News and Blog

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 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…

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 forms an important element in the Enlightenment trinity of market-state-civil society and has been well studied, with authors attempting to trace its genealogy in political, economic, and social theory. But this approach did not match the concerns of those within the WISERD Civil Society ESRC research centre. Instead, I interpreted civil society as…

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 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…

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…

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…

Understanding the impact of COVID-19 on children is one of the most important issues researchers and policy-makers currently face. Through our pre-existing links with schools across Wales, we have been able to gather data from over 500 children about their experience of education through lockdown. The children told us about their attendance at school, the…

The Welsh Government was forced to backtrack on the grading method agreed with regulator Qualifications Wales after an outcry over students being downgraded led to a u-turn in Scotland and changes in England. An 11th hour review took place to ensure that students didn’t lose out in Wales after England and Scotland announced major concessions….