Raising the Participation Age: Participation Without Inclusion?

Social Policy BlogLeave a comment
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

Social Policy BlogLeave a comment
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’?

Social Policy BlogLeave a comment
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

Social Policy BlogLeave a comment
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

The Politics of Minimum Income Reform in Spain: Explaining an Unexpected and Consensus-Based Path Departure

Social Policy BlogLeave a comment
Illustration of policymakers seated around a circular table reviewing documents, representing negotiation and consensus-building in social policy.

This blog post is based on an article published in the Journal of Social Policy by Llorenç Soler-Buades. The Puzzle of Consensus in Fragmented Systems Under what political and institutional conditions can inclusive social policies secure consensus amid ideological and territorial fragmentation? Spain illustrates this puzzle. For decades, Spain operated a minimum income system that… Continue reading The Politics of Minimum Income Reform in Spain: Explaining an Unexpected and Consensus-Based Path Departure