Research job: Scoping and Mapping Data relating to Administrative Justice

The United Kingdom Administrative Justice Institute (UKAJI) is seeking a researcher to undertake a scoping study of data relating to administrative justice held by central government. UKAJI is funded by the Nuffield Foundation to kickstart high-quality, empirically based research on administrative justice in the UK. More information on its activities can be found on its website at: www.ukaji.org

The overall purpose of the work is to improve knowledge of what information is kept relating to administrative justice, both to improve access to that information and to identify gaps. The research will include the following elements:

• Exploring whether helpful models exist for this type of data-scoping exercise;
• identifying data sets relating to tribunals; ombuds; internal reviews; and, where possible, complaints;
• drawing on existing research that uses data analysis, especially work that has ‘drilled down’ into existing data sets;
• identifying where data can be found and who ‘owns’ the data; what the individual purpose is for each existing data set; and what data characteristics are most commonly included/omitted from data sets;
• identifying gaps in existing information and issues associated with the consistency of data recording and potential problems such as the lack of read across between department data on initial decision-making and internal review with the official stats on tribunals and appeals;
• organising and presenting the information collected in the form of a report mapping the existence, location and gaps in data.

The work will be undertaken under the direction of Professor Vania Sena, Director of the ESRC Business and Local Government Research Centre, based at Essex University, and Professor Maurice Sunkin, who leads UKAJI, also based at Essex.

We anticipate that the researcher will be a post-doctoral or equivalently experienced researcher, perhaps with a legal or social science background. They will have an established interest in administrative justice, an awareness of the value of using quantitative data to assess the effectiveness of public administration and/or justice systems, and familiarity with administrative justice and central government in the UK.

The work would be best conducted on a half-time basis over a period of less than six months, although alternative arrangements may be possible. Pay up to £31,656 (pro rata).  For further information contact:  Maurice Sunkin by email at maurice.sunkin@essex.ac.uk.

Applications should be made to Sally Barrs (sbarrs@essex.ac.uk) by 5 pm on Monday 11 July with a cv, statement explaining your interest in the post and how you are qualified to undertake the work, and the names of two referees who are able to comment on your experience, the quality of your work, and your reliability.