Newsroom University of Manchester

School of Social Sciences' Initiative Brings Language Support to Booth Centre’s Multilingual Community

Mon, 16 Dec 2024 13:46:16 +0000

This collaboration, funded and developed by the School of Social Sciences (SoSS) Social Responsibility Committee, brought on 50 student volunteers as translators, ensuring critical services remain accessible to all, including those whose first language is not English. The initiative addressed a growing need, as many of the ’s visitors navigate complex processes related to housing, benefits, and employment support.

Launched in early 2023, the volunteer translator programme has achieved notable success in a short period, offering both document translation and in-person interpretation services. Student volunteers translated essential materials - such as informational leaflets, forms, and letters - into 22 different languages to ensure that non-English-speaking clients can access critical information.

Two students have also provided in-person interpretation during important meetings and appointments at the Centre, bridging communication gaps that might otherwise prevent individuals from fully accessing support.

Phil Drake, Director of Social Responsibility for the School of Social Sciences, said:

Megan Hadfield, a representative from the University and trustee of the Booth Centre, emphasised the programme’s importance, noting:

Reflecting on the initiative, Conor Miller, the Booth Centre’s facilities manager, shared:

Looking ahead, the Booth Centre, with the assistance of the SoSS Social Responsibility Committee, aims to expand the programme. Plans included increasing student engagement by refining the induction process and aligning training schedules with academic calendars to accommodate students’ availability. Additionally, the committee intends to recruit volunteers proficient in high-demand languages, such as Arabic and Eastern European dialects, to meet the evolving needs of the Centre’s community.

Through funding and support from the SoSS Social Responsibility Committee, this initiative empowered students to use their skills meaningfully while providing crucial language support that helps Booth Centre clients navigate complex systems. This collaboration exemplified the University’s mission to foster social responsibility by addressing community needs through sustainable, impactful projects.

Dr Claire Fox awarded Principal Fellowship from AdvanceHE

Thu, 12 Dec 2024 15:58:11 +0000

The School of Social Sciences is delighted to announce of the has been awarded a Principal Fellowship from AdvanceHE.

is awarded to individuals who demonstrate a sustained and effective record of strategic leadership in academic practice and significant influence in higher education, both within and beyond their institutions.

As Director for the School, Claire has led the charge in promoting the School of Social Sciences' commitment to equality and diversity in the workplace. She encourages both staff and students to actively participate in fostering these changes.

Claire’s dedication to promoting inclusion is also evident in her research, which focuses on victimisation, particularly among ‘hidden’ or hard to identify groups. This includes migrant populations, young people who are offending or at risk of offending, and those who have experienced Honour Based Abuse.

Principal Fellows represent a diverse community united by their impactful leadership and vision, which has driven sustained transformation in outcomes and practices. It is a significant achievement for Claire to be part of this cohort. She has expressed her enthusiasm by stating that:

Manchester sociologist wins award for her distinguished service

Tue, 10 Dec 2024 13:39:38 +0000

��Vlog�ٷ�'s has been announced as this year’s winner of the Distinguished Service to British Sociology Award.

The is judged on service to British sociology and awarded to the outstanding individual who has contributed most to the discipline by leading an extraordinary life as a sociologist.

Claire is the Head of the School of Social Sciences and Professor of Sociology and has researched and published on race, ethnicity, youth and migration in the UK for over thirty years. She is a member of the Centre on the Dynamics of Ethnicity (CoDE).

Between 2011 and 2018, Claire was Editor of Identities: Global Studies in Culture and Power and she is on the editorial boards of Ethnic and Racial Studies and Whiteness and Education.

She is also a Trustee of the Esmee Fairbairn Foundation and Active Communities Network and was formerly Vice-Chair of the Stuart Hall Foundation and the Runnymede Trust.

Report finds that 10% of people from ethnic minorities in Scotland have suffered recent racist physical attack

Tue, 10 Dec 2024 13:00:00 +0000

The finds that one in four people from an ethnic minority experience unfair racist treatment in their job or education, and one in ten experienced recent unfair treatment in housing or from the police.

Ten percent of ethnic minorities in Scotland have suffered recent racist physical attack. Black and Chinese ethnic groups in Scotland have particularly high levels of reporting racist insult and unfair racist treatment from police.

More than one third of people from ethnic minorities in Scotland worried about racist harassment. The majority of people identifying as Black, Pakistani, Indian and Jewish in Scotland worried about racist harassment. Levels of worry about racism were higher in Scotland than in England and Wales for many ethnic groups.

The report is produced by CoDE working in collaboration with BEMIS, the national umbrella body supporting the development of the Ethnic Minorities Voluntary Sector in Scotland.

The report is based on data from Evidence for Equality National Survey (EVENS), the largest and most comprehensive survey to document the lives of ethnic and religious minorities in Britain during the pandemic.

The collaboration is part of , an initiative which works with research and voluntary sector partners to explore how the EVENS dataset can be used in racial justice work beyond academia.

Read the report: y.

The report is authored by Nissa Finney (University of St Andrews), Nigel de Noronha (University of Manchester) and BEMIS. We acknowledge funding from the UKRI Economic and Social Research Council via the CoDE grants ‘Exploring racial and ethnic inequality in a time of crisis’ (ES/V013475/1), ‘The social, cultural and economic impacts of the pandemic on ethnic and racialised groups in the UK’ (ES/W000849/1) and Legacy Grant funding (ESW012340/1).

Professor Judith Phillips joins University of Manchester as Visiting Professor

Tue, 03 Dec 2024 09:28:27 +0000

��Vlog�ٷ� is delighted to announce the appointment of Professor Judith Phillips as a Simon and Hallsworth Visiting Professor at the School of Social Sciences.

Professor Phillips, a distinguished Social and Environmental Gerontology Professor, is visiting from The University of Stirling, where she has made significant contributions to research and policy in the field of ageing.

Professor Phillips brings a wealth of experience and expertise to Manchester. During her tenure as Deputy Principal for Research at Stirling (2016–2024), over 80% of the University’s research was rated as world-leading or internationally excellent, and her leadership resulted in the largest increase in research grant capture in Stirling’s history.

She also served as Research Director for the Healthy Ageing Challenge under UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) from 2020 to 2024. Professor Phillips was previously the Deputy Pro-Vice-Chancellor of Swansea University and Director of the Research Institute for Applied Social Sciences. She also established the Centre for Innovative Ageing at Swansea and directed the Centre for Ageing and Dementia Research for Wales.

Professor Phillips’ contributions to gerontology have been recognised with numerous fellowships and awards, including an OBE for services to older people in 2013 and the British Society of Gerontology’s Outstanding Achievement Award in 2021.

At ��Vlog�ٷ�, Professor Phillips will engage in a series of strategic initiatives aimed at advancing research on ageing and enhancing ��Vlog�ٷ�’s already world-leading research capabilities in social gerontology and ageing.

Professor Tine Buffel, Professor of Sociology and Social Gerontology at the University has shared:

New book calls for urgent government action to regulate online platforms

Fri, 29 Nov 2024 09:37:18 +0000

A new book by from ��Vlog�ٷ� is calling for the government to take immediate action to regulate online platforms such as Airbnb and Uber. These platforms have transformed the way we work and live, but some of their impacts have been damaging - especially when it comes to housing and jobs.

In , Dr Yates highlights how letting platforms such as Airbnb have contributed to a shortage of housing - as more homes are used for short-term rentals, fewer are available for people looking for permanent housing. Gig economy platforms including Uber and Deliveroo have also made jobs less secure - most of their workers don’t receive the same benefits or protections as regular employees.

In particular, the book explores the extensive and controversial ways in which digital platforms have lobbied to avoid regulation and protect their advantages. These have included opaque approaches known as ‘corporate grassroots lobbying’, where platforms mobilise their users and allies against legislative proposals. Dr Yates points out that this type of lobbying is becoming more common, posing a threat to democratic processes.

To address these issues, the book proposes several urgent changes that the government should make:

Create a Lobbying Register: Platform companies often lobby the government in secret, making it difficult to regulate them properly. Dr Yates calls for a mandatory register of all lobbying, whether conducted in-house or by third parties, to ensure transparency and fair governance.

Protect Housing and Workers’ Rights: He also recommends that the government give local councils the power to prevent more houses from being turned into short-term lets. Additionally, stronger laws are needed to protect workers in the gig economy and ensure their rights are upheld.

