethics and Rights in a Security Context 17th November 2016 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Delegates attended for a 'showcase' of the findings from all projects involved in this call, covering a range of subject areas including: nuclear weaponry, the treatment of people at borders, the ending of wars, the notions of digital citizenship and the common good online, the spreading of rumours or misinformation on the internet, and the norms surrounding foreign policy regarding Syria. Through examining approaches to ethics from a variety of perspectives and on a diverse range of topics, participants in this workshop enhanced their understanding of how ethics can facilitate and empower security policy. The audience comprised academics, professional practitioners and government policy makers, which sparked fruitful debate. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2016 |
| URL | http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/fac/soc/pais/research/researchcentres/ierg/events |
| Description | The Limits of States workshop |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Third sector organisations |
| Results and Impact | The second integrator workshop, 'The Limits of States: Ethics, War, and Migration' took place on 28th June 2016. Its overarching theme concerned the frontiers of war and security. Presentations were made on 'Nuclear Ethics and Global Security: Reforming the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Regime' by Nicholas Wheeler (Birmingham); 'Moral Victories: Ethics, Exit Strategies, and the Ending of War' by Cian O'Driscoll (Glasgow); 'Acting as a Good International Citizen: Balancing Responsibilities or Dirty Hands?' by Derek Edyvane (Leeds) and James Souter (Leeds); 'Repairing the migrant crisis - Rights as ethics and a solidarity of care' by Tom Walker (Queens University Belfast) and Bal Sokhi-Bulley (Queens University Belfast); and 'Making 'regime change' possible despite the limits on intervention. A critical assessment of UK/French policy and discourse on Syria 2011/3' by Jason Ralph (Leeds). Along with academics, those attending included representatives of Chatham House and the FCO. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2016 |
| URL | http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/fac/soc/pais/research/researchcentres/ierg/news/?newsItem=094d4345549c5f8f... |