Publications

Civil Society Book Series 2021 Drawing on place-based field investigations and new empirical analysis, this original book investigates civil society at local level. The concept of civil society is contested and multifaceted, and this text offers assessment and clarification of debates concerning the intertwining of civil society, the state and local community relations. Analysing two…

A new collection of essays entitled Social Anthropologies of the Welsh: Past and Present, edited by Professor W. John Morgan and Dr Fiona Bowie will be published this month in the Royal Anthropological Institute’s Country Series. The book has its origins in a joint colloquium of the Royal Anthropological Institute, WISERD, the Learned Society of…

Journal of Contemporary Religion 36(2) pp 287-309 The relationship between religion and civil society at the macro-level has attracted the attention of sociologists of religion but empirical detail of how religion is connected to the social relations and practices that constitute local civil society is relatively lacking. This article explores the contemporary social and communal significance…

This briefing is the third in a series providing a quick guide to early childhood education and care (ECEC). The first two papers considered how ECEC services can be structured, organised and delivered. This final paper looks at the key policy questions around ECEC including who it is really for, how available and accessible it…

This briefing is the second in a series providing a quick guide to early childhood education and care (ECEC). In the context of international evidence, it sets out to examine what quality ECEC looks like, how quality ECEC needs to be organised, and how this is reflected against current policy, provision and practice in Wales….

This briefing is the first in a series providing a quick guide to early childhood education and care (ECEC). It introduces the concept of ECEC, sets out evidence for different approaches to ECEC and relates this to current policy in Wales. It has been produced for the Assembly’s Research Service as part of the Academic…

In an attempt to improve organ donation rates, some countries are considering moving from “opt-in” systems where citizens must express their willingness to be an organ donor, to “opt-out” systems where consent is presumed unless individuals have expressed their wishes otherwise, by, for example, joining an “opt-out” register. In Wales-a part of the United Kingdom-the…

Big Local provides local areas with funding to support resident-led solutions to create lasting change. Starting in 2010, The National Lottery Community Fund (then called The Big Lottery Fund), identified areas that have since been described as ‘left-behind’ – areas that had been previously overlooked for funding and investment. In choosing the areas, consideration was…

Young people age 14-25 years with chronic kidney disease have been identified as generally having poor health outcomes and are a high-risk group for kidney transplant loss due in part to poor self-management. This raises a key question as to what happens during transition from child to adult services? This paper presents a mixed-method systematic…

A “flagship” policy outlined in the current Welsh Government’s 2016 Programme for Government aims to provide 30 hours of free early education and childcare per week to the working parents of three‐ and four‐year‐olds. However, in common with many other countries, there is currently a lack of detail regarding existing levels of childcare provision that can act as…