News and Blog

Exploring the issues facing third sector adult social care providers before and during the COVID-19 pandemic: evidence from Wales and Northern Ireland

  Research by WISERD Co-Director, Professor Paul Chaney, Dr Christala Sophocleous, and Professor Daniel Wincott, provides new insights into the issues facing third sector community-based adult care services in relation to the COVID-19 pandemic in Wales and Northern Ireland. The findings come from two ESRC-funded studies that are part of WISERD’S civil society research programme. The first…

Electoral politics study reveals how devolution provides new political spaces to advance animal welfare

Research by WISERD Professors Paul Chaney, Ian Rees Jones and Ralph Fevre analyses over 1,300 pledges on animal welfare in party manifestos for Scottish, Welsh and Northern Irish elections from 1998 to 2017. It reveals the nature of political parties’ competition over the issue, as well as a significant increase in attention to this topic…

Bangor University launches Civil Society research centre

Today sees the launch at Bangor University of the ESRC Civil Society centre: Changing Perspectives on Civic Stratification and Civil Repair. At the launch, Bangor University’s Pro-Vice Chancellor for Research, Professor Paul Spencer and WISERD Director Professor Sally Power, Cardiff University, will talk about WISERD, its role in Wales and the ways in which researchers…

New study on the electoral politics of refugees and asylum seekers reveals distinctive approaches to welfare in the different countries of the UK

New research by WISERD Co-Director, Professor Paul Chaney analyses political parties’ policy record on refugees and asylum seekers in party manifestos for post-war Westminster, and post-1998 Scottish, Welsh and Northern Irish elections. A refugee is someone who is outside her or his country of nationality due to a well-founded fear of persecution and who is…

Voluntary sector history brought to life in new digital archive

A WISERD Research Team comprised of Professor Paul Chaney, Dr Christala Sophocleous and Professor Daniel Wincott has worked with Wales Council for Voluntary Organisations (WCVA) and The National Library of Wales to create a historically significant digital archive of the Annual Reports of WCVA and its predecessor organisations. We are delighted to make this resource…

Civil Society and the Family

This book explores the relationship between civil society and the family. Given how important family life is in the routines and responsibilities of individuals around the world, it is surprising that links between family and civic and political engagement have not received more attention until now. Ideas about family life colour our decisions about where…

The Foundational Economy and Citizenship

The Foundational Economy has been described as those everyday goods and services that provide the basis for a civilized life. But this begs numerous questions including: What does the Foundational Economy consist of? Why should we be concerned about it? And how can ordinary people get involved in developing it? In a new edited collection…

Civil Society through the Lifecourse

This book focuses on how people’s engagement with civil society changes over the lifecourse. There has been growing concern in recent decades about the health of civil society. A lot of evidence points to an overall decline in civic participation – and in particular a lack of engagement by young people. It is generally the…

Crafting civil society during COVID-19

On 10th August 2020 a group of women volunteers gathered at Lark craft studio at Cardiff MADE to make re-useable face-masks for members of the local community on low incomes. The initial idea for this event came from Sarah May, who posted an appeal on her local Mutual Aid Group, and was joined by local…