Prosperity & Resilience
What are the institutions and practices that help people and society to prosper? How do they help us build resilience against economic, social, political or environmental shocks? Research in our Prosperity & Resilience theme addresses these key questions and spans a host of challenges facing modern society. These include four beacon research areas: housing and cities, UN and global order, climate policy and justice, and inequality. Our researchers work with many external partners, including schools, businesses, government and NGOs, and across boundaries to respond to pressing social problems.
US and Reading teacher educators have joined forces with UK multilingual primary schools to improve teaching for children whose home languages are not English. By coaching teachers to talk less,...Read More >
Teaching specialists have teamed up with the Royal Berkshire Hospital (RBH) to create a unique Healthcare Education programme for all staff who teach: doctors, nurses, allied health professionals and pharmacists....Read More >
A fresh, evidence-based take on police diversity and inclusion training is tackling prejudice at its root, exploring what motivates staff to change their views and prompting open conversations and understanding....Read More >
Henley Business School research on how the pandemic has changed uptake of the four-day working week has reached around 82.5 million people through a hugely successful media campaign, establishing Reading...Read More >
By working with public policymakers in the Indian city of Kochi, researchers at Reading are improving access to affordable housing for the city’s migrant workers. Kochi is the most densely...Read More >
An artificial intelligence (AI) system developed by a team of Reading researchers is being used by the NHS to tackle health inequalities by reducing the number of missed hospital appointments....Read More >
Reading researchers are working with local communities and artists to reveal and celebrate the heritage of one of the town’s most diverse and multicultural streets. With more than 70 languages...Read More >
An approach developed at the University of Reading is being used by international peacekeeping organisations to facilitate the protection and safeguarding of children in conflict and crisis zones around the...Read More >
An approach developed by a team of researchers at the University of Reading is being used to help farmers in the developing world adapt to and cope with climate change....Read More >
Research from the Henley Business School is being applied to help government departments in the UK to communicate more effectively and more efficiently. Whether it’s convincing people to do something...Read More >
In resource-rich emerging economies, local content policy could offer a mechanism for governments to drive long-term, sustainable development across the whole economy. Research at Henley Business School, University of Reading,…Read More >
The role of company secretary is often undervalued and misunderstood. But this has begun to change in recent years, thanks to research at the Henley Business School, University of Reading,...Read More >
Research at the University of Reading has led to important changes in planning policy and practice, preventing housing developers from ‘gaming the system’ to increase their own profits at the...Read More >
Research from the University of Reading is being used to assess and improve property market valuations, to avoid a repeat of the cycle of over-lending on commercial real estate that...Read More >
Research from the University of Reading is being used to create a fairer, more consistent and transparent system for assessing healthcare funding requests. As we know, demand for healthcare exceeds…Read More >
Researchers at the University of Reading have developed a new model to improve the design and sustainability of buildings in China, with a view to optimising ambient temperature control while...Read More >
By influencing national neighbourhood planning policy and informing best practice, research from the University of Reading is facilitating the involvement of citizens in the development of their own communities. Neighbourhood…Read More >
Research by the University of Reading is helping to tackle the rise in European political extremism, by revealing the dangers hidden within the seemingly benign nationalistic rhetoric of far-right parties....Read More >
By informing the correction of a legal rule that had been misinterpreted by courts for over 30 years, research conducted at the University of Reading is profoundly affecting the application…Read More >
Research at the University of Reading is being used to promote human rights and to prevent abuses of power in some of the world’s most controversial military operations. For as…Read More >
By helping teachers to understand how different children learn to read, researchers at the University of Reading are equipping them to better meet the needs of their pupils – including...Read More >
By helping teachers make modern foreign language education more interesting, enjoyable and effective for their students, research from the University of Reading is improving classroom practice and learning outcomes in…Read More >
Research from the University of Reading is being used by policymakers to help tackle the housing crisis and to expand access to the UK property market. Housing unaffordability is a...Read More >
A new digital healthcare tool, developed at the University of Reading using artificial intelligence technology, is being used to inform hospital practice and improve patient experience for a large and…Read More >
By informing the policies that enable countries to successfully balance their own sustainable development needs with an increasing demand for foreign investment, research from Henley Business School at the University...Read More >
A tool developed by researchers at Henley Business School, the University of Reading using principles from social and behavioural psychology is helping organisations to meet their goals, by informing and...Read More >
A tool developed by researchers at the University of Reading’s Henley Business School is transforming investment outcomes, by employing psychological principles to enable independent financial advisors to assess their clients’...Read More >
Research by the University of Reading has been instrumental in the development of a new UK policy framework for building stability in fragile and conflict-affected states. With the steady rise...Read More >
Neil Crosby’s work with colleagues in the Department of Real Estate and Planning has raised UK and international standards in property valuation. It has influenced global monetary policy towards improving…Read More >
Missed appointments cost the NHS millions every year. Weizi Li and her team developed a computer model to predict which patients might miss their next check up, prompting a reminder….Read More >
Marvellous Mums has brought together researchers and community partners to support disadvantaged women from local communities to recognise their own skills and strengths. Armed with new confidence and aspirations, many…Read More >
Dr Natthapoj Vincent Trakulphadetkrai’s ‘Maths Through Stories’ initiative has made it easier for teachers and parents worldwide to harness the power of storytelling to make maths learning more accessible and…Read More >
For patients who are chronically or terminally ill, access to ‘last chance’ treatments can seem like a lottery. Professor Newdick’s advice as member of an independent inquiry committee has helped…Read More >
The ‘Marvellous Mums, Marvellous Me’ programme supports local, less socially advantaged women, many of whom have been out of work for some time. It’s building women’s confidence and self-esteem and…Read More >
Children in conflict zones are safer thanks to robust guidelines developed by Professor Rosa Freedman in partnership with the specialist organisation, Keeping Children Safe. The guidelines are transforming the way…Read More >
How can we ensure the cities and towns where our children will live in 30 years’ time are fit for purpose? In 2013 Professor Tim Dixon, in collaboration with local…Read More >
Reading, like many towns, appears prosperous, but some communities at its heart live with a legacy of social inequality. Since 2014, Dr Sally Lloyd-Evans has worked alongside residents in Whitley…Read More >
Successive governments have struggled to meet the demand for new homes in the UK. While developers need to build more homes overall, they are also required to deliver affordable housing…Read More >
For the former UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, the death penalty is a “cruel punishment [that] has no place in the 21st century.” By April 2017, more than two-thirds of the…Read More >
In 2012, Whitley in South Reading secured £1 million Big Local National Lottery Funding for community development over 10 years, as part of a national initiative that would benefit 150…Read More >
Around the world, central banks continue to wrestle with the aftershocks of the global financial crisis of 2007–08. Crashes in property markets were isolated as a major cause and Professor…Read More >
Some projects are discrete, lasting a finite amount of time. Others are a work in progress. In the latter category is the continuing work of Dr Helen Bilton to promote…Read More >
In 2018 Professor Rosa Freedman launched a safeguarding toolkit in partnership with the NGO Keeping Children Safe.
The work of Professor Hilary Footitt, from the Department of Languages and Cultures, has highlighted the need for the military to see foreign languages as a vital part of their operation...Read More >
Suzanne Graham is exploring how the use of literature and different teaching approaches influences second language learning.
Professor Gavin Parker’s research focuses on developing practical tools to support community Neighbourhood Planning Groups.