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…

Learning has occupied a prominent place in Chinese culture since ancient times with the philosophy and practice of K’ung Ch’iu, (c551-c479, BCE), known to the Occident as Confucius, a pervasive influence (Liu Wu-Chi 1955). The promotion of learning was the duty of Imperial officials, and this also achieved high levels of civic participation by local…

This evidence paper focuses on working time and places of work as key aspects of the future of flexible working. It addresses how work organisation, including the time structure, intensity, and location of work, can be managed and developed in the post pandemic period in ways that meet the needs of both employers and employees…

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…

This policy brief focuses on working time and places of work as key aspects of the future of flexible working. It considers how work organisation, including the time structure, intensity, and location of work, can be managed and developed in the post-pandemic period in ways that meet the needs of both employers and employees across…