Are we seeing more conditionality in social housing? That was the theme of recent presentations by team members Suzanne Fitzpatrick and Beth Watts. Professor Fitzpatrick at the National Housing Federation management conference and Dr Watts the Social Housing Research and Insight Conference this month outlined the shift away from the ‘home for life’ model in England. The situation is contrasted with that in Scotland, where there has been little appetite for fixed-term tenancies. Read their slides here.
Our PhD research student Helen Stinson has used an internship with the Joseph Rowntree Foundation to consider fundamental questions about what fairness means. Her blog highlights the debate on whether welfare should be organised for all, or to benefit those in most need. Read the full story here.
PhD research student Helen Stinson considers fundamental questions about the welfare safety net, prompted by her time working with the Joseph Rowntree Foundation
Three months ago I started my internship at the Joseph Rowntree Foundation. As co-funders to my PhD, they offered me this opportunity to complement my academic studies and enhance my understanding of the role that evidence based research has in influencing policy and practice.
On my first day I was set the task to review a number of current welfare benefits to find out if there were any recommended policy changes that could reduce levels of poverty in Britain. With more than 31 different welfare benefits to review, this was initially quite a daunting assignment! But, with the support of the anti-poverty campaign team, my initial apprehension developed into a deepened appreciation for the importance of exploring the origins and history of different welfare benefits. Through this valuable experience, I have gained further insight into current political debates. I’ve learnt that it is critical to recognise the tensions that underlie political debates on the different policy reforms. Read More
Our Director Professor Peter Dwyer delivered this year’s prestigious Sir Roland Wilson public lecture at Australian National University in Canberra last month. His theme was: Justifying conditionality: sanctions, support and behaviour change in the UK. In a wide-ranging address he charted the history of conditionalilty and social citizenship in the UK before outlining some insights from our research. Read his slides here.
Our new blog post by guest writer Deven Ghelani finds that local conditionality is becoming increasingly prevalent. The Policy in Practice director draws on his experience of working with local authorities to set out some ideas on what makes a good scheme. Read the full story here.
Local conditionality is becoming increasingly prevalent, finds Deven Ghelani from social policy software and consulting business Policy in Practice
We have been working with a number of local authorities since 2012, as elements of the welfare system have been localised.
One of the trends we have noticed is the introduction of local ‘conditionality’. So far, it has usually been applied at national level, by Jobcentre Plus. The introduction of conditionality by local authorities may have largely gone unnoticed, but it is an important side-effect of localisation. Read More
Our Director Professor Peter Dwyer presented early data from our research at an international conference in Australia last week. He outlined early experiences and expectations of Universal Credit claimants in the UK. The event, focused on welfare reform, was hosted by the Australian National University. See his presentation slides here.
Christina Beatty and Steve Fothergill from the Centre for Regional Economic and Social Research, Sheffield Hallam University, summarise four research reports they have published on the effects of welfare reform in Scotland
Welfare reform is a Westminster Government policy that affects all parts of Britain, but the impact of the reforms varies a great deal from place to place. The research undertaken at Sheffield Hallam University over the last three years has led the way in documenting the financial losses at the national, regional, local authority and neighbourhood level. Significant parts of this research have focussed on Scotland, where four reports have been commissioned by the Scottish Parliament.
In a special seminar in Glasgow on 21 September, convened in collaboration with Policy Scotland, the Sheffield Hallam team is laying out the findings of the four Scottish reports. This is the first time all four reports have been considered together. Read More
In this new blog, Christina Beatty and Steve Fothergill from the Centre for Regional Economic and Social Research, Sheffield Hallam University, summarise four research reports they have published on the effects of welfare reform in Scotland. They find that to date, there is no evidence of positive labour market impacts in that country. Read the full story
That was the title of a presentation about our research to a Social Policy Association event on 11 September. Our Director Professor Peter Dwyer was one of seven speakers to address the roundtable event held at the British Library. His presentation is here.
