News and Blog

Despite being sizeable in many countries, the disability pay gap (DPG) has attracted limited academic and policy attention internationally, especially in comparison to other protected characteristics, such as gender. The recent draft Equality (Race and Disability) Bill announced in the 2024 King’s Speech suggests a major change in the UK in this regard, with the…

Congratulations to WISERD co-director, Dr Anwen Elias, based at Aberystwyth University, who has been appointed by the Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Climate Change and Rural Affairs, Huw Irranca-Davies, as chair of a new Innovating Democracy Advisory Group. The Innovating Democracy Advisory Group has been created following a recommendation in the Independent Commission…

British farmers are protesting against proposals in the recent budget to change inheritance tax relief on farms. They claim the change will force many farm families to sell land in order to pay tax bills. While that is debatable, this is only the latest grievance for farmers who have had to face rising costs, volatile…

Trade unions across the globe face a range of disruptions that are destabilising traditional structures, practices and strategies. A new book, Experimenting for Union Renewal, which includes a chapter by WISERD researchers on the international garment sector, sets out a novel approach centred on experimentation in response to these disruptions. Drawing on in-depth analysis of…

At the recent WISERD Annual Conference, I gave a seminar with partners from civil society on school exclusion in Wales. The seminar explored the role of civil society in school exclusion and how families experience it. Below, I have included a summary of each presentation and a key takeaway for improving policy or practice. Excluded…

Professors Paul Chaney (Cardiff University) and Sarbeswar Sahoo (IIT Delhi) (pictured), in association with Dr Reenu Punnoose (IIT Palakkad) and Dr Haneefa Muhammed have been conducting fieldwork examining civil society perspectives on the contemporary citizenship rights of indigenous people in south India. This is part of research funded by the Academy of Medical Sciences. By…

Over the summer holidays, we were delighted to host two Cardiff University undergraduate students as part of our WISERD hub team. As administrative assistants, Genevieve Gunn and Afon Hoare helped us to deliver our WISERD Annual Conference 2024. We asked the students to write about their experience… Genevieve Gunn “As a final year International Relations…

A new study by Professor Paul Chaney examines civil society perspectives on the contemporary human rights situation of indigenous people in Bolivia. It is part of research funded by the Academy of Medical Sciences undertaken in partnership with Professor Sarbeswar Sahoo (Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi) and Dr Reenu Punnoose (Indian Institute of Technology, Palakkad)….

Drawing on their written evidence submissions Professors Melanie Jones and Victoria Wass gave oral evidence to the Equality and Social Justice Committee on the barriers to employment for disabled people. During the discussion they highlighted the recommendations in the Disability Employment Charter, called for monitoring and analysis of broader measures of disability inequality in the…

I listen to far too many podcasts in my spare time, on all manner of topics – sport, philosophy, current affairs, history, the list goes on. Most of what I listen to is educational, such as the History Extra Podcast and the New Books Network, both of which bring research to life through interviews with…