Newcastle Institute for Social Renewal
What do we mean by ‘social renewal’?
Social renewal, as we conceive it, is about responding to the question: how can societies and communities (local, regional, national and international) thrive when faced with rapid, transformational change?
Social change has, of course, always been present and has often been radical. But the need for societies to renew themselves arising from the sheer pace and globally interdependent nature of change has in recent times reached a new crescendo. Increasingly, social change has differential consequences for individuals, organizations and communities, increasing inequalities in:
- income
- wealth
- education
- health
- opportunity
We are witnessing a nation struggling to keep up with the pace of global economic change and within that nation considerable variation in economic and social resilience, which can be traced back to the long decline in post-war Britain in manufacturing and mining. There is plain need for economic and social regeneration and for the hardest hit communities to become more fully engaged in the process. Increased entrepreneurial activity is one part of the solution, but in this there are commensurate challenges.
The Institute draws together current research based around seven main themes: Leadership, Citizenship and Governance; Entrepreneurship, Creativity and Innovation; Heritage and Culture; Identity, Diversity and Inclusion; People, Place and Community; Digital Innovation and Wellbeing and Resilience. This represents the very broad range of activity that takes place in academic schools across the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences here at Newcastle University.