Implement Short-Term Letting Rules: Although the UK government has started looking into regulating short-term lets, Dr Yates stresses that this process must not be delayed. Without stronger rules, more homes will be lost to platforms like Airbnb, making it harder for people to find affordable housing.

Digital platforms were initially celebrated for their potential benefits, such as creating new income streams and helping communities and the environment. However, Dr Yates’ research shows that these platforms have caused unexpected problems. Policymakers at all levels are struggling to regulate platforms because they often lack reliable data and cooperation from the businesses involved.

Companies like Airbnb and Uber often start operating in cities without permission, quickly expanding and attracting users. Once the government tries to regulate them, these companies use tactics like lobbying to slow down or change the laws. They even mobilise their users to fight against regulation, making it seem like it’s the public pushing back when it is actually the companies themselves.

“As the digital economy continues to evolve, it’s crucial that policymakers take the necessary steps to protect the public from the growing negative effects of platform businesses,” said Dr Yates. “The government needs to create more transparent lobbying rules, protect housing, and ensure workers’ rights are not eroded by these rapidly expanding businesses.”

Celebrating Entrepreneurship: A Successful Global Entrepreneurship Week 2024 by the Masood Entrepreneurship Centre

Thu, 28 Nov 2024 15:35:45 +0000

The Masood Entrepreneurship Centre (MEC) successfully hosted Global Entrepreneurship Week (GEW) 2024 at ��Vlog�ٷ�. From November 18 to 24, MEC offered a diverse program of speaker sessions, interactive workshops, and its first-ever Startup Weekend.

Global Entrepreneurship Week (GEW) is an annual event that celebrates and empowers entrepreneurs worldwide. The Masood Entrepreneurship Centre offered events throughout the week, catering to individuals at all stages of their entrepreneurial journey, from newcomers to those ready to scale their ideas. The events drew 263 students and delivered over 32 hours of programming.

The week began with the inspiring Startup Spotlight with Dr. Mehdi Boutagouga Boudjadja, the visionary Founder of Metofico. He generously shared deep, invaluable insights from his entrepreneurial journey from a PhD student to a Venture Further Awards winner, captivating the audience with stories of challenges he overcame.

Throughout the week, participants had access to a comprehensive series of professional development workshops and learning opportunities:

💡 A strategic AI Marketing masterclass conducted by Peter Dickinson, focusing on advanced methodologies for business development

🎯 An executive Personal Branding 101 workshop facilitated by Jessica Lewis-Tatton, designed to enhance participants' professional presence

🎤 The Ready, Set, Pitch! competition, providing emerging entrepreneurs with a platform to present their business ideas

📚 An essential 'Introduction to Starting a Business' seminar by Jessica Lewis-Tatton delivering strategic business fundamentals

🧠 An insightful Neurodivergence & Entrepreneurship session facilitated by Matilda Page and Dr. Rob Martin, examining diverse entrepreneurial perspectives

The week concluded with the inaugural Startup Weekend, a three-day intensive program where 140 participants collaborated to develop their business concepts into viable ventures. The level of innovation and professional dedication demonstrated was exemplary.

The Masood Entrepreneurship Centre extends its gratitude to the speakers, mentors, and participants who contributed to the success of #GEW2024. The professional excellence and collaborative approach exhibited throughout the event reinforces Manchester's status as a premier destination for entrepreneurship and innovation.

MEC looks forward to seeing the exciting ventures and connections that emerge from this incredible week.

Economics Professor appointed to Science Advisory Council

Thu, 28 Nov 2024 11:16:03 +0000

A panel of scientific experts will provide education policy makers with advice on strategic and emerging issues through a new , the Department for Education has recently announced.

, Professor of Economics, ��Vlog�ٷ�, and Deputy Research Director, has been appointed as one of the specialist team of 12 experts to ensure access to the best and latest scientific advice – helping the department’s work to break down the barriers to opportunity by protecting children and ensuring the delivery of higher standards of education, training and care.

The independent panel will provide scientific advice to the Department for Education on matters relevant to its policy and operations. This will include areas such as early identification and support of children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), mental health support, online harms prevention, a sustainable and secure school estate and artificial intelligence and education technology.

The council will also work with the chief scientific adviser to identify and share emerging scientific trends with officials and facilitate effective links between the department and the wider scientific community.

More information can be found on the .

What’s in your wardrobe? Exploring the power of stories and connections

Tue, 26 Nov 2024 09:58:52 +0000

We all have those items of clothing that have sentimental value, acting as reminders of significant moments in our life.

A recent event, “What's In Your Wardrobe? Telling & Sharing Clothing Stories”, encouraged attendees to bring items of clothing, and delve into the associations, memories, and connections these special items held.

It explored how we use stories to understand ourselves and our relationships, encapsulating the principles of the Being Human Festival, which celebrates how the Humanities inspire and enrich our daily lives, and help us navigate a changing world.

The event was held at Ascension Church Hall in Hulme, and featured Jolene Sheehan (community workshop lead, poet, artist, and more), Professor Sophie Woodward (from ��Vlog�ٷ�’s Morgan Centre for Research into Everyday Lives), and Dr Benjamin Wild (Reader in Fashion Narratives at Manchester Fashion Institute, Manchester Metropolitan University).

All three speakers incorporate storytelling into their work. For Sophie and Ben, stories are the threads that connect us to our lives, identities, and imaginations. Jolene leads the project, which aims to connect people to each other, themselves, and their memories through writing. We were delighted to have a number of participants from this project join us for the event.

The stories behind the items of clothing were moving, engaging and uplifting.

One woman brought a prayer dress, a loose-fitting garment with a scarf, typically worn by Muslim women during prayer. This item has gained additional significance during the Israel-Gaza conflict, as Palestinian women have taken to wearing their prayer clothes day and night, staying covered and prepared for any situation.

Another attendee brought the dress she wore on her first date with her then-boyfriend (now husband) nearly 40 years ago. The dress has adapted with changing fashions and hemlines but has remained a constant in her life, standing in stark contrast to the fast fashion dominating our high streets.

Such items and shared stories were deeply individual, yet they connected people within the room and beyond, highlighting important familial relationships and communities bound by empathy and solidarity.

“Talking is important” said one attendee and I couldn’t agree more.

To keep up-to-date with methods@manchester activities and events please here or connect via our .

Manchester Innocence Project students’ success at the Greater Manchester Pro Bono Awards 2024

Fri, 22 Nov 2024 16:24:34 +0000

It was a successful night for the Justice Hub at the first Manchester Pro Bono Awards with the students, Rachel McMurrough, Roan Goulden, Matilde Mesquita de Malo and Isobel Hoy winning ‘Student Group of the Year’.

The MIP bring together staff, students and solicitors with the aim of helping those wrongfully convicted and promoting positive change in the justice system.

This group of students impressed the judges through their investigative work, including submitting a 235-page document to the Criminal Cases Review Commission, their dedication to supporting clients through online meetings and visits to clients in prison, sorting and filing 1000’s of documents, all while completing their University studies.

The students nominated in the ‘Student Group of the Year’ category were honoured to not only be shortlisted but to take home the award. Second Year LLB Law Student, Roan Goulden, shared with us,:

The Justice Hub had also been shortlisted in the ‘Educational Institute of the Year’, the judges praised the University's investment in pro bono and commitment to ‘ a culture of helping those in need’, highlighting the work of the Justice Hub which incorporates our Legal Advice Clinic, Manchester Free Legal Help, Manchester Innocence Project and Dementia Law Link.

The awards ceremony took place during the 23rd National Pro Bono week, facilitated by the Greater Manchester Pro Bono Committee as an opportunity to recognise and support the outstanding pro bono work done throughout Manchester.

University awarded major funding for cyber security and nuclear robotics projects to drive UK regional growth

Thu, 21 Nov 2024 15:12:56 +0000

��Vlog�ٷ� will partner two new projects which have the capacity to transform science and technology.

The projects are supported through £22 million of funding – of which each will receive £5 million - by the UKRI Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) Place Based Impact Acceleration Account (PBIAA) scheme.

The first project, CyberFocus, led by Lancaster University, will strengthen and deliver strategic investments in the region’s cyber ecosystem, fuelling the potential of the North West cyber sector and keeping the UK at the forefront of advance cyber security.

