Publications

Introduction Events surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic drew attention to the importance of local neighbourhoods as people were encouraged wherever possible to work from home, the physical and mental health benefits of active means of travel were promoted, and communities became more reliant on services in their local areas. At the same time governments around the…

This chapter is based on qualitative research conducted in Aber Valley, South Wales, which explores the employment experiences and relationships of a group of working-class men who rejected formal education in their youth. Drawing on data from semi-structured interviews and visual methods, participants’ experiences and relationships with employment are, it is argued, influenced by community…

There is a longstanding policy interest in understanding the impacts of changes in access to public and private services in rural areas. To date much of the empirical analysis concerning changing patterns of accessibility has been predicated on assumptions regarding the mode of transport used to access such facilities. The availability of new and open…

Most Indigenous peoples’ languages are considered severely endangered, and Mapuzungun is no exception. Mapuche associations in Santiago de Chile have implemented a series of workshops to revitalise the language and revert this trend. This article uses ethnographic data to analyse two interconnected aspects that have motivated members of Mapuche associations to participate in community language…

This first pan-regional analysis of civil society organizations’ perspectives on the contemporary situation of human rights defenders (HRDs) in the Commonwealth of Independent States uses United Nations’ Universal Periodic Review (UPR) data and reveals a shrinking civil space as HRDs face a raft of rights pathologies, including threats, violence and murder. Their work is curtailed…

This Research Note presents new estimates of trade union membership derived for detailed geographical areas across Great Britain. Analysis reveals the wide variations in union density that exist both across the country and within particular regions.  Over the period 2000-2021, union density is shown to vary between 10% in Kensington and Chelsea to 54% in…

Policy experts reflect on the first twenty years of self-governance in Wales. Following a 1997 referendum, the United Kingdom established the Welsh Parliament and began a process known as “devolution,” granting Wales increasing powers of self-governance over the next twenty years. This collection reflects on the course of Welsh devolution and the emergence of a…

This Statistical Compendia is based on research supported by the Wales Institute of Social & Economic Research, Data & Methods (WISERD). Those who wish to use this data should cite its source as: Davies R., Bryson A. and Jones S. (2022) Geographical Variations in Trade Union Membership – 2000-2021, Cardiff: Wales Institute of Social &…

Multiple systemic crises have highlighted the vulnerabilities of our globalised food system, raising the demand for more resilient and ecologically sustainable alternatives, and fuelling engagement in practices such as community-supported agriculture (CSA). In CSA, local farmers and households share the costs and products of farming, allowing them to organise food provision non-commercially around short supply…

The UK, as elsewhere, has seen an accelerating trend of bank branch closures and reduced opening hours since the early 2000s. The reasons given by the banks are well rehearsed, but the impact assessments they provide to justify such programs and signpost alternatives have been widely criticized as being inadequate. This is particularly so for…