Professor Christopher Dayson

Professor in Practice, Director, Centre for Charity Effectiveness

Bayes Business School , Faculty of Management

Contact

About

Overview

Chris joined the University in June 2026 as Director of the Centre for Charity Effectiveness. He has more than 20 years of experience as a policy analyst, researcher and leader in the civil service, voluntary sector and academia. Currently, Chris leads a large portfolio of research grants and consultancy projects that explore the role and value of charitable and voluntary organisations across a broad range of policy fields. He is Principal Investigator of the Creative Health Boards project funded through the Arts and Humanities Research Council's (AHRC) Mobilsing Community Assets to Tackle Health Inequalities programme (2024-27) and Co-Investigator of the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) Centre for Collaboration in Community Connectedness (C4) (2025-30).

Chris' research is characterised by a deep commitment to policy and practice collaboration and providing a platform for the voices of individuals, communities and organisations who are too often ignored by policymakers and other people in positions of power.  His projects have included partnerships with a broad range of charities and voluntary organisations of different sizes, working at different scales nationally and locally. Chris also engages internationally, through involvement with the International Society for Third Sector Research (ISTR). He is passionate about interdisciplinarity, with his research teams comprising members from across the social sciences, arts and humanities and health sciences. This can be seen in the diverse range of funders who have supported Chris' research such as the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC), Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC), Medical Research Council (MRC), National Institute of Health Research (NIHR), the National Health Service (NHS), local authorities, local and national charities, and numerous Central Government Departments.

Publications

Chapters (2)

  1. In Rees, J., Macmillan, R., Dayson, C., Damm, C. and Bynner, C. (Eds.), (2022). Introduction. In COVID-19 and the Voluntary and Community Sector in the UK (pp. 1-14). Policy Press. ISBN 9781447365501.
  2. Dayson, C., Bimpson, E., Paine, A.E., Chambers, J., Gilbertson, J. and Kara, H. (2022). Voluntary sector organisations, older people and healthy ageing during the COVID-19 pandemic. Covid 19 and the Voluntary and Community Sector in the Uk Responses Impacts and Adaptation (pp. 156-169).

Journal articles (29)

  1. Dayson, C., Wilson, I., Leather, D., Foster, A., Jacques, R., Haywood, A.... Thompson, J. (2026). Using WELLBYs to demonstrate the social value of social prescribing at a national level: evidence from Green Social Prescribing in England. People, Place and Policy Online, 20(1), pp. 1-20. doi:10.3351/ppp.2026.3524966557

    [publisher’s website]

  2. Garside, M., Homer, C., Dayson, C., Dowrick, L., Pickering, K. and Wright, N. (2025). Healthcare professionals’ attitudes towards social prescribing in specialist children’s weight management services. BMC Primary Care, 26(1). doi:10.1186/s12875-025-02753-w

    [publisher’s website]

  3. McMullen, S., Poduval, S., Armstrong, M., Davies, N., Dayson, C., Kharicha, K.... Woodward, A. (2024). A Qualitative Exploration of the Role of Culturally Relevant Social Prescribing in Supporting Pakistani Carers Living in the UK. Health Expectations, 27(6). doi:10.1111/hex.70099

    [publisher’s website]

  4. de Bell, S., Alejandre, J.C., Menzel, C., Sousa-Silva, R., Straka, T.M., Berzborn, S.... Bonn, A. (2024). Nature-based social prescribing programmes: opportunities, challenges, and facilitators for implementation. Environment International, 190, pp. 108801-108801. doi:10.1016/j.envint.2024.108801

    [publisher’s website]

  5. Bennett, E., Dayson, C., Rees, J., Patmore, B. and Damm, C. (2024). The Role of Smaller Nonprofit Human Service organizations During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Evidence from England and Wales. Human Service Organizations: Management, Leadership & Governance, 48(3), pp. 237-253. doi:10.1080/23303131.2023.2248611

    [publisher’s website]

  6. Fowler Davis, S., Benkowitz, C., Nield, L. and Dayson, C. (2024). Green spaces and the impact on cognitive frailty: a scoping review. Frontiers in Public Health, 11. doi:10.3389/fpubh.2023.1278542

    [publisher’s website]

  7. Garside, M., Homer, C., Dayson, C., Dowrick, L., Pickering, K. and Wright, N. (2024). Mapping Community‐Based Services for Social Prescribing for Children and Young People Living with Obesity across South Yorkshire. Health & Social Care in the Community, 2024(1). doi:10.1155/2024/3566729

    [publisher’s website]

  8. Dayson, C., Damm, C., Gilbertson, J., Leather, D. and Ridge, W. (2023). Understanding the Contribution of Community Organisations to Healthy Ageing and Integrated Place-Based Care: Evidence from Integrated Care Data. Healthcare, 11(21), pp. 2827-2827. doi:10.3390/healthcare11212827

    [publisher’s website]

  9. DAYSON, C., BENNETT, E., DAMM, C., REES, J., JACKLIN JARVIS, C., PATMORE, B.... TURNER, K. (2023). The Distinctiveness of Smaller Voluntary Organisations Providing Welfare Services. Journal of Social Policy, 52(4), pp. 800-820. doi:10.1017/s0047279421000970

    [publisher’s website]

  10. Penton, H., Dayson, C., Hulme, C. and Young, T. (2022). A Qualitative Investigation of Older Adults’ Conceptualization of Quality of Life and a Think-Aloud Content Validation of the EQ-5D-5L, SF-12v2, Warwick Edinburgh Mental Well-Being Scale, and Office of National Statistics-4. Value in Health, 25(12), pp. 2017-2027. doi:10.1016/j.jval.2022.04.1735

    [publisher’s website]

