CECAN Fellowship: Operationalising social capital in complex systems for environmental policy evaluation and implementation
Defra’s Outcomes Framework sets out an ambition to deliver real world change, restoring nature, supporting growth and enhancing security, through outcomes focused, evidence led policy and delivery. The decisions about what interventions and policy levers are deployed to achieve these outcomes will provoke a range of responses, which are strongly influenced by the levels and types of social capital that Defra can draw upon within a given context, be this a sector, a community or the population in general.
Complexity presents a means to usefully operationalise social capital, particularly where policies depend on behavioural change, collaboration, or voluntary uptake, potentially increasing the ability of government to design proportionate, place-sensitive interventions. Interventions are often deployed into contexts where the relational conditions required for delivery are weak, uneven or unknown. This contributes to variation in outcomes across places and populations, and limits the effectiveness, resilience and scalability of Defra’s interventions. Ultimately, we want to move beyond concept and into practice – but social capital is a broad concept situated within the context of complex social and environmental systems. Addressing this challenge has the potential to strengthen Defra’s ability to translate policy intent into consistent, system level outcomes.
About Helen
Dr Helen Baxter is a Government Social Researcher with a multidisciplinary background spanning environmental engineering, social science and policy evaluation. She holds an MSc in Environmental Technology and a PhD in Engineering, where her research developed systems-based approaches to assessing remediation options for polluted water systems by integrating environmental, social and economic considerations.
Following her PhD, Helen worked on a multi-disciplinary circular economy NERC funded project, at the University of Hull, contributing to the development and evaluation of Resource Recovery and Remediation of Alkaline Wastes and exploring how environmental innovations interact with wider socio-economic systems. She subsequently joined the University of Glasgow as part of the National Centre for Resilience, where her research focused on community responses to natural hazards, resilience in complex systems, and climate change adaptation.
Helen later joined the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), where she has applied systems and social science approaches to environmental policy. She has worked on a diverse range of areas including behavioural change, trust and supporting collaboration to improve environmental outcomes. She currently leads the evaluation of the Natural Capital and Ecosystem Assessment (NCEA) programme and co-leads the Strategic Social Research Team within Defra’s Central Analysis and Insights Directorate.
