Research Proposal: Provide a research proposal clearly describing
– the research question(s) you wish to investigate including an explanation of why the proposed research area is likely to lead to high quality research outcomes
– the methodology i.e. how you propose to research it
the research context, in which you should explain how your proposed PhD research area or topic relates to other work in the field
– the purpose and originality of your research i.e. how you think your project might contribute to understanding of your subject.
-As part of their research proposal, applicants are asked to prepare a fully justified research design section that outlines proposed methods of data collection to capture lay participants’ lived experience of these processes.
– You will also need to include a proposed timeline of your research and a bibliography or reference list.
(see below for more needed info)
Project Proposal Summary to base research proposal on:
There is an increasing recognition that the world is facing a climate emergency. This issue is never far from news headlines and has prompted a global surge in environmental activism (Fisher 2019; Wahlström et al. 2019). Responding to these protests, many national governments have been conspicuously eager to engage with activists like Greta Thunberg to set targets to reduce carbon emissions. Additionally, such protests have also transformed international conversations at important United Nations climate negotiations in the run-up to the 2021 COP26 Climate Conference (Henn, Sloam and Nunes 2021).
Although such climate-focused citizen/elite engagement is evident at national and international levels, there is an absence of empirical evidence of local level interactions between individual citizens and powerholders. The primary purpose of this proposed research is to deliver an ‘impact’ project that will be co-produced with GB local authorities that strengthens citizens’ role in designing local policies to combat climate change. It will build on recent research conducted by the lead supervisor (the ‘Director of Studies’) that considers how to engage citizens in local policymaking concerning climate change so that they feel they have influence over the policy process and become part of the solution to the climate crisis (Henn and Arya 2021).
The project aims are to:
– impact research on the engagement of citizens as co-producers of local climate policy and response;
– develop a research collaboration with selected GB local authorities on policies aimed at achieving an inclusive carbon neutrality target;
– design a model (toolkit) of citizen engagement in local climate policy/carbon neutrality which can be adapted to and promoted in other localities.
