News and Blog

Landmark project to study the 2026 Senedd election

UKRI Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) has awarded more than £1m to a research team from Swansea and Aberystwyth universities to lead the Welsh Election Study 2026 (WES 2026), a four-year project that will provide high-quality, impartial survey data on political attitudes and voting behaviour in Wales. The collaboration brings together Professor Matt Wall…

New research on the contemporary human rights situation of indigenous peoples in Nepal

Our new research examines the contemporary human rights situation of indigenous peoples (IP) in Nepal. By way of context, Nepal has around 26.5 million IP, comprising at least 35 per cent of the total population. Alternatively known as Adivasi, some organisations claim the actual proportion would be closer to 50 per cent if some presently…

Quantitative Methods Bootcamp

From 8 to 11 July 2025, the WISERD Politics and Governance Research Network held a four-day Quantitative Methods Bootcamp at Swansea University. This intensive course was led by Dr Kevin Fahey, Assistant Professor in Politics at Nottingham University and included lectures, practical demonstrations, hands-on practice and group work. Its aim was to provide essential training…

New care home inspection ratings should be considered alongside information on local availability

The care home sector is experiencing pressures arising from the fall-out of the COVID-19 pandemic and the impact of Brexit on staff shortages, especially impacting on the registered nursing workforce. This is compounded by longer-term financial pressures and on-going staff recruitment concerns, particularly following the latest proposed changes to immigration policy.  The introduction of a…

WISERD Annual Conference 2025 – gallery

The WISERD Annual Conference 2025 took place at Aberystwyth University on Monday 30 June and Tuesday 1 July. Scroll through the gallery below to see some of our favourite moments from the event.        

Keynote speaker for WISERD Annual Conference 2025 is Professor Irene Hardill from Northumbria University

We are delighted to announce that the keynote speaker for the WISERD Annual Conference 2025 is Professor Irene Hardill from Northumbria University. Professor Hardill’s keynote address will explore how the COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the crucial role of civil society and charities in addressing inequality and unmet needs. It will also explore research examining voluntary action…

Register for the WISERD Annual Conference

We are pleased to announce that the website for booking your free tickets for the WISERD Annual Conference 2025 is now LIVE! The conference is taking place on Monday 30 June – Tuesday 1 July at Aberystwyth University. Book here: WISERD Annual Conference | Prifysgol Aberystwyth University Please select the ticket option ‘2025 Attendees’ –…

Tackling society’s most urgent challenges

Research explores how communities can work together to bring about positive change. Academics will investigate how citizens, civil society organisations and policymakers are collaborating to tackle some of society’s most pressing problems. WISERD has secured £1.6m of funding from the UKRI Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) for the three-year research programme, ‘People, Places, and…

Fatal discrimination: new research on the human rights situation of persons with Albinism in Sub-Saharan Africa

My new research explores civil society and state perspectives on the human rights status of persons with albinism (PWA), a rare genetic condition characterised by reduced or absent pigmentation (melanin) of the hair, skin, and eyes. Albinism has a worldwide incidence of one in 20,000 births. However, rates as high as one in 1,000 births…

Nomination for 2025 Wayne S. Vucinich Book Prize

The monograph, Cultural Cold Wars and UNESCO in the Twentieth Century, by W. John Morgan, Leverhulme Emeritus Fellow at WISERD, Cardiff University, and Professor Emeritus at the University of Nottingham, has been nominated for the 2025 Wayne S. Vucinich Book Prize in the United States. Established in 1983, the Wayne S. Vucinich Book Prize is…