Social Policy Association

The professional association for lecturers, researchers and students of social policy in the UK and internationally

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50th Anniversary Blog Series

2017 marked the 50th anniversary of the SPA. To celebrate this milestone we commissioned 50 blog posts from leading experts in the field, edited by Kevin Farnsworth and Zoe Irving. You can read all 50 of these posts below.
 
“Social policy matters. Rigorous, independent, robust study of it matters, as does teaching the next generation to be more policy-literate. At 50 the SPA is as important to all of these as ever, helping to develop, integrate and safeguard the subject and its members and contribute to better social policies.”
(50 words to mark 50 years, Adrian Sinfield)
Delivery drivers are amongst those harmed by Universal Credit's failure to adequately support the self-employed.

No 40: How the social protection system can fail the self-employed

December 10, 2018 S-P-A-Administrator 0

by Kevin Caraher and Enrico Reuter Rachel Mantell, a self-employed management consult, earns more than £100,000 per year, can afford to spend £6,000 on holidays, […]

Child poverty has increased under austerity while support services and welfare have been cut.

No 39: Austerity adversely targets children in need

December 3, 2018 S-P-A-Administrator 0

By Harriet Churchill In October Prime Minister Teresa May spoke again about her desire to tackle burning injustices and her belief in the good government […]

Scotland's Social Security bill holds important lessons for Westminster.

No 38: What we can learn from Scotland’s approach to social security

October 15, 2018 S-P-A-Administrator 0

by Ruth Patrick Too often, we are told that welfare traps people in dependency, discouraging individuals from making the right choices, and enabling a culture […]

What will social policy in the UK look like in 50 years? Rod Hick offers five suggestions.

No 37: Social Policy’s next 50 years

October 9, 2018 S-P-A-Administrator 0

By Rod Hick The Social Policy Association’s (SPA’s) 50th anniversary blog series has demonstrated the rich variety of topics examined by social policy scholars. While […]

No 36: Supporting Fathers to Take Parental Leave to Reduce Gender Pay Gaps

July 19, 2018 S-P-A-Administrator 0

by Alison Koslowski Fewer than 1 in 10 eligible fathers in the UK are taking some amount of shared parental leave, in contrast to close […]

Though microfinance is designed to help lift the poor out of poverty, research shows that it can actually do harm when practised poorly.

No 35: At harm’s length: when development bureaucracies mean business

July 2, 2018 S-P-A-Administrator 1

by Mathilde Maîtrot When she first started borrowing from Microfinance Institutions (MFIs), Naseema — a 40-year-old widow living in a small village in a northern […]

No 34: Shining a light: reporting on equalities and protected characteristics

June 18, 2018 S-P-A-Administrator 0

by Sarah Vickerstaff As the first round of gender pay gap reporting hits the news, it is worth reflecting on the wider issues around equality […]

Dr Elke Heins explains why strong trade unions often go hand-in-hand with strong social protections.

No 33: Trade unions and social protection – why the strength of collective organisation matters for social security

June 11, 2018 S-P-A-Administrator 0

by Elke Heins The recent strikes in defence of university staff pensions have surprised many with the powerful collective action displayed by members of the […]

Authentic assessment is an important way in which students can develop both academic and real-world skills.

No 32: Authentic assessment: why real world skills matter in the social policy classroom

June 4, 2018 S-P-A-Administrator 0

by Lee Gregory In his lecture “The university and Welfare Objectives”, Titmuss highlights two concerns for Social Policy within Higher Education: to provide training for […]

Populist, right-wing nationalism is on the rise across Europe. What should the social policy community be doing about it?

No 31: Radical right populism: is it about inequality or ethnic nationalism?

May 29, 2018 S-P-A-Administrator 0

by Markus Ketola The recent successes of populist parties in countries such as Germany, Hungary, Austria, Czech Republic, Netherlands and Finland — to name but […]

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Recent Posts

  • Social Policy Research and Impact Celebrated at 2026 SPA Awards
  • SPA Career-Launch Research Grants Open [Deadline 27 July 2026]
  • The Chartered Institute of Housing: Undergraduate Internship Opportunity
  • Vacancy: Journal of Social Policy (JSP) seeks to appoint a Fourth Co-Editor
  • Chair of Editorial Board, Journal of International and Comparative Social Policy: Call for applications
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  • Social Policy Research and Impact Celebrated at 2026 SPA Awards
  • SPA Career-Launch Research Grants Open [Deadline 27 July 2026]
  • The Chartered Institute of Housing: Undergraduate Internship Opportunity
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