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Prosperity & Resilience research theme

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? These are the key questions addressed by the University of Reading’s Prosperity and Resilience research theme. 

We work across boundaries and along with partners to respond to pressing social problems.

Our research

Our research spans a host of challenges facing modern society. This includes a focus on the following research areas:

  • Housing and Cities: Homes are crucial to all people; yet housing is in short supply even in richer countries. We explore the issue of housing and cities from the perspective of building design and construction, urban planning, real estate, and the economics of supply and demand, in order to help solve housing crises in the UK and globally.
  • UN and Global Order: The United Nations was established to promote peace and security around the world. Yet critics say it is ineffective and its complex agencies and methods are hard to negotiate. Through the UN and Global Order Programme, Reading researchers explore the UN and other international groups, acting as investigator, guide and interpreter for other key players.
  • Climate Policy and Justice: The science of climate change is more certain than ever. As the world begins to look for solutions, issues of ethics, law and justice surface regularly. The Reading Centre for Climate and Justice is a platform for research that puts justice at the centre of our response to climate change.
  • Inequality: While prosperity is rising, so too are gaps between the richest and poorest members of society. Researchers at Reading are exploring causes and consequences of inequality at different scales and in different areas. They seek to identify issues and propose policies that can reduce the social damage that inequality can cause.
 
The Equity Effect. A report from Henley Business School.A car squashed underneath a wooden house.

research highlights

Landmark legal case provides hope for indigenous people around the world displaced by climate change

A PhD researcher at the University of Reading’s Centre for Climate and Justice has been part of a team of experts advising an indigenous group in Colombia on their lawsuit that could provide an important precedent in bringing a climate justice case against a national government.

New UKRI funded project first to build full picture of how primary school children learn foreign languages

Dr Rowena Kasprowicz from the Institute of Education has been awarded a prestigious UKRI Future Leaders Fellowship to explore how seven- to 11-year-olds develop language knowledge in the school environment.

Better understanding of how climate change impacts real estate values needed

A new report from the UN, Henley Business School and Schulich School of Business has found there is a lack of information and understanding about how physical climate risk – which is fundamental and critical to all real estate investors - could affect property values in the long-term.

Security and armed conflict experts become visiting professors

Two leading law academics with expertise in security and armed conflict are joining the University of Reading Law School as visiting professors. Professors James Kraska and Sean Watts will bring their extensive experience to boost the University of Reading's collaborative work on international law, joining experts including Professor Michael Schmitt.

New research explores racial equity in UK businesses

Henley Business School has published ‘The Equity Effect’, a new report on the impact of diversity and inclusion in UK businesses. It revealed that businesses which actively confront inequity and racism with practical measures, can expect to see an improvement in their employees’ job satisfaction, loyalty, creativity and, ultimately, value, recording an average revenue 58% higher across three years than those which did not.

Blood testing and digital technologies to address community health and care challenges

Dr Weizi (Vicky) Li is leading a new £1 million research network project into blood testing and digital technologies, to help address challenges in community health and care. The project, titled 'Future blood testing for inclusive monitoring and personalised analytics Network+', is majority funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC).

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Research Institutes and Centres

There several research Institutes, Centres and Graduate Centres within the University of Reading’s Prosperity & Resilience research theme. They are:

Interdisciplinary Research Centres

Centres

Graduate Centres

Working Together

Our researchers work with many external partners, including schools, businesses, NGOs and government.

The University is working with the UK Ministry of Defence to help train new Army officers and conduct research through the Defence Partnership Programme.

Henley Business School has a number of research centres working with corporate partners on shared research agendas. See a full list of the Henley Business School Research Centres.

Our education research has led to work with the UK Department for Education. For example, following a major project on teaching and learning of languages, we won funding to deliver training to school languages teachers to support the introduction of the new National Curriculum.

Postgraduate Research Opportunities

Study for a PhD and carry out original postgraduate research within the Prosperity and Resilience theme.

Visit the Doctoral and Researcher College website for more information.

There are funded opportunities for PhD study in business and social sciences at Reading.

Our Leverhulme Trust Doctoral Programme in Climate Justice is a major five-year programme offering 15 interdisciplinary doctoral scholarships.

We are also part of the South East Network for Social Sciences (SeNSS).

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