Research on poverty leads to Fellowship
An Albany researcher is a Fellow of the Royal Society of New Zealand.
Massey University School of Psychology professor Stuart Carrs was elected by the Fellowship of the Royal Society. The position is an honour given for distinction in research, or the advancement of science, technology or the humanities.
Carr has spent more than 25 years showing how everyday workplace dynamics impact global and local poverty, and poverty reduction.
His work has led major international organisations to change their remunerations schemes for international and local workers, to improve motivation and decrease dependence on aid.
Carr says he is humbled and delighted to be appointed a Fellow.
‘‘I was genuinely taken by surprise. It’s a big honour. Massey, the college and especially the School of Psychology, has been very supportive of my work for many years,’’ he says.
Carr’s work has been taken up by organisations including the Organisation for Economic Co- operation and Development and the Global Development Network.
His research speciality is the organisational psychology of poverty reduction, and includes both for-profit and nonprofit humanitarian work organisations.
Carr says receiving this honour is due to the teamwork involved across multiple disciplines.
‘‘We have a major issue trying to tackle poverty reduction. The work I do is very much a result of teamwork, and a network of people who are willing to work across different disciplines on research into applied issues,’’ he says.
‘‘It adds academic weight to this focus on how to reduce and, hopefully, eradicate poverty.
‘‘In 2015, the United Nations will be involved in a new round of goalsetting, and poverty eradication is one of them.’’