Social and Public Policy

Johan Christensen, and Sarah Brown, discuss the sudden demand for experts during the COVID-19 pandemic and how much influence these experts actually have over public policies.…Read more

Ian Cummins, author of 'Welfare and Punishment', presents an analysis of the punitive turn since 1979 that has resulted in a huge increase in the prison population and a shredding of the welfare safety net.…Read more

Why are Black and minority ethnic women at particular risk of domestic abuse during lockdown? Launching the report 'Domestic violence during the lockdown: the needs of Black and minoritised communities during the pandemic', Aisha K. Gill and Sundari Anitha outline the issues specific to minority women, from forced marriage, rejection by refuges and reduced contact with support agencies. …Read more

Lyn Tett and Mary Hamilton, editors of 'Resisting Neoliberalism in Education', call for a new direction in education, expanding access to online resources, prioritising ALL learner perspectives and harnessing the creativity brought by new voices to the policy table.…Read more

Rajiv Prabhakar, author of 'Financial Inclusion', outlines some of the reasons for the tensions between academics and policy makers, and calls for a better understanding of how these groups can help each other, whether in the field of financial inclusion or COVID-19 public health policy.…Read more

Andrew Ryder and Nidhi Trehan, co-editors of 'Romani Communities and Transformative Change', discuss the recent report into the psychological effects of hate crime on Gypsies, Travellers and Roma in the UK.…Read more

An update on the work of Julian House, Bristol University Press’s 2020 fundraising cause, outlining how COVID-19 has been an extra pressure on charities supporting victims of domestic abuse.…Read more

Launching 'Romani Communities and Transformative Change', Andrew Ryder, Marius Taba and Nidhi Trehan call for a renewed hope for a Social Europe offered by the post-COVID-19 economic stimulus with the needs of marginalised communities at its centre.…Read more

Launching their new book ‘Working in the Context of Austerity: Challenges and Struggles’, Donna Baines and Ian Cunningham call for a major rethink of social and employment policies that can provide alternatives to austerity and protect against its damaging impacts.…Read more

John Clarke, author of 'Critical Dialogues', reminds us that the inequality in society means that people’s perspective of home can vary hugely, and explores the disruption the pandemic has had on our sense of place. …Read more