Alex Fenton

Alex Fenton

Research Area Research System and Science Dynamics
Researcher
  • +49 30 2064177-23
  • +49 30 2064177-99

Alex Fenton studied Social Anthropology at the University of Edinburgh, and later took a Masters in Social Research Methods at the University of Surrey. After completing his Masters, he worked as a social researcher in several UK universities, conducting projects in the field of poverty, housing and spatial analysis. From 2006 to 2011 he was Research Associate at the Centre for Housing and Planning Research at the University of Cambridge, and from 2011 to 2012 Research Fellow at the Centre for Analysis of Social Exclusion at the London School of Economics. In 2013 he moved to Berlin to undertake doctoral studies. In 2018 he completed his doctorate in Sociology on

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Projects

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The Digitization of Scholarly Communication: Discourse and Practices, Measurements and Identity Formation
RISIS – Research Infrastructure for Science and Innovation Policy Studies
Humanities, Cultural Studies, Social Sciences and Professional Practice in Graduate Education
Competence Network for Bibliometrics
Publications

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Documentation of RISIS Datasets: Doctoral Degree and Career Dataset (DDC).

Ivertsen, E., Tesch, J., Fenton, A., Skålholt, A., Franssen, T., ... & Wagner-Schuster, D. (2023).
Documentation of RISIS Datasets: Doctoral Degree and Career Dataset (DDC). Paris: RISIS. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.7733595

Standard-relevant publications: Evidence, processes and influencing factors.

Blind, K., & Fenton, A. (2021).
Standard-relevant publications: Evidence, processes and influencing factors. Scientometrics. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11192-021-04210-8
Abstract

This paper introduces the concept of standard-relevant publications, complementary to standard-essential patents and framed by the concept of knowledge utilization. By analyzing the reference lists of the around 20,000 standards released by ISO, authors of scientific papers cited in standards who are working at German institutions were identified. The institutions include universities, independent research societies, ministerial research institutes and companies. Almost thirty interviews were conducted with the most-cited of these authors. The interviews addressed the processes by which scientific publications come to be referenced in standards, and the motivations, the barriers and the effects of this.

Understanding the Societal Impact of the Social Sciences and Humanities: Remarks on Roles, Challenges, and Expectations.

Fecher, B., Freia, K., Sokolovska, N., Fenton, A., Hornbostel, S., & Wagner, G. G. (2021).
Understanding the Societal Impact of the Social Sciences and Humanities: Remarks on Roles, Challenges, and Expectations. Frontiers in Research Metrics and Analytics (online first). https://doi.org/10.3389/frma.2021.696804
Abstract

Science is increasingly expected to help in solving complex societal problems in collaboration with societal stakeholders. However, it is often unclear under what conditions this can happen, i.e., what kind of challenges occur when science interacts with society and what kind of quality expectations prevail. This is particularly pertinent for Social Sciences and Humanities (SSH), which are part of the object they study and whose knowledge is always subject to provisionality. Here we discuss how SSH researchers can contribute to societal problems, what challenges might occur when they interact with societal stakeholders, and what quality expectations arise in these arrangements.

Impact der Gesellschaftswissenschaften – (Wie) Kann man ihn messen?

Fecher, B., Sokolovska, N., Kuper, F., & Fenton, A. (02. Juni 2021).
Impact der Gesellschaftswissenschaften – (Wie) Kann man ihn messen [Blogbeitrag]. Abgerufen von https://www.wissenschaftskommunikation.de/impact-der-gesellschaftswissenschaften-wie-kann-man-ihn-messen-48693/

Umkämpfte Zahlen: Armutsstatistik und Armutsberichterstattung in Großbritannien und der Bundesrepublik Deutschland, 1979-1988.

Fenton, A., & Haßdenteufel, S. (2018).
Umkämpfte Zahlen: Armutsstatistik und Armutsberichterstattung in Großbritannien und der Bundesrepublik Deutschland, 1979-1988. In K. Fertikh, H. Wieters & B. Zimmermann (Hrsg.), Ein soziales Europa als Herausforderung: Von der Harmonisierung zur Koordination sozialpolitischer Kategorien / L’Europe sociale en question: De l’harmonisation à la coordination des catégories d’action publique. Frankfurt am Main: Campus Verlag.

The use of scientific literature in ISO standards.

Fenton, A., Blind. K., & Gauch, S. (2018).
The use of scientific literature in ISO standards. In Standards for a smarter future (EURAS Proceedings) (45-58). Dublin: Wissenschaftsverlag Mainz.
Presentations

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Survey- and Register-Based Estimates of the Careers of Recent Doctoral Graduates.

Fenton, A. (2023, November).
Survey- and Register-Based Estimates of the Careers of Recent Doctoral Graduates. Vortrag auf der Konferenz RISIS International Conference 2023, AIT Austrian Institute of Technology, Center for Innovation Systems & Policy, Wien, Österreich.

Government Statistics and Practice: A Critical Lens (Podcast Series).

Fenton, A. (21.01.2022).
Government Statistics and Practice: A Critical Lens (Podcast Series). Gespräch mit . (Moderation), Truths, Damn Truths, and Government Statistics. Prof Thomas J Scotto, University of Glasgow, Glasgow.
Abstract

This month, Tom Scotto talks to Dr Alex Fenton, a postdoctoral researcher at Humboldt University in Berlin, who takes a critical look at how official government statistics are calculated. Alex is the author of the recent book: Official Statistics and the Welfare State: Measuring Poverty in Britain and West Germany (1970-2020) published by Transcript Verlag and available from online booksellers. Join us for this foray into critiquing the idea of “official statistics,” comparisons between government statistics produced in Germany and Great Britain, and the ideal that government employed statisticians are at arm’s length from politics!

Standard-Essential Publications.

Blind, K. & Fenton, A. (2019, September).
Standard-Essential Publications. Vortrag auf der EPIP - European Policy for Intellectual Property, Zürich, Schweiz.

The uses of science in international standardisation.

Fenton, A. (2019, September).
The uses of science in international standardisation. Vortrag auf dem Web of Science Data Forum, Berlin.

Werkstattgespräch zu Social Impact.

Fecher, B., & Fenton, A. (2019, August).
Werkstattgespräch zu Social Impact. Vorstand, Deutsches Institut für Wirtschaftsforschung, Berlin.
Curriculum Vitae
Since 2018

Post-doc in research group