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ERA is a digital repository of original research produced at The University of Edinburgh. The archive contains documents written by, or affiliated with, academic authors, or units, based at Edinburgh that have sufficient quality to be collected and preserved by the Library, but which are not controlled by commercial publishers. Holdings include full-text digital doctoral theses, masters dissertations, project reports, briefing papers and out-of-print materials.

Information on current research activity including staff, projects and publications is available via the Edinburgh Research Explorer.

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Recent Submissions

Time to Make a Change: Reimagining Peace Processes in a Fragmented World Summary and Reflections on the PeaceRep Final Conference
(2026) Berg, Liora; Byrne, Ava; de Carvalho, Nicholas; Guidino, Zoe; Nagpal, Samvit; Rose, Leah
The PeaceRep Final Conference Time to Make a Change: Reimagining Peace Processes in a Fragmented World, hosted by the University of Edinburgh on 12 March 2026, brought together research institutions, non‑governmental organisations, and local research teams partnering in the consortium. It offered space for a collective reflection on the conceptual, methodological, and empirical innovations the consortium has introduced over its life cycle; and how these have shaped thinking and practice. Most consortium partners are universities, where academic staff integrate our ongoing research on peace processes, mediation, and transitions into our teaching. At the University of St Andrews, we run an innovative Vertically Integrated Project (VIP) PeaceHub: Global Mediation Database. VIPs actively involve students in research projects led by an academic supervisor and bring together a mixed team of students from any level of study (hence the ‘vertical’ aspect). Students join from across the arts and sciences, bringing diverse backgrounds and skillsets. In the PeaceHub VIP, students work in small groups researching individual conflicts and learning methodological and technical skills to contribute to the Mediation Event and Negotiators Database (MEND). Through cross‑disciplinary work in small groups and collaboration with PeaceRep researchers and data engineers, the module fosters an interdisciplinary environment that strengthens knowledge exchange and builds student skills in data analysis, rapid reading, visualisation, presentation, reflection, and most importantly – teamwork. The PeaceRep Final Conference provided a valuable opportunity to connect VIP students with the wider PeaceRep community. Students participated in all the sessions, interacted with PeaceRep researchers, took notes, and prepared written summaries on the panels, which were circulated and reviewed by panel organisers and VIP supervisors. We also invited them to offer brief reflections on memorable moments from the conference to accompany the panel summaries. What follows are their summaries and reflections. For further reading on the conference themes, visit the PeaceRep website at www.peacerep.org to browse publications, key findings from thematic and geographic areas of research, and PeaceTech data and digital tools.
‘The Hospitality of Asylum’ Investigating the potential impacts on hotel workers of operating asylum hotels in the UK
(The University of Edinburgh. College of Humamities and Social Sciences, 2025) Kirkland, Amy; McGregor, Callum; Ward, Sarah
Of the many challenges faced by the UK hospitality industry over recent years, among the most divisive has been the rise in ‘asylum hotels’, and the polarising, abrasive debate surrounding their use. Quietly hidden and overlooked within this social justice debate is a group of people about whom there is little or no research in terms of the impact the rise of ‘asylum hotels’ has had on them – the hotel teams themselves. Subject to short notice changes to working conditions, a vastly reduced hotel team, and daily exposure to the stories and experiences of the asylum seekers living in the hotel, they find themselves in a work environment that is worlds apart from the one they knew before. Outside of work the relentless focus on asylum hotels in the media, conflicting opinions within communities, work peers, family and friends, mean that this new world is all-encompassing. Gaining rare and privileged access into a UK asylum hotel to undertake a qualitative research study has yielded rich insights into the experiences of the hotel team there. Underpinned by standpoint epistemology in order to amplify the marginalised voices of the hotel team, themes relating to their changing experiences of hospitality, the daily challenges faced, the ways in which their roles have become better and worse and the impacts on them professionally and personally throughout their time there were all discussed. What emerged from the research were findings which gave voice to theories of the underlying contradictions of hospitality and hostility; of the role of hotels within the carceral border system; of vicarious trauma and emotional connectedness; of team spirit and personal growth. In addressing this gap in the literature I hope that the findings will be of use in a variety of ways, from helping to inform future asylum system policy-making to learning lessons about how we take care of those working in the hospitality industry in the UK and beyond.
Environmental impacts of coppice-with- standards silvicultural management
(2026) Orchard, Rachel; Phillips, Peter
This report explores the existing literature on the environmental impacts of coppice-with standards (CWS) silvicultural management with a view to informing a CWS pilot at Montrose Estate, Scotland. A literature review following a rapid evidence assessment approach gathered the current state of ecological and silvicultural knowledge about the influence of CWS management on a range of flora and fauna in a European context. This was followed by five semi-structured interviews with woodland owners and coppice workers who shared their experiential knowledge to provide socio-ecological context and observational ecological details about CWS woodlands in the UK specifically. The findings of this rapid review indicate that a regularly managed CWS stand with coups at varying successional stages contributes to greater biodiversity across a woodland area due to a wider variety of habitat niches. The report concludes with suggestions for further research to address knowledge gaps and strengthen the evidence base on this topic, in particular, improving the understanding of how the environmental impacts and biodiversity of CWS differ from simple coppice in the UK context.
Monitoring a Just Transition to a net zero and climate resilient Scotland
(The University of Edinburgh, 2026-04) Ayllón, Lara M. Santos; Jenkins, Kirsten E. H.
The report describes the development of a monitoring and evaluation framework for a just transition to a net zero and climate resilient Scotland. It draws on just transition policy developments to date, both in Scotland and internationally. It provides an overarching framework and practical recommendations for implementation for the Scottish Government. The framework presents four outcomes (communities and place; people and equity; jobs, skills and economic opportunities; environment and biodiversity) and 50 associated outcome indicators. A sub set of summary indicators provide a high-level overview of progress that can be more easily communicated. A distinct approach is described for monitoring geographical sites of transition, or “hotspots”. Stakeholder engagement is identified as fundamental for monitoring and evaluation in this area and there is an assessment of current data gaps and limitations with the framework, as presented and recommendations for areas of future work.
Mapudungun: A Concise Language Profile
(2026-04) Berríos Castillo, Aldo
This language profile provides a concise overview of Mapudungun, a South American language isolate. It summarises key orthographic, phonological, and grammatical features, and includes a brief vocabulary list. Designed as a compact reference, it highlights central linguistic properties of this morphologically complex language.