Publications

Since devolution, the Welsh Government has implemented a range of progressive curriculum reforms that have sought to foster enthusiasm for learning, to develop key academic skills and competencies and to promote a strong sense of citizenship. The Welsh Government has now committed itself to a fundamental and independent review of the national curriculum and assessment…

The following article, which is intended to complement other assessments, focuses on a significant dimension to the legacy of the prominent Chinese anthropologist Fei Xiao Tong his role as a public intellectual in Communist China. It was a role which had its origins in Republican China (1911-1949) with the struggle against Japanese imperialism (1937-1945) and…

This study explores the level of attention (‘issue-salience’) and use of language (‘policy framing’) related to tourism in political parties’ manifestos in Scottish, Welsh and Northern Irish elections in the UK. The findings reveal significant increases in the salience of tourism as an election issue—as well as parties’ contrasting use of language when placing policy…

Welfare state theory has struggled to come to terms with the role of the third sector. It has often categorized welfare states in terms of the pattern of interplay between state social policies and the structure of the labour market. Moreover, it has frequently offered an exclusive focus on state policy – thereby failing to…

This article reports on a study that examined the personal employment paths of six international academics at a British university. To complement previous accounts of difficult migration, it focuses on the successful experiences of such academics, in particular how proficiency in English facilitated their move into employment in higher education (HE), and the linguistic competences…

This study is concerned with the substantive representation of disabled people (SRDP) in legislative settings; in other words, addressing disabled people’s needs and concerns in policy and lawmaking. Mixed methods analysis of post-1940 Acts of the UK Parliament, backbench MPs’ use of early day motions (EDMs) and written parliamentary questions (WPQs) reveals long-standing institutional ableism….

This study uses mixed methods to explore the issue salience and policy framing of animal welfare in UK state-wide parties’ Westminster election manifestos and parliamentary Early Day Motions. Over the past three decades there has been a gradual increase in salience, accompanied by a Left–Right cleavage. The latter is a function of contrasting framing practices…

Introduction Opponents of wind farms and other contested infrastructure developments often base their arguments against such developments in terms of impacts on, for example, landscape aesthetics, tourism potential, health concerns and property values in the areas surrounding such developments. With regard to the latter, there is a relatively small evidence base on which to judge…

This paper examines the impact of the UK Public Sector Pay Review Bodies (PRBs) on the pay of their remit groups comparing the real weekly earnings of workers using ASHE and LFS data from 1993 to 2007 for 10 occupational subgroups. Using consecutive difference-in-differences we can identify whether the PRBs have had an impact by…

This study addresses a key lacuna by exploring the role of electoral politics in shaping public policy on rail transport in (quasi-)federal systems of governance. Attention centres on issue-salience and policy framing in party manifestos in state-wide and regional elections. The findings reveal a significant rise in issue-salience in parties׳ Westminster election programmes; with right-…