Danny Dresner, Professor of Cyber Security in the Department of Computer Science and the University’s academic lead for CyberFocus, said: “The volatile, risk-filled landscape of cyber security so often gives our adversaries free rein to innovate faster than those who create for the online safety of all of us."

CyberFocus brings together the universities of Manchester, Lancaster, Salford, Manchester Metropolitan, Central Lancashire, Cumbria and Liverpool.

It will also be supported by other partners including Team Barrow (Westmorland & Furness Council, and BAE Systems), Cumbria Chamber of Commerce, Cumbria LEP, Greater Manchester Combined Authority and Lancashire County Council.

The project aims to act as a catalyst for cyber knowledge exchange across the North West, fostering a collaborative approach to research and innovation, and helping the region drive economic growth and improve cyber resilience.

CyberFocus aims to:

Create 85 new collaborative partnerships
Develop 400 new products, processes, or services
Secure £40m additional funding for the region
Train 300 individuals in cyber innovation skills

The second project, led by the UK Atomic Energy Authority, focuses on nuclear robotics and artificial intelligence. It will connect academia with the supply chain, with the aim of decommissioning the country’s nuclear legacy, as well as developing technology that can be exploited by the nuclear fusion sector.

Barry Lennox, Professor of Applied Control, in the School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, is the University’s lead for this project.

The project will link Cumbria and Oxfordshire – its' university partners being The University of Cumbria, ��Vlog�ٷ� and The University of Oxford – and hopes to mobilise significant knowledge and technology transfer between these areas.

Being the only research focused university with a research base in West Cumbria, ��Vlog�ٷ� will also attempt to bring other universities into the region and support them, as they develop technology for the nuclear industry.

The project aims to:

Create 200 business opportunities
Establish 10 spin-out companies
Generate 200 new jobs
Engage 5,000 people in cluster-driven events

UK Science Minister, Lord Vallance said: “We are backing universities across the UK to home in on local strengths in research – from cybersecurity in Lancaster to maritime in Liverpool, offshore wind in Edinburgh to digital healthcare in Belfast – to support thousands of local jobs, boost skills and bring new technologies to market.

“This investment will allow innovators up and down the country to continue or expand their pioneering work to improve lives and kickstart growth in our economy with new opportunities.”

Other ongoing projects at ��Vlog�ٷ�, funded by EPSRC PBIAA, include the Industrial Biotechnology Innovation Catalyst (IBIC), which is a collaborative project led by the University, aimed at creating a cohesive ecosystem for Industrial Biotechnology innovation.

UKRI also funds the Impact Acceleration Account (IAA), which provides flexible support to progress the commercialisation and translational development of University research.

Sociology and Politics Success in Global Subject Rankings

Wed, 20 Nov 2024 16:24:56 +0000

The School of Social Sciences has seen two of its departments rise in the latest Shanghai Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU) Subject Rankings for 2024. Our department is now ranked in the top 50 globally for universities delivering ‘Political Science’, and our department has broken into the top 25, ranking 11th on the global rankings.

Our Heads of Department for Sociology and Politics have both welcomed the results as a reflection of the hard work of their academics and researchers.

Overall, the University has been placed among the top 25 worldwide in seven subject areas, and has two other subjects ranked in the top 50 globally. We are now ranked in 46 of the 55 subject areas covered by the ARWU, an impressive achievement.

These exceptional results demonstrate our commitment to research excellence and global impact across a diverse range of disciplines.

Unleash Your Potential with Global Entrepreneurship Week 2024

Fri, 15 Nov 2024 12:14:37 +0000

Global Entrepreneurship Week (GEW) is here to celebrate and empower entrepreneurs! Join the Masood Entrepreneurship Centre (MEC) for a week of exciting events, whether you're just starting out or ready to take your idea to the next level.

Join inspiring speaker sessions and workshops, with highlights including AI marketing, personal branding, pitch competitions, and neurodivergence in entrepreneurship. Conclude the week with MEC’s first-ever Startup Weekend, where you'll pitch ideas, form teams, and gain hands-on startup experience in just over two days. Learn, network, and accelerate your entrepreneurial journey!

Discover MEC’s Global Entrepreneurship Week events:

Monday 18 November: Startup Spotlight with Dr Mehdi Boutagouga Boudjadja

17:00 - 18:30 | 2.008, AMBS |

Join MEC's Startup Spotlight with Dr. Mehdi Boutagouga Boudjadja, VFA23 Technology winner and Metofico Founder and CEO, in partnership with UoM Management Society.

Tuesday 19 November: AI as Your Marketing Partner: Driving Growth and Efficiency for Startups

11:00 - 13:30 | 3.013a/3.013b, AMBS |

Elevate your startup marketing in Peter Dickinson's AI workshop, blending 40+ years of expertise with cutting-edge tools for success.

Tuesday 19 November: Personal Branding 101

15:00 - 16:30 | 2A.012, Nancy Rothwell Building |

Boost your career with this workshop on crafting your personal brand, enhancing networking skills, and curating a strong digital presence.

Wednesday 20 November: Ready, Set, Pitch!

14:00 - 16:00 | 2.007, AMBS |

Join the audience for Ready, Set, Pitch! to watch early-stage student entrepreneurs pitch for prizes.

Thursday 21 November: Intro to Starting a Business - Steps to Starting

13:00 - 15:00 | Enterprise Zone (2.039), AMBS |

Gain the foundational knowledge to start your business or side hustle with this workshop on business models, customer focus, and defining your unique value.

Thursday 21 November: Neurodivergence & Entrepreneurship Workshop

14:00 - 15:30 | 3.2, Roscoe Building |

Hear from neurodiverse role models, gain insights for university success, and enhance your skills in this empowering workshop.

Friday 22 Nov, Saturday 23 Nov & Sunday 24 Nov: Startup Weekend

Starts 18:30 on Friday 22 Nov | The Hive Space, 3rd Floor, AMBS |

Join Startup Weekend to network, collaborate and turn ideas into reality, fast-tracking your entrepreneurial journey!

Head to our to find out more!

The is the focal point for enterprise and entrepreneurship teaching, learning and startup support at ��Vlog�ٷ�, supporting all University of Manchester students, staff and recent graduates, across all subject disciplines.

New resources support dating app users and health practitioners

Wed, 13 Nov 2024 16:28:30 +0000

, and from the have produced a series of free resources with the aim of supporting the healthy, safe, and fun use of dating apps.

With as many as 1 in 10 people in the UK using dating apps, connecting with others online is part of everyday life. Over 900 LGBTQ+ and heterosexual dating app users took part in the research, and they told us that they used dating apps to find ‘the one’, to arrange hookups, for friendship, to make them feel less lonely, to pass the time or even for tourism tips.

Lots of people who used apps to connect with others found them useful, but others were dissatisfied. Some people were dissatisfied because the apps didn’t help them achieve their aims and others experienced discrimination or abuse.

This shares insights from the project to help people get the most out of dating apps and avoid some of the common pitfalls. The videos are:

The team have also produced a aimed at individuals using, or considering using, apps. It covers the advantages and disadvantages of using dating apps plus important considerations around ethics, security and privacy.

The widespread use of dating apps has led public health and sexual health practitioners to use them as a way of sharing health messages with users, but this raises . addresses these issues.

The project is funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) (reference: ES/W002426/1)

Partnership with the RES UK Women in Economics Network

Tue, 12 Nov 2024 10:49:21 +0000

This collaboration will allow us to actively contribute and improve networking opportunities among our staff and students, host events with senior economists, and elevate our department’s commitment to gender equality. It aims to improve career development for women in economics and strengthen our commitment to diversity and inclusion.

Through this partnership, we will host events featuring senior women economists, providing valuable insights and networking opportunities for both students and faculty. We will actively contribute to other events across the UK.

, a Senior Lecturer in Economics, will be the lead on the UK WEN Champion partnership. As an associate of the Economics Network, a mentoring programme manager for The Women in Economics initiative, and a mentor for Manchester Gold, they have been a keen advocate for supporting the career development of women in economics. This new role will enable her to contribute directly to UK WEN initiatives and improve opportunities for women in the field and within the Economics Department.

Chris Wallace, our Head of Department, expressed his enthusiasm about the partnership, stating:

Our association with UK WEN will increase our visibility, with our initiatives promoted across their digital platforms. Additionally, we will have the chance to influence event content and contribute to the UK WEN newsletter, showcasing our research and achievements.

