The prize for Outstanding International Impact went to Dr Jane Dyson from the University of Oxford. Dr Dyson’s research focuses on young people, education and unemployment in north India.
The Economic and Social Research Council recently held the award ceremony for its third Celebrating Impact Prize
The prize is an annual opportunity to reward and recognise outstanding economic or societal impact of ESRC-funded researchers.
The prize for Outstanding International Impactwent to Dr Jane Dyson from the University of Oxford. Dr Dyson’s research focuses on young people, education and unemployment in north India.
Dr Dyson tried to find different ways to engage people with her academic work. She created the documentary film, Lifelines, which tells the story of social change in modern day India from one man’s personal perspective.
Dr Dyson commented, “Communicating our findings through the usual academic channels has only limited impact. A short 15 minute film, focusing on the life of a single young man, brings the issues to a broader audience.”
The second prize winner for the International Impact category was Professor Ian Scoones. Based on 15-years studying rural livelihoods in Zimbabwe, Professor Scoones and his team have effectively changed understandings of the impact of the 2000 land reform, enabling policy changes both regionally and internationally.
In last year’s Celebrating Impact Prize, the award for Outstand International Impact went to the Oxford Poverty and Human Development Index, for their method of measuring multidimensional poverty. Their work has helped governments and organisations around the world to design more effective poverty-reduction programmes.
For more information on the awards ceremony see the ESRC press release.
See the full list of Impact Prize winners and videos of their work on the ESRC website.
Applications for the ESRC Celebrating Impact Prize 2016 will open in autumn 2015.