Overview
Measuring social value and assessing social impact remains one of the most controversial and challenging topics in this space (Raiden et al, 2019). Thus, it is an imperative that we continually and critically examine and reflect on how numbers are produced and used (or misused) by policy-makers, practitioners and/or researchers. Management thinking is often dominated by quantitative metrics and rankings – how useful is this? What are the key challenges in moving away from such a focus on numbers? Does the current problem with ‘fake news’ and mistrust in experts (and the stats they produce) allow us to open up discussion and debate about qualitative ways of considering impact?
References
Bridgeman, J, Murdock, A, Maple, P, Townley, C and Graham, J (2015) Putting a value on young people’s journey into construction: Introducing SROI at Construction Youth Trust . In: Raiden, A (Ed.) and Aboagye-Nimo, E (Ed.), Proceedings 31st Annual ARCOM Conference, 7-9 September 2015, Lincoln, UK. Association of Researchers in Construction Management, 207-216.
Denny-Smith, G and Loosemore, M (2018) Cultural Counterfactuals: Assessing the Impact of Indigenous Social Procurement in Australia. In: Gorse, C (Ed.) and Neilson, C J (Ed.), Proceedings 34th Annual ARCOM Conference, 3-5 September 2018, Queen’s University, Belfast, UK. Association of Researchers in Construction Management, 435-444.
Nicholls, J., Lawlor, E., Neitzert, E., and Goodspeed, T. (2012) A Guide to Social Return on Investment. Social Value UK: Liverpool, UK.
Pritchard, D., NI Ógáin, E., and Lumley, T. (2013) Making an Impact. National Philanthropy Foundation: London.
Raiden, A.B., Loosemore, M., King, A. and Gorse, C. (2019) Social Value in Construction, Abingdon: Taylor and Francis.
Watson, K J and Whitley, T (2017) Applying social return on investment to the built environment. Building Research & Information, 45(08), 875-91.
Supervisor
Staff profiles
Entry qualifications
An applicant for admission to read for a PhD should normally hold a first or upper second class honours degree of a UK university or an equivalent qualification, or a lower second class honours degree with a Master's degree at Merit level of a UK university or an equivalent qualification.
International students will also need to meet the English language requirements - IELTS 6.5 (with minimum sub-scores of 6.0). Applicants who have taken a higher degree at a UK university are normally exempt from the English language requirements. A research proposal (between 1,000 and a maximum of 2,000 words) must be submitted as part of the application.
For more information please visit the NTU Doctoral School – Research Degrees webpages.
How to apply
Applications are accepted all year round.
Download an application form here.
Please make sure you take a look at our application guidance notes before making your application.
Further information on how to apply can be found on this page.
Fees and funding
This is a self-funded PhD opportunity.
Guidance and support
Further information on guidance and support can be found on this page.