Claire Fox, our School of Social Sciences Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Director shared:

New book on corporate power, grassroots movements and the sharing economy

Fri, 08 Nov 2024 15:40:22 +0000

Luke Yates' new book, , investigates the ‘sharing economy’, powered by companies like Airbnb, Uber and Deliveroo.

This new model promised to revolutionise the way we work and live. But what changes have come about, and why?

The book shows how platform capitalism is not only shaped by business decisions, but is a result of struggles involving social movements, consumer politics and state interventions. It focuses in particular on the controversial tactics used by platform giants to avoid regulation.

Drawing on cutting-edge research and analysis, the book provides a critical overview of the struggles around platforms, examines platform power, and reflects on the different possible futures of the platform economy. You can find the book on the .

Platform Politics is published by Bristol University Press.

Manchester to lead new £8m research centre on equitable low carbon living

Wed, 06 Nov 2024 15:00:40 +0000

Following an £8m investment over five years, ��Vlog�ٷ� is set to lead an innovative centre funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) and UKRI as part of its strategic focus on building a green future. The Centre for Joined Up Sustainability Transformations (JUST) will accelerate the understanding of a just transition by coordinating research into action at all levels of society.

Launching in February 2025, the JUST Centre will work closely with communities in five regions of the North of England (West Yorkshire, West Cumbria, Merseyside, Greater Manchester, and Tyneside) while also generating comparative research in other regions of the UK. It will collaborate with partners across local, regional, and national government, business, and civil society to co-produce joined-up solutions to meet climate goals while improving citizens’ quality of life.

It will use an innovative mix of data science and participatory methods to research and map existing low-carbon living initiatives and generate evidence about what works where, why, and for whom. This will enable researchers to support better government decision-making and demonstrate to all people and communities the real improvements in quality of life that are possible if we link decarbonisation with regeneration.

The Centre brings together a team of interdisciplinary social scientists at the Universities of Manchester, Leeds, Liverpool, Lancaster and Newcastle. The Institute for Community Studies at the not-for-profit organisation is the core partner.

Additional partners are Citizens UK, the Local Government Associations for England and Wales, the Scottish Sustainability Network, the British Chambers of Commerce, the NHS Confederation, the Runnymede Trust and the Institute for Government.

Commenting on the announcement, JUST Centre Director and Principal Investigator, Professor Sherilyn MacGregor said: “To meet the challenge of the climate crisis and the UK’s net zero targets, we need to decarbonise our economy and do so quickly, but without leaving whole regions or communities behind. ‘Joined-up’ means bridging the gaps between myriad but presently disconnected, evidence-based interventions and policies focused on sustainability and net zero transitions.

ESRC Executive Chair Stian Westlake said: “Our centres carry out interdisciplinary, cutting-edge research in the social sciences that seeks to change the world for the better. They allow ESRC to make sustained investments in strategically important areas, giving researchers the freedom to research topics in depth.

“The climate crisis is one of the most serious challenges the world faces. To successfully transition to a zero-carbon economy, we need to make sure no one is left behind. The JUST Centre will show us how to include everyone as we transform our country and economy, finding new opportunities and putting power in the hands of local communities.”

Stephen Aldridge, Director, Analysis and Data at the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG), adds: “Net zero poses both huge economic, social, and other challenges and offers no less huge opportunities for the UK - nationally and sub-nationally. To tackle the challenges and seize the opportunities, policymakers and others need evidence – especially evidence on what works and what works most cost-effectively.

“The Centre for Joined-Up Sustainability Transformations (JUST) is precisely the institutional innovation we need and one I, my team and my department will work closely with across all policy areas. I look forward immensely to engaging with the Centre.”

Professor Paul Monks FRMetS, FRSC, FInstP, Chief Scientific Adviser, Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) said: “Achieving net zero by 2050 requires a wide-reaching transformation of the UK economy and offers an incredible opportunity for jobs, secure energy and growth all across the country. It will improve our health, our quality of life and our overall prosperity. We must support and empower people to participate in the transition. I welcome the establishment of this research centre and its work to ensure a fair, inclusive pathway to net zero.”

Success for the School of Social Sciences in the Research Staff Excellence Awards

Wed, 16 Oct 2024 15:55:49 +0100

It was a successful night for the talented researchers in the School of Social Sciences with three of our researchers receiving Research Staff Excellence Awards for their outstanding contributions.

At the Future-Ready Postdoc event, part of ��Vlog�ٷ�’s Postdoc Appreciation Week (PAW), presented the winners with the awards in their respective categories, here they share more about the impactful research in their respective fields which led to their awards:

- Outstanding contribution to research impact

Dr. Luciana Lang, alongside a team of researchers from ��Vlog�ٷ�, spent 18 months examining how faith spaces in Greater Manchester support different groups of older people within their communities.

investigated the support that faith spaces provide for the diverse ageing population in Greater Manchester, a region facing high levels of inequality in health, income and access to services.

Luciana shared her thoughts on the project:

- Outstanding research output

Dr. James Fletcher’s research led to the publication of his book , which explores the relationship between dementia studies, and it’s growing public profile and corresponding research economy.

The research had led to James being invited to international conferences, demonstrating his commitment to mentoring and supporting the wider research community.

The book argues that a neuropsychiatric biopolitics of dementia positions dementia as a syndrome of cognitive decline, caused by discrete brain diseases, distinct from ageing, widely misunderstood by the public, that will one day be overcome through technoscience.

This biopolitics generates dementia’s public profile and is implicated in several problems, including the failure of drug discovery, the spread of stigma, the perpetuation of social inequalities and the lack of support that is available to people affected by dementia.

Through a failure to critically engage with neuropsychiatric biopolitics, much dementia studies is complicit in these problems. James explores these problems and the relations between them, making the case for more biopolitically engaged "neurocritical" dementia studies in able to best support people with the condition and improve research outputs.

- Research Staff of the Year

Patricia, working closely with public health experts at the University of Glasgow and medical clinicians at the University of Leicester, conducted a global review of over 200 million study participants, identifying the level of ethnic inequalities in COVID-19 infection, hospital admission, and mortality.

They found that Black people were twice as likely to get infected, South Asian people were three times as likely, Mixed ethnicity people were 1.6 times as likely, and Other ethnic groups were 1.4 times more likely (compared to the White majority). They also found that some ethnic groups were more likely to end up in the hospital or even die from COVID-19.

Their findings were published in a medical journal called .

Patricia shared more about the impact of the research and where it had led her today:

Stand out from the crowd: sharpen your skills with Key 5!

Wed, 16 Oct 2024 14:00:05 +0100

"Entrepreneurship" may sound like something only future business founders need to care about, but entrepreneurial skills aren’t just for launching companies. They can help you navigate any job and stand out from the crowd.

That’s why Masood Entrepreneurship Centre (MEC) created ‘Key 5’—a new flexible, interactive learning experience designed to equip students with essential entrepreneurial skills for any career path, whether you're interested in starting your own business or excelling within an organisation.

Key 5 delivers valuable, real-world skills in an interactive and flexible format. Even if you don’t yet know the career you want, you’ll gain skills you can use right now - from acing your next interview to leading group projects like a boss.

What is ‘Key 5’?

Key 5 is an innovative microlearning suite - five bite-sized modules you can finish in just 10-15 minutes each:

Effective and Powerful Communication: Learn how to express ideas clearly and persuasively.
Networking: Discover how to build connections that can open doors to new opportunities.
Market Awareness: Understand the environment you’re operating in and how to respond to it.
Opportunity Recognition: Develop the ability to spot potential and act on it.
Building Confidence: Strengthen your ability to lead, present, and excel in group settings.

What Makes It Fun?

What sets Key 5 apart is its scenario-based learning design. You'll engage in dynamic, interactive challenges - negotiating with aliens, slaying dragons, and inventing world-changing products in a futuristic multiverse – all while boosting your skills.

Learn in Your Own Time, No Pressure

You can do it all on your own schedule, wherever you are. Do you have 15 minutes between lectures? Perhaps you’re waiting for the bus? You can access Key 5 anywhere, anytime, on any device. And it’s risk-free – no need to worry about assessments or grades, learn without pressure.

Who Should Try It?

Whether you are new to entrepreneurship or a seasoned pro, Key 5 will help you sharpen your skills, but we expect first- and second-year undergraduates will benefit most.

See what it's like! Find out more about Key 5 with our short video:

Ready to Start?

Are you ready to start your journey? Jump into Key 5 and start building the skills that will make you stand out in any career.

