A research project led by Professor David Smith at the University of Glasgow focused on the concept of non-territorial cultural autonomy for national minorities, which was first devised by socialist politicians in the late Austro-Hungarian Empire and later implemented in the independent Baltic Republics of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania during the 1920s.
Impacts included:
• Feeding into public policy on the role of minorities and multiculturalism.
• Providing expert knowledge in the drafting of laws on cultural autonomy to the governments of Romania and Armenia.
• Furthering understanding in international relations and policy.
Through this research project, Professor Smith was invited by the Romanian government to give a briefing on cultural autonomy for minorities. The invitation was issued via the European Centre for Minority Issues, and led to the Romanian government preparing a draft law on cultural autonomy that went before parliament. It did not pass into law, but it did help to shape the debate around minorities in Romania. The research has also fed into a draft law in Armenia. In addition, the research team participated in a roundtable organised by the New Security Foundation in 2008, which was in part concerned with discussing the possible relevance of cultural autonomy to a UK context.
The project also led to a joint seminar in 2007 with the Venice Commission, an advisory body on constitutional law set up within the Council of Europe. This seminar on the participation of minorities in public life was hosted by the Republic of Croatia in Zagreb. Subsequently, a member of the Venice Commission’s Secretariat stated that the seminar ‘succeeded in building a meaningful link between historical issues around cultural autonomy in Eastern Europe and today’s wider challenges faced by most European States, which have the duty under international law to create conditions ensuring a real participation in decision-making processes for various minority groups’.
This historically-based study illuminated broader debates on the political management of multiculturalism. It also brought to light an overlooked contribution to debates on European unity from Central and Eastern Europe, which has even more relevance now that the current economic crisis is putting increasing strains on the cohesion of the recently enlarged European Union.
Further details:
http://www.gla.ac.uk/departments/centralandeasteuropeanstudies/balticunit/
Further information:
These short overviews have been produced as an aid to understanding some of the impacts arising from arts and humanities research. The examples are taken from existing AHRC projects, ranging from small awards up to large Research Grants and Centres. They are not exhaustive; impact from research takes many forms. It can occur at any stage of the research process, from its beginning to well after the research itself has finished.
The Research Councils define impact as the demonstrable contribution that excellent research makes to society and the economy. This definition accords with the Royal Charters of the Councils and with HM Treasury guidance on the appraisal of economic impact. Impact embraces all the extremely diverse ways in which research-related knowledge and skills benefit individuals, organisations and nations by:
• fostering global economic performance, and specifically the economic competitiveness of the United Kingdom
• increasing the effectiveness of public services and policy, and
• enhancing quality of life, health and creative output
These case studies offer some, but in no way all, of the diversity and variety of those impacts. They are not, however, intended as guidance on completing the Impact Requirements sections on proposals, for which you should refer to the Je-S guidance for Standard Grant proposals and Fellowship proposals.
It should also be remembered that the impacts described here will not necessarily be replicated by undertaking the same activities. The pathways to impact are as diverse and varied as the impacts themselves. These examples can, however, provide some illustration of what can be achieved.