Well designed and planned exercises are essential to ensure that the UK can respond effectively to emergencies of all kinds, according to research funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC).

The RCUK Global Uncertainties Programme is pleased to announce the start of the new £2.1 million Science and Security Programme.

The government and police efforts to tackle financial crime - from business fraud to tax evasion - are hampered by a lack of accurate data about the nature and extent of offending, according to new research.

Often refugees cannot just return to their home country when conflict ends. Research funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) shows that for many refugees a quick return isn't the right answer.

The Olympic and Paralympic Games are one of the most prestigious events in the world and in 2012 all eyes will be on London. The well published post - 2012 Games legacy includes world class sports facilities, a woodland park, new homes, shops and restaurants. What isn’t clear is what will happen to the high level security measures that will be left behind after the Games.

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.

The regulation of personal data varies hugely across countries and sectors, research funded by the ESRC reveals. Privacy regulations in the UK, the United States, Germany, and Sweden is highly dependent on local context and institutional arrangements in each country.

As public sector prisons move towards the thin staffing level model of profit-making institutions, with their high turnover of personnel who are less connected to their occupation, a study funded by the ESRC warns of a potentially detrimental impact on prison quality.

Urban conflict is nothing new in cities like Belfast, Jerusalem and major cities in the Middle East. An international conference at Queens’s University in Belfast explores how cities have been shaped by ethnic, religious and national conflicts.

Researchers at Oxford University will lead an interdisciplinary team of global experts in carrying out field studies and controlled experiments on exploring how ritual contributes to intergroup conflict and violence.