Let us know what you think! Leaving feedback at the end of each module helps us know what works for you so we can design future learning experiences.

Find out more about the Masood Entrepreneurship Centre (MEC) .

ESRC Festival of Social Science 2024 starts on Saturday 19 October

Wed, 16 Oct 2024 13:06:51 +0100

The 11th annual Festival of Social Science comes to Manchester on Saturday 19 October, with events taking place at venues across the city region for the next three weeks.

The festival is a key element of the Economic and Social Research Council’s () commitment to promote awareness of UK social sciences to new audiences.

The events shaping our world, from climate change to geopolitical tensions and civic protests, reveal how social science is more important than ever to understanding the world. From big ideas to the most detailed observations, social science affects us all every day – at work, in school, when raising children, within our communities, from the personal and the local, to the national and global level.

The ESRC Festival of Social Science offers a fascinating insight into some of the country’s leading social science research and how it influences or social, economic and political lives – both now and in the future. Discover how it shapes public policy and contributes to making the economy more competitive, as well as giving people a better understanding of 21^st-century society.

Attendees at this year's festival will be invited to dive into ‘Our Digital Lives’ by exploring the fascinating intersection of social sciences and technology as we unravel the complexity of human-digital interactions. Our carefully curated programme offers a compelling look at how social sciences illuminate our evolving relationship with the digital world.

Stian Westlake, ESRC Executive Chair, said: “The ESRC Festival of Social Science offers a unique insight into UK social science research and its relevance to individuals, society and economy. There are hundreds of free events taking place across the UK and online, including ��Vlog�ٷ�, Manchester Metropolitan University and University of Salford. We hope you enjoy the events and finding out more about social scientists’ work.”

Join us to explore the work of social science from 19 October to 9 November. Take a look at our range of free events for all ages and tastes!

For a complete calendar of events and details on how to register, we invite you to visit the .

This festival was made possible thanks to funding from the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC), which is part of the UK Research and Innovation (UKRI).

University of Manchester Student Awarded Freshfields Stephen Lawrence Scholarship

Wed, 16 Oct 2024 12:43:30 +0100

Arthur Sangang Tuzolana, an Economics student now starting his second year, has been awarded a prestigious .

The Scholarship is aimed at first-year undergraduate students nominated by participating universities for the Scheme, and seeks to address the disproportionate under-representation of Black men from less socially mobile backgrounds in large commercial law firms and other careers in the City of London.

It is provided by global law firm Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, and was launched in 2013 with support from Doreen Lawrence, Baroness Lawrence of Clarendon, OBE.

Benefits include a 15-month development programme, mentorship, commercial familiarisation though work-shadowing and £5,000 towards study-related costs. For those who wish it, there is an alternative pathway to an interview for a trainee associate programme at the firm.

Annette Byron, Freshfields’ Partner for Social Mobility, commented: “I am delighted to welcome the new cohort to the twelfth year of the Freshfields Stephen Lawrence Scholarship Scheme. This year, we had the honour of considering 78 outstanding candidates, all showing exceptional potential. We look forward to support our 12 new scholars as they begin their professional paths and continue to contribute to the enduring impact of the Scheme."

Arthur, who is looking forward to starting the development programme, said: “Being selected for the Freshfields Stephen Lawrence Scholarship is an honour. I’m excited to learn and grow alongside such a talented group of scholars, and I hope this experience will not only advance my own ambitions but also inspire others to pursue their goals.”

"I also want to take this opportunity to acknowledge the outstanding efforts of all our candidates who participated in the assessment centres in London," Emma added. “Each of them demonstrated exceptional skill and professionalism, representing both themselves and the University with great distinction throughout the process.”

Manchester alumnus Simon Johnson wins Nobel Prize in Economics

Tue, 15 Oct 2024 11:03:44 +0100

An economist who studied at ��Vlog�ٷ� has been awarded the prestigious for his groundbreaking research into understanding wealth disparities between different nations.

Simon Johnson - who studied Economics at Manchester in the 1980s, and is now a professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) - won the prize alongside Daron Acemoglu and James Robinson in recognition of their work to analyse how institutions and the rule of law shape national prosperity.

Professor Johnson was born in Sheffield, and completed his undergraduate studies at Oxford University, before doing a master's degree at Manchester and a doctorate at MIT.

His career has included prominent roles at the Washington-based Peterson Institute and the International Monetary Fund (IMF), where he served as chief economist from 2007 to 2008 during the global financial crisis. He eventually returned to MIT as a professor, focusing on global economic inequality and policy.

Through their research, Professor Johnson and his colleagues have shaped global debates by demonstrating that democracies, which hold to the rule of law and provide individual rights, have spurred greater economic activity over the last 500 years. Their insights - derived from studying colonialism’s enduring effects on global development - have broad implications for economic strategies today.

Professor Johnson’s academic achievements have established him as a leading voice on global economic policy, which has now been further cemented by this honour. He becomes the 26^th Nobel laureate associated with ��Vlog�ٷ�, either as staff or alumni.

“It is a surprise and a delight to win the Nobel Prize in Economics,” said Professor Johnson. “Getting my master’s degree at Manchester helped launch my professional career – and I will always be grateful to my teachers and fellow students in those years. Their guidance and inspiration (and many late-night conversations) helped push me down the road towards careful empirical work, bringing history to bear, and understanding the importance of building institutions that support inclusive prosperity.”

“This year’s laureates have pioneered new approaches, both empirical and theoretical, that have significantly advanced our understanding of global inequality,” said Nobel committee member Jakob Svensson. “Reducing the huge differences in income between countries is one of our times’ greatest challenges, and their insights show that democracies are - on average - better for promoting growth in the long run.”

Professor Angie Wilson receives APSA Distinguished Career Service Award

Tue, 08 Oct 2024 16:50:02 +0100

has been awarded the Distinguished Career Service Award 2024 by the .

The Caucus, which serves as the primary association for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer people and allies within the APSA, is an important arena for the presentation of research on sexual and gender diversity studies in political science and related disciplines.

The Awards are presented to individuals who have demonstrated exemplary service to the Caucus, the field of political science, or the broader LGBTQ community.

A founding member of the Sexuality & Politics division of APSA, Professor Wilson's work on the Christian/Religious Right has significantly contributed to understanding of how these movements have weaponised LGBTQ+ rights and liberties to expand and consolidate their memberships. She has been actively involved with the APSA LGBTQ Caucus, Status, and Sexuality & Politics for nearly three decades.

She also serves as Associate Editor at Political Research Quarterly (PRQ) where she continues to engage with scholarly developments, contribute her insights and foster academic community.

In its statement, the awarding committee praised Professor Wilson's invaluable academic contribution:

On receiving the award, Professor Wilson said:

Justice Hub Welcomes Attorney General Lord Hermer KC

Mon, 30 Sep 2024 12:53:12 +0100

The had the honour of hosting on Monday, 16 September. The visit highlighted the work of our Legal Advice Centre, Manchester Innocence Project and connection to the broader legal profession in the North West region.

The visit came as part of a wider mission to engage with the legal community across England and Wales with Monday’s focus being the North West. The Attorney General hosted a roundtable with legal firms and barristers, visited the Government Legal Department in Salford, and engaged with our Justice Hub team.

The Attorney General Richard Hermer KC said:

In the our students, supervised by University staff and volunteer lawyers, offer free advice to the general public. One of our students, Alicia Smith, was able to meet the Attorney General as part of the visit and share their thoughts:

Director of the Justice Hub, Phil Drake, and Academic Director, Claire McGourlay, also shared their insights:

Successful first edition of the ‘Conversations on Urban Ageing’ series

Fri, 27 Sep 2024 12:17:23 +0100

On 11 September (MUARG), led by , hosted the semesters first edition of their successful series which invites leading researchers on ageing from around the world to discuss their work with MUARG’s own experts.

The series format includes both presentations and in-depth conversations between the research group, invited speakers, and audience members on their areas of expertise.

The first ‘Conversation’, chaired by , featured researchers (VU Amsterdam) and (University of Auckland) discussing ethical issues encountered during everyday age-friendly work in the Netherlands and New Zealand.

The attendance of not only academics but third sector organisation members, NHS staff, and members of the public was a highlight, providing a diverse range of perspectives.

