The Political Institute of Action Research (PIAR) is a student-run think tank and research organization that seeks to bring research and action together. We focus on issues that the students of the University of St Andrews are passionate about – whether that be on a local, regional, or international level. Through research on these issues, we seek to write unbiased policy recommendations that can be useful to relevant stakeholders.
PIAR was started by Svenja Schulz and Hayden Sirat after working on the Global Challenge Programme set out by the University of St Andrews. Hayden and Svenja developed a solution to the challenge “How can we achieve policies that are evidence-informed, in a timely and appropriate way to enable more effective responses to global crises?”, which involved a “local-to-global” mindset. PIAR is an extension of that mindset. We recognize that local issues can have a regional and global impact and that as students in Fife, we have a responsibility to give back to the local Scottish community. For this reason, our research tackles issues that impact both St Andrews students and all Scottish citizens.
PIAR is currently researching two topics: Affordable Housing and the Economic Inclusivity of Higher Education. Our research will focus on the university, town, county, and national level to develop policy recommendations on how to address these two topics. We do not have a set time frame for our research, as we would like to ensure that we do these issues justice.
At the end of our research process, we will write our recommendations and present them locally, regionally, and, hopefully, nationally. We seek to involve the government, relevant charities, Scottish citizens, and St Andrews students in the solutions we provide.
Our committee and team of research consultants are dedicated to the research and discourse that being a member of PIAR entails. As a new society in St Andrews, we are excited for the year ahead and the far-reaching possibilities our research and recommendations might accomplish!
If you are part of another student organization working on one of our issues, know of any other institutions that might be worthwhile reaching out to, or have some insight you would like to share, please reach out to us at [email protected]!