Leicester Castle Business School research centres and institutes
High quality, internationally recognised research is at the heart of LCBS. We work with academic, policy and practice partners across the globe to produce impactful research that addresses the global challenges we face.
Our research centres and institutes are focused on specialised areas of expertise – for example the world’s first Centre for Urban Research on Austerity delivering policy impact and excellent research outputs, our People Organisations and Work Institute supporting researchers to answer the questions on the world of work in the future, our Local Governance Research Centre is needed now more than ever in this VUCA world to seek clarity through impactful research with policy makers, practitioners, councillors and community members to address sustainable development goal challenges on social exclusion and poverty, housing and health.
Leading economics researchers undertake involved experimental method approaches in our Institute of Applied Economics and Social Value, and there are many work-streams as part of the Centre for Enterprise and Innovation working internationally to boost inclusive productivity and growth, for example in the African Entrepreneurship Group working in the global south on ameliorating the grand challenges in some of the most economically and socially excluded parts of the world.
Our finance and accounting researchers produce high quality international research articles as part of the Finance and Banking Research Centre, but they are also involved in cutting-edge inter-disciplinary research, such as through the Centre for Research in Accountability Governance and Sustainability, which speaks directly to UN Sustainable Development Goal 16 and reaches across from LCBS into may other areas of life explored in research across the University.
We pride ourselves on impactful research, working with communities and incorporating co-production methods in many projects. LCBS is known its recruitment of early career researchers, the future leaders of innovative research to help solve the global problems and challenges we see emerging. We have a mentoring approach and provide support, where possible, to nurture the development of ideas for the successful grant fund bids of tomorrow.
We take a responsible approach to research metrics to measure our quality, recognising that research does not belong just to the academy, but stretching beyond traditional citation amongst researchers, to social value impact felt in our communities, reported to us in the stories and narratives of people who work with our researchers in our city, our county, our country and our world. Research informs all that we do.
The Centre for Enterprise and Innovation
The Centre for Enterprise and Innovation (CEI) is a new research centre within Leicester Castle Business School at Æß²ÊÖ±²¥. Its purpose is to produce and share knowledge to advance transformative social value through entrepreneurship and innovation.
CEI aspires to become a leading centre of research excellence in the field of entrepreneurship and innovation. Working at the intersection of theory, policy and practice, we are developing a global reputation, innovative approach, and demonstrating impact through research in many aspects of entrepreneurship and innovation.
Our aim is to become an Open Knowledge Network: open to members, partners and co-researchers who share our values, and who work together, in and beyond the University, locally, nationally and internationally. This involves developing strong external connections with regional, national and international enterprise research in universities, economic development, business and other networks.
Our philosophy of intercultural entrepreneurship reflects the diversity of the city of Leicester as well as our students and staff. This builds on foundations of international, intersectional and ethnic minority research. We have a shared belief that intercultural entrepreneurship is an essential dimension for inclusive economic, social, and educational growth and development in civil society worldwide.
Finance and Banking Research Centre
The Finance and Banking Research Centre (FiBRe) is an academic centre which brings together finance and banking researchers to engage in cutting-edge research combining academic rigour with practice and policy relevance. FiBRe’s strategy is to develop a distinctive international profile through links with industry and policymakers; produce high quality research outputs; train the next generation of researchers, and prepare them for success in their chosen careers.
The broad academic backgrounds of our staff span specialisms including: corporate finance; corporate governance; banking and international investments. Specifically, we offer research opportunities in areas including mergers and acquisitions; capital structure decisions; assets pricing; financial regulation; corporate risk management strategies; corporate governance mechanisms and firm performance; international investments; insider trading laws; and bank market power.
Others include: interbank lending; bank networks and macro issues such as monetary policy and sustainable development. Our members have strong track-records in their respective fields and published articles in top journals ranked as world-leading (ABS 4*) and internationally excellent (ABS 3*) by Association of Business Schools’ Academic Journal Guide.
Institute for Applied Economics and Social Value
The Institute for Applied Economics and Social Value is a research institute within Leicester Castle Business School at Æß²ÊÖ±²¥. Our overriding goal is to develop applied research that uses economic theory and methods to address important societal challenges. Institute members are actively pursuing cutting edge research on a range of issues including sustainable economic growth, political economy of international trade and economic relations, pro-social behaviour and the environmental consequences of tourism and firm innovation.
A distinguishing feature of the Institute is our cross-disciplinary outlook. With a focus on the issue that needs to be tackled, our work draws together people from across subject boundaries to work collaboratively on applied projects. The Institute also puts particular emphasis on the study of social value. To address societal challenges around issues such as health, education, poverty, housing and the environment it is essential to measure non-financial benefits and costs, including the effects on well-being and health. We aim to become a recognized centre of excellence in the valuation of social impact.
Members of the Institute have a strong track-record of publishing in leading economics and business peer-reviewed journals. We are also eager to engage with external partners from the private, public and third sector in order to drive transformative societal impact.
Local Governance Research Centre
The Local Governance Research Centre is an independent voice for robust and policy-relevant research on local political leadership, citizens, communities and place, and democratic governance, both in the UK and abroad. An internationally-recognised centre of excellence, our work investigates localism, place stewardship and the rescaling of local government; local democracy, voice and accountability; and collaboration and innovation in the delivery of public services, notably in housing and health. With established partnerships with government institutions, practitioner organisations and think tanks, our deeply-rooted ethos of engaged research meets the needs of practitioners and communities, advancing new forms of co-production and user engagement.
People, Organisations and Work Institute
The People, Organisations and Work Institute (POWI) is a research centre at Leicester Castle Business School, Æß²ÊÖ±²¥. The institute comprises academics working mainly in the fields of the sociology of work, employment relations and human resource management. There is a vibrant research culture, supported by a strong cohort of doctoral students.
The institute seeks to contribute to debates on the nature of contemporary work and employment as well as management and leadership within organisations, and explores their complex links with performance (broadly defined). Members are also interested in collective worker organisation.
Our members deliver research of recognised international quality, which is critical and theoretically informed, and strive to push forward the boundaries of current thinking. In doing so, our aim is to produce innovative research that is of relevance to business leaders, managers, workers, trade unions and policy makers, and which contributes to economic benefit and social value.