MUARG’s Patty Doran said of the first event: “It’s always inspiring to hear about the latest academic research from a range of topics related to urban ageing, and the interdisciplinary audiences that attend always make for insightful questions, interesting conversations, and great networking”.

The series continues 21 October with invited speaker (University of Bristol) discussing digital innovation and exclusion, co-designing technologies, and creative citizenship in the lives of older adults. Her talk, , explores how arts and culture participation, particularly those accessed digitally, can influence wellbeing and social connection as we age.

The semester’s series will then conclude on 5 December with convening global thought leaders on ageing in community whose scholarships integrate research, theory, and practice to enhance work on community-centred initiatives and ageing equity.

Registration for both events is still open, you can find the Eventbrite link .

Modern secondhand clothes are often considered ‘dirty’ but vintage garments aren’t – certain assumptions limit sustainable fashion

Mon, 23 Sep 2024 14:59:41 +0100

Written by

As a teenager in post-USSR Ukraine, I vividly remember visiting secondhand clothes shops. For the elderly, the biggest obstacle to accepting secondhand clothes wasn’t just the lingering smell of naphthalene – a potent chemical with a strong mothball odour used for sanitation which is hard to remove even by washing or dry cleaning.

Assumptions about the previous owner’s class — like the bourgeoisie, the so-called enemy of the working class in Soviet propaganda — and their skin colour were barriers too. But for me, these were exactly the reasons I adored this form of shopping. Through secondhand clothes, my friends and I consumed western culture.

Yet, while proximity to western bodies felt like a blessing to my generation, it’s not universally desirable. Certain types of pre-worn clothing, like lingerie, for example, are rarely found in charity shops. Such items are perceived as as they are associated with contamination and lack of hygiene due to their close contact with intimate areas of the body.

For customers willing to buy and wear Victorian-era underwear slips, this perceived risk is much lower as the cultural provenance outweighs any association with dirt. Washing such historic items is also not recommended as it could ruin the delicate silk or batiste textile, while the traces of someone else’s body such as marks, frays, creases, wrinkles and folds on clothes are considered marks of authenticity.

Although both pre-loved modern and vintage lingerie have been worn, perceptions of their cleanliness differs radically.

The stigma associated with dirt hinders the way people reuse secondhand garments or choose recycled fabrics that have been woven into something new. This limits the potential to transform the , fashion industry into a more sustainable one.

Recycling is not yet happening on an industrial scale. Only 1% of used , and Europe’s only recycling mill, designed to convert discarded clothes into new textiles through eco-friendly chemical recycling, closed in February 2024 – just two years after opening.

Reuse – such as resale, rental, repair and remaking – could help prevent , reduce , lower and increase to tackle fashion waste. But despite the , it still remains a niche practice because it relies on people wearing clothes that others have previously worn.

Although worn clothes are often called “pre-loved,” the visibility of a former “lover” should be minimal for them to re-enter the new cycle of consumption.

Behind the seams

Cleanliness is a cultural concept that has evolved over time. Before, laundering undergarments served as a substitute for bathing, from germs and disease. Today, laundry practices focus on caring for clothes and protecting them . Washing at low temperatures and on gentle cycles isn’t about killing germs but preserving freshness. Freshness has become the primary marker of cleanliness, as shown by the wide range of modern detergents and after-laundry products that promise extra freshness.

Cultural perceptions of cleanliness significantly influence how secondhand clothes are viewed and valued. Today, that’s driven by the need to remove traces of the previous owner. That involves laundering, which can release harmful microplastics – washing polyester contributes more than half a million tonnes of – or energy-intensive dry cleaning with toxic solvents like perchloroethylene, a process that’s commonly used by rental clothing businesses.

My preliminary research on upcycling shows that clothes, even when physically clean, are often seen as dirty if they’ve been previously worn. Stains like blood on a dress, sweat marks on an XXXL men’s shirt, or wine spills on branded jeans are perceived and even smell differently, despite cleaning. These concerns go beyond hygiene, involving assumptions and moral judgements about the bodies of previous owners, including their class, body shape, gender and race.

In many cultures, there’s a need for symbolic cleansing from the body of that is often overlooked.

Cultural biases extend to fibres, with the industry favouring virgin wool obtained from sheep shearing over recycled wool. That’s a reflection of historical attitudes towards who collected discarded wasted and smelly textiles.

The recycling process of shredding discarded wool and weaving it into new fibres was invented in 19th-century Yorkshire. The resulting reclaimed product, known as “shoddy wool”, was considered lower quality not only due to the process, which significantly downgraded the quality of textile but also because it used worn, dirty rags collected by poor, often immigrant, women and children. The growth of wool recycling has been hindered, not by technology but by negative attitudes towards the use of recycled rather than virgin and , fibres.

Cleanliness of secondhand clothes is symbolically charged. By distinguishing between the needs for and expectations of physical and symbolic purity in clothing and discussing them more openly, attitudes and cultural norms may shift. This could help move reuse business models from niche to mainstream and support further sustainable development.

, PhD Candidate, Cultural Sociology, University of Manchester

This article is republished from under a Creative Commons license. .

Charity visits campus to highlight student safety

Fri, 20 Sep 2024 15:45:16 +0100

The organised a hugely popular event during Welcome Week in collaboration with the Charity . The Charity’s ethos is to empower young people to feel safe by using positive activities.

The Charity’s pop-up stand, which was on campus twice during the week, attracted a huge amount of attention at the Arthur Lewis Building. Staff from the Active Communities Network were available to provide advice, engage students in interactive activity and to give away free packs which included a keyring safety alarm, a spiking test kit, drinks cover, and safety information cards purchased by the School. The stand used several different games to highlight the different forms that problematic behaviour within relationships can take, and how to recognise and address this.

The event organised by Claire Fox, Equality Diversity & Inclusion Director for the School, shared her insights into the initiative: "The School of Social Sciences are thrilled with the buzz around the ACN pop-up stand this week. The interactive and fun way that the team has engaged with staff and students has made talking about issues of student safety and violence against women far more accessible. It is vitally important that we have these discussions on campus and provide education around safety, violence against women and girls, and managing safe relationships. Our collaboration with ACN helps us, as a School, to do this and compliments our student workshops on sexual consent and respectful behaviour which all of our first-year students attend in the first week of the academic year."

Rachelle McCurry, Director of Programmes, Active Communities Network provided insightful feedback into the Welcome week activity: “We have been chatting to many students over the last two days, and we obviously don't know the students but they have said that our passion and our motivation to empower women has felt that it's easy for them to talk about their spiking experiences, but also their experiences of feeling unsafe in terms of being in a new city, using the likes of public transport or even sharing accommodation.”

It’s important men are educated around women and that they are also educated about feeling unsafe as well. Everyone had the opportunity to take a safety kit.

This links to 15 services across Manchester.

Older people on low incomes often don’t claim means-tested benefits, study finds

Mon, 16 Sep 2024 15:15:15 +0100

After parliament voted to end the universal Winter Fuel Payment despite the Government not conducting an assessment of the impact of the changes, research has shown that older people often don’t claim means-tested welfare benefits for a variety of reasons including a lack of awareness, the complexity of applying, and not recognising - or wanting to admit - being in need.

1.9 million older people in the UK live in relative income poverty, and many have unmet care needs. However, research led by Dr Kingsley Purdam from The University’s School of Social Sciences has found that despite Government efforts to raise awareness, billions of pounds in welfare benefits go unclaimed every year as many older people do not currently take up the support they are entitled to such as Pension Credit. Not claiming such benefits can also exclude older people from welfare support for other essential living costs. As one older person aged 73 commented: “I’m scared to put the heating on. You shouldn’t have to live like this. I dread winter coming!”.

The study uncovered many reasons why older people don’t apply for these benefits. Some don’t realise that they qualify, while others are afraid of the complicated process or feel embarrassed about asking for help – one respondent aged 86 told the researchers that they “don’t want to be seen as a cadger”. Some are also worried that their income and savings will be taken away.

For those older people without internet access or who don’t trust using the phone, it’s even harder to navigate the welfare system. One older person had been the victim of attempted fraud when a stranger called threatening to send the police around to collect money. The lack of professional guidance and support leaves many vulnerable older people worse off financially, leading to increased health risks.

Many of the people interviewed in the study suggested ways to improve the welfare system. They want simpler forms, more one-to-one help, and clearer information about benefits. They also think benefits should be paid automatically to those who qualify instead of making them apply. Increasing the amount of support to match the rising cost of living would also encourage more older people to claim what they’re entitled to.

