News and Blog

New research on civil society, welfare and the rights of persons with disabilities in the former Soviet Union

New research by WISERD Co-Director, Professor Paul Chaney, analyses civil society organisations’ perspectives on the implementation of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) in nine former Soviet republics, latterly renamed the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS). Namely, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russian Federation, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. Over the past…

Localities and histories: Why census data is important to understanding Trade Union membership

Within England and Wales, March 21st, 2021 is census day. Taking place every 10 years, the census provides the most accurate estimate of the population and a detailed account about people and the households in which they live. The data is vital to understanding our society and in providing information that is necessary to support the…

The true impact of the coronavirus on a generation of Welsh children

On an Wales Online interview, Dr Catherine Foster said life had “changed dramatically” for many young people who suffered from effects such as loneliness and loss of routine. She said: “Although some children have been able to continue going to school at least part of the time, most have lost the organization and structure that…

COVID: Unemployed young people in Wales ‘face scarring’

Dr Sioned Pearce highlights the impact of COVID-19 on youth unemployment. In an interview with BBC Wales, she said the pandemic had “exacerbated issues of uncertainty” for young people with zero hour contracts, part-time work and low-paid jobs.  

Senedd Research fellowship maps access to banking services in Wales

Over the past decade successive rounds of bank closures and increasing trends towards the provision of fee charging ATMs have attracted widespread media and political attention. WISERD researcher, Mitchel Langford, an Associate Professor at University of South Wales has published a report on access to banking services as a result of his recent Academic Fellowship…

The Child Friendly City initiative: Expanding the presence of children and young people in urban governance

Cardiff is working to become recognised as a Child Friendly City. This blog looks at how the initiative has been implemented in Finland and how that experience could inform Cardiff city council’s work in this area. The UNICEF initiative was launched in 1996 with the overarching goal to ensure the rights of the child are taken…

Life in Lockdown: Evidence from the 2020 WISERD Education Multi-Cohort Study

WISERD surveyed young people in Years 7-12 about their home learning experiences during summer 2020, what they missed and whether they should be allowed to see friends. In addition to asking about resources for schoolwork, time spent learning and going to school during lockdown, we asked young people about their worries, how they had been helping…