Lecturer in Public and Social Policy, Faculty of Social Sciences
Pauline joined the School in September 2009, after 6 years at the University of Birmingham. Prior to that she worked in the research team at the National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO), and as a consumer scientist at the Leatherhead Food Research Association. Her PhD at the University of Reading was in Psychology, studying changes in eating behaviour and mood across the menstrual cycle, and her Masters degree was in Human Nutrition at the University of Wageningen, the Netherlands. Although this may look like an odd collection of training and jobs, the connection between all of these is social research methods. Starting out with a strong emphasis on quantitative methods, Pauline has gradually developed her interest and skills in qualitative approaches. Her interest in Public Policy developed as she was working at NCVO and saw the policy making process in action. Her appointment at the University of Birmingham was her first venture into working in academia, and she is very happy to be continuing her career in Nottingham.
Pauline's main teaching involvement is with the Masters programmes of Public Administration and Public Policy, where she teaches Leadership, Strategy and Performance, and Public Management and… read more
In line with her diverse working life Pauline's research has taken many different turns, such as patterns of hunger and satiety, the development of taste preferences in teenagers, motivations and… read more
Pauline's main teaching involvement is with the Masters programmes of Public Administration and Public Policy, where she teaches Leadership, Strategy and Performance, and Public Management and Governance. As she cut her teeth on teaching undergraduate students in public policy, management and governance in Birmingham, she is very happy to keep her hand in with undergraduate teaching and the fascinating world of young people developing their interests and insights.
Throughout her teaching career she has been involved with the teaching of all aspects of research methods, reflecting her own experience and skills. One of the rewards of these efforts is to see students develop their own ideas and understanding through supervising dissertations. With the increasing participation of international students the topics range from leadership in local government in Nigeria, to health care policies in China, and the policy influence of animal rights activists in continental Europe. Closer to home there are clinical leadership in the NHS and the consequences of private sector involvement in public service delivery as the focus of student research.
Working with PhD students takes supervision and teaching to a different level these can be the start of successful academic careers or stepping stones into responsible positions in the public sector.
In line with her diverse working life Pauline's research has taken many different turns, such as patterns of hunger and satiety, the development of taste preferences in teenagers, motivations and patterns of charitable giving behaviour, and the effects of introducing the national minimum wage on voluntary sector organisations. More recently, her research has focused on the improvement of performance in public sector organisations that have gone through a period of poor performance. This includes gauging the experience and insights from a wide range of stakeholders, such as senior civil servants, local councillors, managers and front line staff in local authorities, and a variety of organisations that work in partnership to deliver public services. The most fascinating aspect of this is to hear how different people perceive events and situations, and how different backgrounds and positions provide people with different points of view.
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