The current welfare system is failing many older people, especially those living in poverty. Even if all eligible people claimed their benefits, many would still struggle to get by. One older person aged 73 described how applying for welfare benefits made older people “feel like beggars”. To fix this, the system needs major changes, including better support and more user-friendly processes.

Highly targeted professional help based on accurate and up-to-date administrative data - provided in a way that does not introduce new forms of stigma and embarrassment - is essential.

“In the context of an ageing population, high levels of long-term poverty amongst many older people, the increasing retirement age, the cost of living crisis and the Government’s changes to the Winter Fuel Payment, it is more important than ever that vulnerable older people who may have spent a lifetime living on low incomes receive the welfare benefits they are entitled to,” said Dr Purdam.

Summer School for Women in Logic

Mon, 09 Sep 2024 23:55:42 +0100

Staff from the ( and ) from School of Social Sciences, University of Manchester, hosted the third edition of a 4-day Summer School on Women in Logic from 29 July to 1 August 2024.

This program catered to 16-18-year-old women and girls from widening participation backgrounds. The Summer School was established with two primary objectives in mind.

The first objective was to address the underrepresentation of women in the field of logic and philosophy, while the second was to attract more widening participation students to pursue philosophy as a field of study.

Participants were inspired by , the UK's first female philosophy professor, and her ground-breaking critical thinking book, ‘Thinking to Some Purpose’. They gained insights into the broader concepts of philosophy, critical thinking, argumentation, fallacies, and debates around contemporary issues. On the last day, posters created by the participants were displayed at House.

It is planned to run the Summer School for Women in Logic again next year, with the objective of attracting more women into the field of philosophy, and specifically to logic, both informal (critical thinking) and formal (mathematical) logic.

Our Summer School for Women in Logic derives from the university's strategic plan, as we aspire to give back to the community by providing these opportunities to those who may not otherwise have access to them.

Funding for this initiative was provided by the , (SWIP UK) and the at the University of Manchester.

University of Manchester Students Make a Difference in Local Refugee Community

Wed, 04 Sep 2024 11:57:37 +0100

Since 2014, this community hub has also served as the setting for a fruitful collaboration between the University of Manchester and local refugees and asylum seekers, fostering both language skills and community building.

The initiative, spearheaded by the politics department at the University, began as an English language conversation project. Every week, students would meet with refugees and asylum seekers at the Chrysalis Centre, offering them a chance to practice English and engage with the broader community.

This effort was originally conceived by two Manchester students studying Politics and International Relations, John Beswick and Chen Liu, who recognized the isolation and language barriers faced by many refugees during a visit to the centre.

The project has evolved since its inception, expanding in 2022 to include students from universities across Manchester. This expansion was coordinated by Senior Lecturer Aoileann Ní Mhurchú from ��Vlog�ٷ� and Lecturer Dr. Josephine Biglin from the University of Salford.

The students contribute more than just language skills; they forge meaningful connections with the attendees, contributing to a sense of community and mutual support.

Reflecting on her experience, Ila Lessof, a University of Manchester student who participated in the 2022/23 project, described it as transformative: "The community and friendships created were invaluable... the chance to learn from and support each other brought so much joy and purpose."

Despite the challenges posed by the pandemic, the project has persevered, adapting and growing in response to the needs of the community. The University’s commitment to this initiative underscores the critical role that higher education institutions can play in supporting refugees within local communities.

As the Chrysalis Family Centre continues to thrive, the collaboration between Manchester students and local refugees remains a powerful testament to the positive impact of community engagement.

Manchester lecturer takes to saddle to raise money for autism charity

Wed, 31 Jul 2024 15:32:45 +0100

A keen cyclist from ��Vlog�ٷ� has decided to take to the saddle to raise money for an autism charity.

Medical Law and Bioethics Lecturer Dr Jonathan Lewis, from the University’s Department of Law and Centre for Social Ethics and Policy, has taken part in amateur road cycling races for many years. However, as he approaches his 40th birthday later this year, he has now decided to replace these gruelling competitions with long-distance charity rides.

This summer, he will be taking part in four events. The first - which has already taken place - is the North Down Coastal Challenge. Then Jonathan will travel to France for a 48-hour fly-by trip to take on the Gran Fondo Col de la Loze - a 117km route with 4377m of elevation and two ascents of the infamous Col de la Loze, known as the country’s toughest climb.

In August he’ll take part in the Inishowen 100, Northern Ireland's premier sportive run covering a hilly 100-mile course along the scenic Wild Atlantic Way. A week later, he will round off the summer with the Lap the Lough sportive - a 150km route around the beautiful but environmentally threatened Lough Neagh in Northern Ireland.

To add to the challenge, he aims to complete the Inishowen 100 in under six hours – if he manages this, he will personally match the total amount of donations he receives from others.

The charity he is raising funds for is , which trains dogs and places them with children with autism. The animals enable the children to go outside safely and reduce their anxiety, providing a vital lifeline for children and their families. The charity also raises autism awareness among the general public by holding workshops, school talks and large events.

“As someone with Autism Spectrum Disorder and with family members who are severely autistic, I know only too well the huge challenges that children with autism and their families can face on a daily basis over many years”, said Jonathan.

He will record his experiences during all four events using a GoPro camera, and plans to compile a video towards the end of the summer.

To support Jonathan in his series of challenges, visit .

Manchester expert appointed as Crime and Justice Parliamentary Thematic Research Lead

Wed, 31 Jul 2024 11:38:30 +0100

The University's has been appointed as the new Parliamentary Thematic Research Lead (TRL) for Crime and Justice.

She will be joining a cohort of 8 top researchers, selected by (POST) and (UKRI), who will play a crucial role in bringing research and innovation to the forefront of Government decision-making.

This is part of an expansion of the successful TRL pilot program which ran between January 2023 and Summer 2024, now covering six additional research areas.

Ruth will be based in the Home Affairs, Human Rights, Equalities and Justice Hub in the House of Commons with links to the , and the relevant Select Committees, including Justice, Home Affairs and Women and Equalities. The role will see her work for three days each week in parliament while continuing her role within the University.

Other appointments include:

AI and Digital – Dr Varuna De Silva, Loughborough University (New position)
Arts and Humanities – Dr Helen McCabe, University of Nottingham (New position)
Business, Economics and Trade – Dr Jane Parry, University of Southampton (New position)
Climate and Environment – Dr Andrew Russell, Queen Mary University London
Health – David Strain, Dr University of Exeter (New position)
International Affairs and National Security – Dr Leslie-Anne Duvic-Paoli, King's College London
Transport – Dr Louise Reardon, University of Birmingham (New position)

For those interested in learning more about Ruth’s research, you can visit her , or alternatively read about her work with colleagues at Essex on the role of Commissioners for the Victims' Commissioner:

School of Law's Dr Ruth Lamont Appointed as Parliamentary Thematic Research Lead for Crime and Justice

Thu, 25 Jul 2024 14:35:00 +0100

We are thrilled to announce our colleague has been appointed as the new Parliamentary Thematic Research Lead (TRL) for Crime and Justice.

She will be joining a cohort of 8 top researchers, selected by (POST) and (UKRI), who will play a crucial role in bringing research and innovation to the forefront of Government decision-making.

This is part of an expansion of the successful TRL pilot program which ran between January 2023 and Summer 2024, now covering six additional research areas.

Ruth Lamont will be based in the Home Affairs, Human Rights, Equalities and Justice Hub in the House of Commons with links to the , and the relevant Select Committees, including Justice, Home Affairs and Women and Equalities. The role will see her work for three days each week in parliament while continuing her role within the University.

Other appointments include:

AI and Digital – Dr Varuna De Silva, Loughborough University (New position)
Arts and Humanities – Dr Helen McCabe, University of Nottingham (New position)
Business, Economics and Trade – Dr Jane Parry, University of Southampton (New position)
Climate and Environment – Dr Andrew Russell, Queen Mary University London
Health – David Strain, Dr University of Exeter (New position)
International Affairs and National Security – Dr Leslie-Anne Duvic-Paoli, King's College London
Transport – Dr Louise Reardon, University of Birmingham (New position)

Let's congratulate her on this outstanding achievement and continue to support the impactful research that defines our .

