Publications

Despite widespread claims about the benefits of social procurement, there is little robust evidence that emerging social procurement policies are achieving their intended outcomes. Addressing this gap in research, this paper presents a case study of a theoretically informed and methodologically robust evaluative social return on investment (SROI) analysis of a construction training initiative developed…

Though there is general awareness that language policy is a multi-level activity, there has been little systematic analysis of how interactions between actors and institutions at different territorial scales can influence language policy development. By engaging with two public policy approaches, multi-level governance and new institutionalism, this chapter develops a multi-level institutional framework to systematically…

This chapter contributes to the discussion on contemporary rural development programs, with a focus on their alignment with the sustainable development goals (SDGs) in the Global South. The study examines an action research project led by Ayuda En Acción, in collaboration with co-operatives under the Mondragon Co-operative Corporation (MCC) such as Mundukide Foundation, Alecop, and…

This commentary proposes the adoption of a spatial justice approach to under-standing the multiple crises facing rural Britain and developing policy responses. It introduces spatial justice as a concept rooted in urban studies but recently ex-tended by an emerging literature on rural spatial justice, and outlines a multidi-mensional framework in which spatial justice may be…

Using nationally representative longitudinal data from Understanding Society we explore the relationship between disability and political participation in the UK. More specifically, we examine the determinants of the ‘disability voting gap’, and assess how it varies by the severity, type and chronicity of disability. After accounting for demographic characteristics, the disability voting gap across UK General Elections…

Alternative provision (AP) is where young people at risk of exclusion because of their behaviour are removed from mainstream education into alternative forms of education. This research explores construction AP delivered by five organisations, using the work of Basil Bernstein as the theoretical approach on the sources of consensus and disaffection in education. Disaffection arises…

It is estimated that a third of people in the United Kingdom with signs of dementia are living without a formal diagnosis. In Wales, the proportion is nearly half. Some explanations for the gap between prevalence of dementia and number of diagnoses include living with a long-term partner/spouse and systemic barriers to diagnosis. This study…

It is estimated that over half a million people visited one network of ‘warm rooms’ during the winter of 2022 in the UK, a figure that may rise to 2.5 million people if other networks are considered. As well as offering a means to try to limit exposure to cold temperatures and reduce household energy costs,…

This paper explores UK school students’ protest activism relating to their schools’ policies and practices, drawing on two datasets: 1) a newspaper analysis of media reports relating to school protests between 2000 and 2021; 2) a survey of 800 secondary school pupils in Wales. Drawing on social movements literature and adapting concepts for the school…

Demands for independence have increased across Europe in the last decade,but there are limits to our understanding of what makes secessionist partiesmore ambiguous or assertive on independence. This article’s originalcontribution to the literature on regionalist parties in Western Europe is inaddressing gaps in understanding of secessionist party strategy.Consequently, its original theoretical contribution is to enrich…