Social Policy Association

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

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SPA Blog

The Social Policy Association is a learned society and charity. Our purpose is to advance the teaching, research, and dissemination of knowledge in the field of social policy, and to represent the interests of our members.  The aim of our blog is to:

  • increase the public understanding of social policy
  • facilitate the sharing and exchange of knowledge between experts within and outside universities;
  • open up academic research to increase its impact.

All blogs published on this website express the views of the authors, and not of the Social Policy Association.

The Social Policy Awards 2026: It’s nomination time!

January 19, 2026 S-P-A-Administrator 0

By Dr Hayley Bennett, Awards Portfolio holder, SPA Executive Committee. Image: 2025 SPA Awards ceremony, by Elizabeth Bailey. Source: EASP SPA 2025 Conference Bluesky Account (@easp-spa-2025.bsky.social).  […]

Blog: Making a Contribution: Reflections on my role as a UC Claimant Survivor advocating for co-designed welfare reform. Blog 2: Critical Perspectives on lived experience in Social Security Policy Research

November 13, 2025 S-P-A-Administrator 0

Lisa Holden Just knowing that I am connected to a bigger picture is so important. Knowing I am not alone in my lived experience of […]

Blog: Promoting Students’ Engagement with Formative Essays through Reflexive Learning

November 6, 2025 S-P-A-Administrator 0

By Arvind Kumar, Visiting Lecturer at the University of Hertfordshire, & Associate Fellow at the Institute of Commonwealth Studies, University of London. — Introduction Formative […]

Blog: Skills in the UK: Challenges and Opportunities for Boosting Economic Growth and Achieving Net Zero

November 4, 2025 S-P-A-Administrator 0

By Elke Heins (University of Edinburgh) and Steven Ballantyne (Freie Universität Berlin). Image by Easy-Peasy.AI.  — The UK’s skills landscape is undergoing significant reform in […]

Blog: Attending the Social Policy Association annual conference – reports from early career researchers from the Pensions Policy Group

October 20, 2025 S-P-A-Administrator 0

Attending the Social Policy Association annual conference – reports from early career researchers from the Pensions Policy Group Keywords: pensions policy, annual conference, early career, […]

“The doubt creeps in, but we’re going to keep trying”. Blog 1 – critical perspectives on lived experience in social security policy research

October 15, 2025 S-P-A-Administrator 0

By Mel. The author is an expert by experience who would like to be known by their first name only. — I didn’t even realise […]

Blog: Afternoon Tea and Policy in Renfrewshire

October 13, 2025 S-P-A-Administrator 0

By Hartwig Pautz, Greig Inglis, Colin Clark and Julie Clark. A Social Policy Association Opportunity Grants Project Report. — The Paisley campus of the University […]

Blog: Tax Expenditures: Challenges and Opportunities in the UK and Beyond

September 22, 2025 S-P-A-Administrator 0

By Agustin Redonda (Council on Economic Policies) and Adrian Sinfield (University of Edinburgh). — Earlier this year, the first in-person conference of the Social Policy […]

Blog: Who are working people and why is growth good?

September 12, 2025 S-P-A-Administrator 0

By Neil Small, Emeritus Professor of Health Research at the University of Bradford. Keywords: Fiscal policy, growth, UK Parliament, working people. Image from Pixabay on […]

Blog: Autism Education in Wales and Northern Ireland: Why Promises Still Fall Short

September 3, 2025 S-P-A-Administrator 0

By Elliw Siân Williams. Key Words: Autism education Wales, inclusive education Northern Ireland, autism policy UK, special educational needs, Additional Learning Needs Act Wales, Autism […]

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Recent Posts

  • SPA Annual Conference 2027: Ulster University, 28th-30th June
  • Blog: Sharing parental leave evidence in Parliament: observations from the SPA Family Policy Group
  • Blog: Thirty Years After Welfare Reform, the Trump Administration is Starving the Poor into Work
  • Blog: Not Just a Form to Fill In: Why the SPA’s New Code of Ethics Matters for Social Policy Research
  • News: SPA Members Appointed as Fellows to the Academy of Social Sciences
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News

  • SPA Annual Conference 2027: Ulster University, 28th-30th June
  • Blog: Sharing parental leave evidence in Parliament: observations from the SPA Family Policy Group
  • Blog: Thirty Years After Welfare Reform, the Trump Administration is Starving the Poor into Work
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