Following the victory of the Scottish National Party (SNP) in the recent Scottish elections on May 5, a unique in-depth survey of the entire SNP membership conducted throughout 2008, funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC), reveals a range of views on Scotland’s constitutional status.

For the first time researchers from South Africa and China will be working together on a joint data project with UK social scientists, using existing data to answer global issues facing all three countries.

Research from a jointly funded project by the ESRC and Department for International Development has been instrumental in setting up a new international Task Force to promote fair wages in aid organisations.

Fifty years after legalisation, the UK’s betting shops are attracting a new type of customer. This widening appeal may have harmful consequences in terms of problem gambling, argues initial research findings funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC)

A survey of households across the UK taken at the height of the recession in 2009 show 67 per cent of people in full-time work were living comfortably or doing allright and that unemployed people were broadly optimistic about their future prospects.

The first findings from the world’s largest study of households are now published. With data on our working lives, relationships, health, finances and neighbourhoods the Understanding Society publication gives an early taste of the social landscape of the UK as the country fell into the deepest recession for 60 years.

The largest joint initiative between European funding agencies in social sciences, the Open Research Area Scheme, announces its successful grants. The scheme is a new way of funding for the ESRC, Agence Nationale de la Recherche, Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft and the Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research in international research.

A new report released today (Thursday 27 January) by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) provides a snapshot of what we know about our current economic situation and explores what can be learned by looking at evidence from economic and social research.

Management and business performance, rather than technological innovation, is the main focus for companies collaborating with universities, according to a major survey of businesses and research collaborations.

Professor Chris Pissarides of the London School of Economics has been awarded the Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel, jointly with Professors Peter Diamond and Dale Mortensen.

ESRC-funded researchers have devised a mathematical model to better understand drivers and fluctuations in the housing market.

New research, presented at a major international conference in London, demonstrates how inequality in education, skills and incomes reduces opportunity and undermines social cohesion. In education, for example, the social and ability mix of the school has a major impact on how well a child performs.

Staged on the Hebridean Isle of Lewis an event will see two school teams lock horns on the question 'Are people living in rural areas innovative?' in the Strathclyde University Innovation Debate. The event is part of the Economics and Social Research Council's (ESRC) Festival of Social Science (12-22 March).

The winner of the 2010 Michael Young Prize has been announced as Dr Ann Le Mare for her work on the impact of fair trade on the wellbeing of women, businesses and organisations in Bangladesh. This prestigious prize is awarded for excellence in the social sciences and is sponsored by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) and The Young Foundation.

Issues such as employee engagement and wellbeing will be the topic of a debate over tea and toast at the business breakfast seminar, staged by ConsultIWP.

Initial findings carried out under the ESRC's World Economy and Finance research programme which comes to a conclusion with a conference in London on 28 January 2010 - a paper presented warns against privatising the recently nationalised banks too soon.

The police service faces a host of new challenges but also opportunities in the wake of the 9/11 and 7/7 terrorism attacks and the global economic downturn.

With rising unemployment and fewer job vacancies, the current financial crisis has seen renewed policy emphasis in both Europe and the UK on volunteering as a route to employment, according to a new report from the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC.)

Greater government aid to overseas development charities does not discourage individual giving, according to new research funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC). Fears that increasing government grants would serve to 'crowd out' donations from individuals are unwarranted.

A partnership of outstanding international research organisations will support new economy research agency. The Department of Economic Development in Abu Dhabi (DED) is launching the Abu Dhabi Economics Research Agency (ADERA).

Working for the public sector is good for fertility, according to new Economic and Social Research Council funded research at the University of Oxford.

The Government's Skills for Life initiative has not significantly improved literacy or the economic performance of participating companies, despite what policymakers believe.

Children as young as 12 have a strong sense of their personal futures and can reflect thoughtfully on what life might hold for them, according to new research funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) and led by Professor Paul Croll of Reading University and Professor Gaynor Attwood of the University of the West of England.

Despite the recession, charities, social enterprises and voluntary organisations (the third sector) are still innovating, according to a publication out today from the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC).

Performance assessment schemes aimed at making local authorities into more effective organisations are having the desired effect, according to new research released by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC).