Research
A summary of my research interests
Research on this theme has led to a number of publications (journal articles and edited book) that detail theoretical developments on spatial and temporal frameworks to combining caring and working across the lifecourse (e.g., Sociology, 36, 4, 897-924 and Caringscapes Briefing Paper). The multi-faceted relationship between care and policies has also been addressed through work on social movements and notions of waste. With colleagues I have developed the concept of organisation carescapes. This, we argue, can aid the analysis and identification of planned 'routes' (policies and practices) of employing organisations and workers, how these transform and develop with shifts in national and supranational policies (for example, the introduction of disability rights legislation, and flexible working guidelines), and respond to changes in labour market competitiveness.
The framework of organisation carescapes has informed the development of a number of projects in the research programme, Organisations, Work and Care. Current projects include:
International collaborative work is on-going:
In 2005/6 there were two related ESRC Seminar Series of related interest: The Ethics of Care: Implications for Research, Policy and Practice (McKie, Bowlby, Hopkins, Hughes, Watson and Wilkinson) and Public Policy, Equality and Diversity in the Context of Devolution (Riddell, McKie, Arshad, Rees, Meehan and Lynch).
A research project on GPs Experiences and Perceptions of the Process of Disclosing Domestic Violence (Sociology of Health and Illness, 24, 3, 327-364) led to policy and practice development work on guidelines to support the process of disclosure in health care contexts. The book, Families, Violence and Social Change, Open University Press, was published in 2005.
While violence in families is no longer denied current polices, services and legislation offer opacity to the social meanings and practices of violence in families. In particular the gendered nature of much of this violence continues to be ignored in so far as the relationship between masculinities, families and violence are rarely interrogated.
Recent work has considered Gendered Policy and Policy on Gender: The Case of "Domestic Violence" with a co-authored paper (Hearn & McKie) published in 2008 in Policy and Politics, 36,1,75-91.
Jeff Hearn and I are co-ordinators of the virtual research network, GROVE: Global Research on Organisations, Violations and Everyday Life. Through this network we draw across our research on organisations, work and care, and violence and violation.
Development of resources on supporting the process of disclosing domestic violence in General Practice. Chaired multi-agency group. Resources piloted and subsequently circulated to all practices and Accident and Emergency departments in Scotland. Also see work on violation and organisations on www.grovenetwork.org.
I have worked as a sole evaluator, or as part of a team, to evaluate a range of social and health projects. This has built upon and developed skills in qualitative research and multi-method projects. Research and evaluation work has informed the development of The Evaluation Journey, a resource pack for those with no prior experience of research or evaluation (the Scottish Executive funded this development and the publication of 4,000 copies; www.ashscotland.org.uk. In 2005 work included a consideration of the feasibility of an evaluation service for small grant projects in Scotland. Theoretical work on evaluation has considered evaluation as a 'code of presentation' and the manner in which language, and the workings of evaluations, exclude many of those crucial to the running and sustainability of projects (see Evaluation, 9, 3, 307-324).
Running parallel to research work in and on evaluation I have been active in the founding and development of the charity Evaluation Support Scotland. Between 2003-5 I was part of the steering group that commissioned research on the the potential for a third sector organisation to support evaluation in communities and harmonise practices among funders. We negotiated with the Scottish Executive, Scottish Funders Forum and a range of organisations to achieve funds and support to establish ESS in 2005.
See also Third Sector work.
Prior to moving to Glasgow Caledonian University in 1999 I undertook sociological research in the Department of General Practice and Primary Care at the University of Aberdeen. Projects included the dietary beliefs and practices of older people, smoker's beliefs about the benefits of smoking, smoking cessation services in primary health care, and the process of disclosing domestic abuse in the context of primary healthcare.