Professor Richard Simmons

Professor

Sociology, Social Policy & Criminology Colin Bell Building, University of Stirling, Stirling, FK9 4LA

Professor Richard Simmons

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About me

Richard Simmons is a Senior Lecturer in Social and Public Policy in the School of Applied Social Science. He has successfully managed numberous research projects, including major studies funded by three ESRC Programmes ‘Democracy and Participation' (£125 000: graded ‘outstanding'), ‘Cultures of Consumption' (£145 000: graded ‘good'), and ‘Non-Governmental Public Action' (£165 000: graded 'outstanding'). Richard has also been either fundholder or lead researcher on a number of further projects (combined value £250 000), including a further ESRC-funded project entitled "The Participation of Members in the Governance of Mutual Businesses" (graded ‘good'), a SRB-funded study of social enterprises in the West Midlands, and projects for the NHS, Care Inspectorate, Scottish Executive, National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts, Carnegie Foundation and National Consumer Council. His latest research,funded as part of a EUR 7M EU project, looks at the role and potential of co-operatives in Serbia, where he is currently engaged in work to help develop co-operative approaches. Richard has a national and international reputation in the governance and delivery of public services and the role of co-operative and mutual organisations. His expertise is in increasing demand from academic, government and practitioner audiences. He has published in a wide range of leading journals, such as Public Administration, Social Policy and Administration, Policy and Politics, Public Policy and Administration, Annals of Public and Co-operative Economics, Review of Social Economy, and Housing Studies. His latest book, The Consumer in Public Services, is published by the Policy Press. Richard's research interests include the role of mutuality in public and social policy, governance design, public service cultures, and user involvement and participation. He welcomes enquiries regarding PhD supervision in any of these areas. He is currently developing work on public service governance, enhancing the learning from public service complaints, digital governance and participation, the social impacts of community provision of high-speed broadband in rural areas, public-cooperative partnerships, networks and local economic development, and a measurement tool for member engagement and loyalty in co-operative and mutual organisations.

Research (4)

local economic development; public service cultures; role of mutuality in public and social policy; governance design; user involvement and participation; member engagement and loyalty in co-operatives

Projects

Optimising Procurement Outcomes for Covid-19 and Beyond: Lessons from the Crisis
PI: Professor Richard Simmons
Funded by: UK Research and Innovation

Strength2Food Secondment
PI: Professor Richard Simmons
Funded by: European Training Academy

Technical Support on anti-corruption in Greece
PI: Professor Richard Simmons
Funded by: Queen Margaret College

Comparative Funding (NGPA Programme).
PI: Professor Richard Simmons
Funded by: Economic and Social Research Council

Outputs (38)

Outputs

Other

Gunasinghe NPAS & Simmons R (2020) Minimising risks to the researcher in post-war zones. SAGE Advance [Preprint] 03.02.2020. https://advance.sagepub.com/articles/preprint/Minimising_risks_to_the_researcher_in_post-war_zones/11777880


Book Chapter

Simmons R & Nikolic M (2016) Credit Co-operatives in Serbia: Retrospect and Prospect. In: Karafolas S (ed.) Credit Cooperative Institutions in European Countries. Contributions to Economics. Dordrecht: Springer, pp. 379-404. http://www.springer.com/gb/book/9783319287836; https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-28784-3_21


Edited Book

Brown L, Carini C, Gordon Nembhard J, Ketilson LH, Hicks E, McNamara J, Novkovic S, Rixon D & Simmons R (eds.) (2015) Co-operatives for Sustainable Communities. Ottawa: Co-operatives and Mutuals Canada. http://www.cooperativedifference.coop/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/CoopsforSustainableCommunities1.pdf


Book Chapter

Simmons R (2015) Measuring Member Engagement: Building a Model of Change. In: Brown L, Carini C, Gordon-Nembhard J, Hammond-Ketilson L, Hicks E, McNamara J, Novkovic S, Rixon D & Simmons R (eds.) Co-operatives for Sustainable Communities. Ottawa: Co-operatives and Mutuals Canada, pp. 239-265. http://www.cooperativedifference.coop/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/CoopsforSustainableCommunities1.pdf


Book Chapter

Simmons R, Yuill B & Booth J (2015) Governing Resilient Co-operatives: Agricultural Co-operatives in Scotland. In: Novkovic S & Miner K (eds.) Co-operative Governance Fit to Build Resilience in the Face of Complexity. Brussels: International Co-operative Alliance, pp. 35-48. http://www.ica-ap.coop/sites/ica-ap.coop/files/ICA%20GOVERNANCE%20PAPER%20-%20EN.pdf


Book Chapter

Birchall J & Simmons R (2013) The Role and Potential of Co-operatives in the Poverty Reduction Process. In: Howell J (ed.) Non-governmental public action and social justice. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan, pp. 86-111. http://us.macmillan.com/nongovernmentalpublicactionandsocialjustice/JudeHowell


Edited Book

Simmons R, Powell M & Greener I (eds.) (2009) The Consumer in Public Services. Bristol: The Policy Press. http://www.policypress.co.uk/display.asp?k=9781847421807


Book Chapter

Simmons R (2009) Understanding The 'Differentiated Consumer' in Public Services. In: Simmons R, Powell M & Greener I (eds.) The consumer in public services: Choice, values and difference. Bristol: The Policy Press, pp. 57-76. http://www.policypress.co.uk/display.asp?k=9781847421807


Book Chapter

Birchall J & Simmons R (2009) The public service consumer as member. In: Simmons R, Powell M & Greener I (eds.) The Consumer in Public Services: Choice, Values and Difference. Bristol: The Policy Press, pp. 235-254. http://www.policypress.co.uk/display.asp?k=9781847421807


Book Review

Simmons R (2008) Beyond Delivery: Policy implementations as sense-making and settlement. Review of: Beyond Delivery: Policy Implementations as Sense-Making and Settlement. Edward Peck, Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan. pp. 237. 1403996067. Journal of Social Policy, 37 (4), pp. 723-725.


Book Review

Simmons R (2008) Managing Networks of Twenty-First Century Organisations. Review of: Managing Networks of Twenty-First Century Organisations. N. Goodwin, E. Peck, and T. Freeman Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan. (2006), pp.309. 978-1403996091. Journal of Social Policy, 37 (4), pp. 723-725.


Research Report

Simmons R, Birchall J & Prout A (2007) Our Say: User Voice and Public Service Culture. National Consumer Council. http://www.consumerfutures.org.uk/wpfb-file/our-say-user-voice-and-public-service-culture-2007-pdf


Book Review

Simmons R (2007) The new individualism: The emotional costs of globalization. Review of: The New Individualism: The Emotional Costs of Globalization. Elliott, A. and Lemert, C. London: Routledge, (2005) 218pp, ISBN 0-415-56069-1. Journal of Social Policy, 36 (3), pp. 497-499. https://doi.org/10.1017/S004727940721102X


Book Chapter

Prout A, Simmons R & Birchall J (2006) Reconnecting and extending the research agenda on children’s participation: mutual incentives and the participation chain. In: Tisdall E, Davis J, Hill M & Prout A (eds.) Children, Young People and Social Inclusion: Participation for what?. Bristol: Policy Press, pp. 75-104. http://www.policypress.co.uk/display.asp?k=9781861346629


Book Chapter

Birchall J & Simmons R (2001) Member participation in mutuals: a theoretical model. In: Birchall J (ed.) The New Mutualism in Public Policy. Routledge Studies in Business Organizations and Networks, 15. London: Routledge, pp. 202-225. http://www.routledge.com/books/details/9780415241304/