News and Blog

Research demonstrates the importance of Careers Wales in Welsh schools

A new ADR-UK Data Insight report by WISERD Co-Director, Rhys Davis, reveals the important role played by Careers Wales in supporting those children most in need of careers guidance within Welsh Schools. Following the withdrawal of funding for the Connexions Network in 2010 – a dedicated careers guidance service for young people – concerns have…

COVID-19 lockdown and the needs of garment workers in Bangalore, India

Since October 2018, researchers from WISERD and Cardiff Business School have been working in partnership with NGO, Cividep-India. We have been analysing data on whether and how garment workers in Bangalore are able to gain access to remedy (that is, the steps that are taken to prevent, investigate, punish and redress business-related human rights abuses)…

Researchers develop a new model to analyse civil society’s welfare delivery in devolved nations

An empirical research study by WISERD Co-Director, Professor Paul Chaney, Dr Christala Sophocleous and Daniel Wincott, presents a new theoretical model for analysing the way that civil society delivers welfare support to citizens in devolved nations. Internationally there is a trend towards decentralised welfare systems. This new research seeks to systematically explore the breadth of factors…

Civil society approaches to tackling youth unemployment: an analysis of the UK nations

UK unemployment has risen to its highest in two years this month, from 3.9% in March to 4.1% in September. Young people aged 16-24 have been hit hardest and, to date, one-third of 18-24 year olds (excluding students) are unemployed or furloughed as a result of COVID-19, compared to one in six of 25-40 year…

International study reveals low levels of well-being amongst children in Wales

Survey of 128,000 children across 35 countries raises questions about levels of well-being experienced across different areas of children’s lives in Wales. Children in Wales have some of the lowest levels of well-being amongst children across 35 countries, a team of WISERD researchers has found. The team surveyed over 2,600 children from across Wales about…

A level results day 2020

In the shadow of the fallout from the qualifications results announced for young people in Scotland earlier this month, and last-minute amendments made by the Welsh and English governments to the awarding of grades, this blog reflects on the steps taken to calculate grades, necessitated by these unprecedented times. Detailed information is now publicly available…

Research highlights suppression of civil society and human rights violations of LGBT+ people in Bangladesh

New research by WISERD Co-Director, Professor Paul Chaney, Dr Sarbeswar Sahoo (Indian Institure of Technology, Delhi) and Dr Seuty Sabur (BRAC University, Dhaka) analyses civil society organisations’ perspectives on the contemporary situation facing LGBT+ people in Bangladesh. Until now largely overlooked in academic work, it is an issue needing attention because of the country’s poor…

COVID-19 and the uncertainty for new Welsh undergraduates

Note: This blog has been updated on 28 July to include Student Loan Company data to the end of June 2020. There has been much discussion, forecasting and concern around the impact of COVID-19 on the higher education sector. With many universities beginning to slowly lay out their intended teaching and learning practices for the…

WISERD Education Data Lab launches blog series

The newly established WISERD Education Data Lab has launched a series of blog posts to share its latest analysis with a wider audience. The lab aims to generate high quality research-based evidence using education administrative data to support the Wales education sector. In order to undertake this work, the WISERD Education Data Lab is using administrative data…