Ethics, Values and Policy Initiative

An initiative interested in ethics and values-based policy-making, located in the School of Global Affairs, Faculty of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences at Lancaster University.

Team
A group of students walking

Putting ethics and values at the heart of policy-making.

About EVPI

The question of ethics and values is crucial to policymaking, particularly in our increasingly connected, globalised and complex world. However, policymaking is often rooted in an evidence-based approach that can exclude issues of ethics and values. We must connect the evidence to ethics and values to confront the fundamental issues facing wider society.

This initiative is a research group at Lancaster University that brings together academic experts and policy actors to explore developing an ethics and values-based framework for evidence-based policy making.

Research Themes

The research group covers a variety of themes including but not limited to:

  • The Health theme covers values, ethical, legal and social issues that emerge in public health, biomedical research such as technological advances fundamentally change the possibilities for human reproduction, physical and mental health.

  • The Security theme covers a wide range of topics that examine the ethics and values of complex security challenges that affect people and societies, ranging from seapower and maritime security, AI-based and cyber security, migration laws, the blue economy as well as the changing nature of war, international politics, peace and diplomacy.

  • Equity and Justice covers a wide range of topics that uses a critical lens to examine the (re)production of social inequalities. Research in this theme explicitly focus on race and ethnicity, gender, political economy, policy studies and social movements.

  • The Faith and Heritage theme covers the study of religions and what this means for policy and politics. In particular, it highlights how histories, traditions and memories inspires, informs and influence and inspires public debate and policy both directly and indirectly. Topics include classical Sanskrit and some Middle Indic (Prakrit) sources, Christianity and Islamic studies.

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More about the EVPI

EVPI Featured Research

These are some of the publications from our board members on their past and current research relating to ethics, values, and policy-making.

Publications

Linked Projects

Join EVPI

Get in touch if you would like to join our database, partner with us, or suggest a research collaboration.

EVPI email address

EVPI Events

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Linked Organisations

EVPI News

Woman in a lab looking through a microscope

New report outlines ethical and policy considerations for lab-grown reproductive cells

Critical questions need addressing before any clinical use of in vitro gametogenesis (IVG), says a new report by a Lancaster University-based research project.
Image shows a large red and white ship against an white icy backdrop and blue seas

Lancaster Professor informs Government on climate change effects on maritime security

A report and toolkit, raising awareness and understanding of the cumulative effects of climate change on maritime (in)security, were recently presented across the whole-of-government at a seminar in London and a workshop at Lancaster University.

Image shows Professor Ram-Prasad in a blue shirt against a pebbled house wall backdrop

Distinguished Professor elected Vice-President of the British Academy

A Lancaster University Distinguished Professor has been elected to a highly prestigious role at the British Academy, the UK’s national academy for humanities and social sciences.
Scores of tiny fishing boats on a calm blue sea with the sun on the horizon

Researchers to champion ‘ocean justice’ at UN Conference

Lancaster University researchers, co-organising various activities with UN agencies, governments and NGOs at the UN Ocean Conference (UNOC) in Nice next month, will champion a fair and inclusive blue economy that promotes justice for all.

The montage shows a handful of the pamphlets from the Patten Collection: ‘How to Keep Well in Wartime’, ‘Our Wonderful Women’ and ‘Here Comes The Milk’.

Student’s surprise finding links to University Library’s VE Day exhibition

A Lancaster University student, keen to find out about a special collection held by the University’s Library, got a big surprise when it turned out the memorabilia had been amassed by his grandfather.
The new Faculty of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences’ Heads of School are (top row from left to right): Beatrice Szczepek Reed, Bryan Clark, Caron Gentry and Emma Rose. The new Deputy Heads of School are (bottom row left to right): Mark Knight, Chris Grover, Chris Macleod and Angus MacCulloch.

Four new schools to launch at Lancaster University

Lancaster University is launching four new schools this summer as part of moves to strengthen and streamline the arts, humanities and social sciences.

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Contact EVPI

Email evpi@lancaster.ac.uk to find out more about our work.