Publications

For over sixty years significant research activity has addressed the extent to which the effects of social class over the life-course have determined or contributed to an individual’s economic and social fate in old age. This has led to the elaboration and discussion of a whole host of conceptual and measurement issues among a growing…

Work is an important feature of the modern Welsh economy. A lot is known about pay, but less is known about other features of work such as what skills do jobs require, how relevant are qualifications for work, and how does training and learning compare with other parts of Britain. This report provides some answers.

Attitudinal data on the experience of work and the intrinsic quality of work in Wales are relatively rare. This report offers unique insights into the stresses and strains of work, the attitudes of workers towards employment and who they work for, and the fear of job loss.

This article explores the substantive representation of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people in party manifestos in general elections and regional elections in the United Kingdom, 1945–2011. The findings show that while there is some evidence of progress, there is also significant variation in the attention that parties afford to LGBT issues, and a…

Major Objectives To examine the on going consequences of the deficit reduction programme on measures of labour market inequality To explore the nature of regional variation in public-private sector pay To consider the intrinsic quality of work in the public sector and private sectors of the economy The study is based on the secondary analysis…

This paper argues that New Labour’s ‘Third Way’ project – and the chaos that ensued – can only be understood by grasping the longstanding, complex and intimate relationship between education and the middle class. Drawing on empirical data from ongoing investigations into the allegiances of the middle class, the paper shows how New Labour’s desire…

This paper attempts to analyse current developments in education through exploring shifts in the politics of education over time. Rather than looking at education policy in terms of political provenance (left or right) or ideological underpinnings (the state or the market, the public or the private), the paper compares education policies in terms of the…

This paper examines the impact of devolution on social welfare for older people and the associated administration of age equality. Analysis of policy discourse, rights and stakeholders’ views reveals divergent practice in the constituent nations of the UK. In normative terms this is shown to present a tension between universal welfare rights and entitlements –…

The Chancellor of the Exchequer announced in the Autumn Statement of 2011 that the public sectorpay freeze would come to an end in 2012/13, with public sector pay awards of 1 per cent planned overthe next 2 years thereafter. Emphasis was also placed on making public sector pay more responsive tolocal labour market conditions. Evidence…

In this paper we use the most recently available data from the Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, April 2011, to examine the size of the gender pay gap in Wales. The paper looks at how the gender pay gap varies across industries and occupations in Wales and analyses how the gender pay gap has…