Newyddion

In the last few of months, we have welcomed several new members of staff to WISERD, to work on a variety of new and existing projects. This week we’ll be focusing on two Cardiff based members of staff – Dr Sioned Pearceand Dr Dan Evans. Here, they tell us a bit about their backgrounds, research interests, and what they’ll be doing at WISERD. …

The following discussion provided the basis of some opening remarks Professor Chris Taylor was invited to give at the launch of the Festival of Dangerous Ideas, led by NIACE Cymru with support from the Welsh Government and Big Lottery Fund Wales, on 10thFebruary 2015, Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff. This first event involved a panel discussion on ‘Is education…

Trying to remember back to my first day at WISERD is harder than I expected – probably because of the sheer variety of experiences I’ve had here from that day to now! When I started as a Research Associate back in September 2012, I was fresh from studying for aPhD at Bangor University where I looked…

On Thursday 5th February, 2015, WISERD celebrated the official launch of its flagship Civil Society Research Centre. WISERD’s Director Ian Rees Jones reflects upon a successful event. I spent a nervous few days prior to the WISERD Civil Society Research Centre launch. I wondered whether we would have an audience, hoped all the speakers would arrive safely, and fretted over…

A new book by John Hills explores key issues in the current debate about ‘welfare’ and the welfare state. The debate contrasts a stagnant group of people benefiting from it all with the rest who pay in and get nothing back – ‘skivers’ against ‘strivers’. John explains how, because people’s lives and circumstances change, most…

On Thursday 5th February, 2015, WISERD’s flagship Civil Society Research Centre enjoyed its official launch. The event was attended by some of the world’s foremost academics, public and policy stakeholders, and civil society organisations. Speakers included: Ruth Marks (MBE), Chief Executive of the Wales Council for Voluntary Action (WCVA); Rhodri Morgan, former First Minister for Wales;…

Since the publication in mid-January of the second report on educational outcomes using national administrative data was published, the Foundation Phase has been under considerable media scrutiny. Over the past three years WISERD has undertaken an independent evaluation for the Welsh Government of the Foundation Phase for three to seven year olds in Wales, and will soon be making its…

This blog was originally featured on the British Election Study website. Academic analysis and media commentary have shifted the emphasis in explaining United Kingdom Independence Party (UKIP) support away from Tory voter defectors towards working class voters, and potential Labour supporters. This was a good corrective to earlier emphases. But has the new focus on…

In my last post, I wrote about what year 10 pupils were going to do post-year 11. Of course there are many other aspects of the future that pupils consider. One question that children get asked a lot is, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” – a question about life, identity…

These are some of the questions that I set out to address in a study that is to be published this month. Despite an extensive academic literature extending back decades – perhaps surprisingly, there has been little work on elections and how the political parties envision the role of the third – or voluntary –…