Poverty is complex – should our policy responses be too? Moving beyond isolated policy solutions

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A couple sits with an advisor reviewing documents together, suggesting discussion of finances, housing or social support.

This blog post is based on an article published in Social Policy and Society by Heta Pöyliö. Poverty is a complex issue that requires expansive policy responses. In my recent study published in Social Policy and Society, I find that policies with different functions can work together to reduce the risk of poverty. Specifically, policy… Continue reading Poverty is complex – should our policy responses be too? Moving beyond isolated policy solutions

Raising the Participation Age: Participation Without Inclusion?

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Teacher supporting a student using a laptop in a classroom, with other learners working in the background.

This blog post is based on an article published in Social Policy and Society by Ben Collier. It has been 10 years since the final instalment of the Education and Skills Act’s Raising the Participation Age (RPA) Policy in England, introduced under the Education and Skills Act (Department for Education), which requires young people to… Continue reading Raising the Participation Age: Participation Without Inclusion?

Akademiska Hus – New Public Management Goes Rogue in Sweden

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Modern office building façade with repetitive window pattern symbolising institutional uniformity and control

This blog post is based on an article published in Social Policy and Society by Johan Nordensvärd, Matti Kaulio, Carl-Johan Sommar and Markus Ketola. Sweden’s experience demonstrates that quasi-market reforms can create systems that look competitive but are tightly controlled, reinforcing state authority and managerialism. University estates and museum properties illustrate the consequences: high rents,… Continue reading Akademiska Hus – New Public Management Goes Rogue in Sweden

What are we really talking about when we use the term ‘food banks’?

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Basket filled with assorted food items including jars, pasta, oil, and packaged goods on a neutral background.

This blog post is based on an article published in the Journal of Social Policy by Maddy Sarah Power and Madeleine Baxter. Over the past 16 years food banks have come to represent much that is wrong and right about the UK: the cruelty of austerity initiated by the Coalition Government and the broader hollowing… Continue reading What are we really talking about when we use the term ‘food banks’?

First Thing to Go? Key Findings from a Foundational Study of Hygiene Poverty in Ireland

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A set of everyday hygiene items including soap, a brush, cotton buds, and a sponge arranged on a light wooden surface.

This blog post is based on an article published in the Journal of Social Policy by Joe Whelan and Jo Greene. One potential way to identify and begin to understand aspects and experiences of poverty in detail is to focus on the discrete forms of deprivation that people experience. Whereas discrete forms of deprivation such… Continue reading First Thing to Go? Key Findings from a Foundational Study of Hygiene Poverty in Ireland