  11. Penton, H., Dayson, C., Hulme, C. and Young, T. (2022). An Investigation of Age-Related Differential Item Functioning in the EQ-5D-5L Using Item Response Theory and Logistic Regression. Value in Health, 25(9), pp. 1566-1574. doi:10.1016/j.jval.2022.03.009

    [publisher’s website]

  12. Parr, S., Hawkins, A. and Dayson, C. (2021). The ethical dilemmas of foodbanking: an analysis of the More Than Food programme. Journal of Poverty and Social Justice, 29(3), pp. 259-277. doi:10.1332/175982721x16246224734827

    [publisher’s website]

  13. Dayson, C., Bimpson, E., Ellis-Paine, A., Gilbertson, J. and Kara, H. (2021). The ‘resilience’ of community organisations during the COVID-19 pandemic: absorptive, adaptive and transformational capacity during a crisis response. Voluntary Sector Review, 12(2), pp. 295-304. doi:10.1332/204080521x16190270778389

    [publisher’s website]

  14. Dayson, C., Harris, C. and Woodward, A. (2021). Voluntary sector interventions to address loneliness and mental health in older people: taking account of emotional, psychological and social wellbeing. Perspectives in Public Health, 141(4), pp. 237-243. doi:10.1177/17579139211017580

    [publisher’s website]

  15. Dayson, C. and Damm, C. (2020). Re-making state-civil society relationships during the COVID 19 pandemic? An English perspective. People, Place and Policy Online, 14(3), pp. 282-289. doi:10.3351/ppp.2020.5796569834

    [publisher’s website]

  16. Dayson, C., Painter, J. and Bennett, E. (2020). Social prescribing for patients of secondary mental health services: emotional, psychological and social well-being outcomes. Journal of Public Mental Health, 19(4), pp. 271-279. doi:10.1108/jpmh-10-2019-0088

    [publisher’s website]

  17. Dayson, C., Fraser, A. and Lowe, T. (2020). A Comparative Analysis of Social Impact Bond and Conventional Financing Approaches to Health Service Commissioning in England: The Case of Social Prescribing. Journal of Comparative Policy Analysis: Research and Practice, 22(2), pp. 153-169. doi:10.1080/13876988.2019.1643614

    [publisher’s website]

  18. Damm, C. and Dayson, C. (2019). ‘You were the future once’ – third sector prospects in the 2019 election manifestos. People, Place and Policy Online, 13(2), pp. 82-85. doi:10.3351/ppp.2019.8996759724

    [publisher’s website]

  19. Bennett, E., Coule, T., Damm, C., Dayson, C., Dean, J. and Macmillan, R. (2019). Civil society strategy: a policy review. Voluntary Sector Review, 10(2), pp. 213-223. doi:10.1332/204080519x15617330887624

    [publisher’s website]

  20. Dayson, C. (2017). Policy commentary - Social prescribing 'plus': a model of asset-based collaborative innovation? People, Place and Policy Online, 11(2), pp. 90-104. doi:10.3351/ppp.2017.4839587343

    [publisher’s website]

  21. Dayson, C., Paine, A.E., Macmillan, R. and Dayson, S. (2017). Third sector capacity building: the institutional embeddedness of supply. Voluntary Sector Review, 8(2), pp. 149-168. doi:10.1332/204080517x14896680067107

    [publisher’s website]

  22. Dayson, C. (2017). Evaluating social innovations and their contribution to social value: the benefits of a ‘blended value’ approach. Policy & Politics, 45(3), pp. 395-411. doi:10.1332/030557316x14564838832035

    [publisher’s website]

  23. Eadson, W., Crisp, R., Cole, I., Dayson, C., Escott, K., Fothergill, S.... Robinson, D. (2015). Election Commentaries. People, Place and Policy Onlin, 9(1), pp. 65-89. doi:10.3351/ppp.0009.0001.0005

    [publisher’s website]

  24. Bashir, N., Dayson, C., Eadson, W. and Wells, P. (2013). A Warm Glow in All Parts? Building Local Cause-Affinity as a Strategy for Promoting Charitable Giving. People, Place and Policy Online, 7(3), pp. 139-152. doi:10.3351/ppp.0007.0003.0003

    [publisher’s website]

  25. Dayson, C. and Wells, P. (2013). Voluntary and Community Sector Policy under the Coalition Government. People, Place and Policy Online, 7(2), pp. 91-99. doi:10.3351/ppp.0007.0002.0006

    [publisher’s website]

  26. Dayson, C. (2013). Understanding the place based social value created by new-start social enterprises: evidence from 10 rural UK communities. People, Place and Policy Online, 7(1), pp. 30-45. doi:10.3351/ppp.0007.0001.0003

    [publisher’s website]

  27. Dayson, C. (2013). Understanding financial vulnerability in UK third sector organisations: methodological considerations and applications for policy, practice and research. Voluntary Sector Review, 4(1), pp. 19-38. doi:10.1332/204080513x663796

    [publisher’s website]

  28. Dayson, C. (2011). The personalisation agenda: implications for organisational development and capacity building in the voluntary sector. Voluntary Sector Review, 2(1), pp. 97-105. doi:10.1332/204080511x560648

    [publisher’s website]

  29. Crowe, M., Dayson, C. and Wells, P. (2010). Prospects for the Third Sector. People, Place and Policy Online, 4(1), pp. 29-32. doi:10.3351/ppp.0004.0001.0007

    [publisher’s website]

Theses/dissertations (2)

  1. Langmead, K. Exploring the performance of democracy and economic diversity in worker cooperatives.
  2. Soutar, J. Social Impact Bonds: Issues of Identity and Independence for the Voluntary Sector.