University of Manchester interns create impactful documentary with Sick! festival

Fri, 19 Jul 2024 13:11:19 +0100

Six student interns from the (SoSS) and (SALC) were paid the living wage as Creative Media Interns, working under the guidance of the renowned Media Company “”, to produce a documentary that explores the festival’s impact on community engagement.

The purpose of the Creative Media Intern project is to improve the employability of our students who identify as being from Global Majority heritage – including Black, Mixed, South Asian heritage – who are currently under-represented in our undergraduate student community and in the creative sector.

Sick!’s month-long festival, “” activated new narratives through creative collaboration in Charleston, Moston and Harpurhey in North Manchester. The students worked on a documentary that included interviews, and testimonies, illuminating the festival’s impact, and the importance of platforming creative spaces for marginalised community voices.

For the students, the primary goals of the documentary were to encapsulate the festival's core mission and to collect feedback that will help ensure the Sick! Festival remains inclusive and continues to make a positive impact on the local community. The students presented their work at the end of their internship to staff and students from the University of Manchester and members from Sick! Festival.

Following the screenings of the film, Dr Sheena Kalayil, Dr Simon Parry and Dr Claire Fox shared their thoughts on the successful outcome of the project:

In addition to gaining practical experience in filmmaking, the students creatively explored topics closely related to their academic studies. They highlighted the communicative power of video, noting how it contrasts with the predominantly text-based methods of their degree programmes. As a result of the internship, a few of the students are now considering creative paths in their studies and future careers.

Manchester expert assists major report into how to estimate UK's population

Thu, 18 Jul 2024 09:34:41 +0100

The Office for Statistics Regulation (OSR) has about the new methods that the Office for National Statistics (ONS) are developing to produce population estimates for England and Wales, with the help of an expert from ��Vlog�ٷ�.

The Dynamic Population Model is a new statistical model that aims to produce more-timely and accurate estimates of the population by age, sex and local authority. The DPM is part of ONS’s wider ambition to transform population and migration statistics and make more use of administrative data.

The report, aided by the expertise and guidance of Professor Arkadiusz Wiśniowski, an expert on Social Statistics and Demography, recognises the ambition of ONS in developing the DPM - an innovative method for estimating the population using administrative data. OSR has identified eleven requirements for ONS to improve the trustworthiness, quality and value of the ABPE:

Developing and publishing criteria to support the decision about when the ABPEs will replace the MYEs, in consultation with key stakeholders such as the Welsh Government;
Strengthening the governance structure and decision-making responsibilities for the production and development of the ABPE, and managing any risks associated with funding, capability and prioritisation;
Publishing a plan for addressing the recommendations and suggestions in .
Understanding and quantifying the quality and uncertainty of the data inputs to the DPM, especially the Statistical Population Dataset (SPD) and the migration data, and implementing regular assumption checking and validation;
Publishing more information on the quality and methodology of the ABPEs, including the strengths and limitations of the data sources, the coverage of special population groups, and the impact of data and methods changes over time;
Improving its quality assurance process;
Implementing and publishing a revisions policy for the ABPEs, based on user feedback and analysis of the scale and frequency of revisions;
Creating and implementing technical and expert user groups to provide independent and external challenge and assurance on the methods used in the DPM;
Developing and implementing a user engagement strategy specific to the ABPEs, to understand and meet user needs, communicate plans and updates, and manage user expectations;
Being open to scrutiny from key stakeholders and users and responding appropriately to their feedback and queries; and
Improving and tailoring the communication of the methods and quality of the ABPEs, considering the differing technical expertise of population statistics users.

These recommendations build on the positive progress ONS has made in publishing a suite of information related to these statistics today. Taking the actions outlined in the recommendations will ensure that users have more confidence in the new method, and therefore the ABPEs themselves.

“We welcome the work of the Office for Statistics Regulation which, along with input from our users, helps inform our development of these important statistics," said Mary Gregory, Interim Director of Population Statistics for ONS. “We welcome the work of the Office for Statistics Regulation which, along with input from our users, helps inform our development of these important statistics. Today, we’ve provided an update on our progress towards admin-based population estimates (ABPEs). We’ve sharing these new data to help users understand the new approach, share their feedback with us, and take time to consider what it means for them before we move to the ABPEs as our official estimates of the population.

"Although these ABPEs are at a research and development stage, our intention is for them to become our official measure of the population in 2025, dependent on meeting the acceptance criteria we will publish later this year. We will take into account the feedback we receive following engagement, and will only transition to the new approach once we are confident they are of the high standards that our users need. We will be working closely with the Office for Statistics Regulation as we seek accreditation of the ABPEs, and our long-term international migration estimates.”

Professor Arkadiusz Wiśniowski said: "The OSR’s report evaluates the progress the Office for National Statistics made with developing new population estimates that are based on administrative data sources. Population estimates are crucial for making decisions about our lives, such as funding of the A&Es, number of GPs per areas, new schools or infrastructures. They also underlie most of the economic, health and other indicators, including those used to measure progress towards Sustainable Development Goals. The new admin-based population estimates are meant to replace the current estimates that suffer from various issues, as well as potentially replace future censuses.

"My role was to assess a sophisticated statistical model (Dynamic Population Model) that is developed by the ONS and how it is used to produce those population estimates. I was happy to be involved because, firstly, the development of such models is my main area of research and, secondly, I believe the ONS’ work is ground-breaking and highly innovative globally. I think it is essential that all assumptions made in the DPM are appropriately described and tested, which will ensure that the population estimates are of highest possible quality. This, in turn, will ensure user trust and confidence in population statistics.”

Hague Conference Forum on Domestic Abuse

Mon, 08 Jul 2024 11:14:00 +0100

The Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction 1980 normally require that the child is automatically returned to the state from which they were taken. For their mother, this means being separated from their child or returning with the child to situations of potential danger, visa issues, insecure housing and poverty.

In response to campaigns by and , the Forum enabled the voices of those with lived experience of using the Convention to be heard. Judges, lawyers and academics practising and researching in the field, provided the opportunity for the trauma of domestic abuse to be identified, and specific problems of lawful movement of children to be identified.

, concluded the Forum by considering the need for further research into these issues to which the University of Manchester has already made a significant contribution and will continue to do so, including helping to secure GlobalARRK’s contribution.

PhD Researcher Awarded Full Scholarship to Attend European Forum Alpbach 2024

Thu, 04 Jul 2024 12:32:04 +0100

The Forum, set to occur from August 17 to 30, serves as a prominent platform for addressing pressing global issues through dialogue and collaboration. Renowned for bringing together outstanding talents and experts from diverse fields, the forum fosters innovative solutions and actions.

Reflecting on his upcoming participation, Patrick remarked “I have been following the activities of the European Forum Alpbach for a few years now and have been particularly attracted to the high-quality speakers and outstanding global talents that grace the event each year.

I’m particularly excited about the opportunity to network, interact, learn and share ideas with experts from different fields on issues that are important to me, especially the problem of climate action. As a citizen of the Global South whose perspectives have been largely ignored in the ongoing climate debates, I aim to bring these excluded voices to the fore of global discussion with European leaders on this topical issue."

Patrick’s scholarship to EFA24 is a testament to his dedication and scholarly contributions to the field of Applied Ethics and African Philosophy. Funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council Northwest Consortium Doctoral Training Partnership (AHRC NWCDTP), his doctoral research delves into the problem of inconsequentialism—a critical issue in climate change discourse.

In his research, Patrick emphasises the urgency of addressing moral resignation in the face of climate change, particularly in developing countries where the belief that individual actions are inconsequential is prevalent.

The European Forum Alpbach 2024 will convene over 500 young talents and top European leaders from politics, business, civil society, culture, and science to discuss and tackle such global challenges.

You can find more information about the European Forum Alpbach 2024 .

Votes for kids: why we should be giving children a say in elections

Fri, 28 Jun 2024 15:56:00 +0100

It’s not controversial to say that contemporary affluent societies do a rather poor job of taking the interests of younger generations into account. This is not only because children can’t vote and the elderly tend to numbers. It’s also because many societies have ageing populations, making them demographically stacked against the youngest.

In Italy, for example, . While the numbers aren’t quite that high in the UK, the phenomenon is still – with pensioners .

The neglect of children and young people in UK politics is evident. . and understaffed, and young people are saddled with high university fees. They also face a difficult and cannot look forward to a decent, safe pension. It’s also much harder for them to , compared with previous generations.

And that’s all without even considering issues related to the climate crisis or how dramatically shrank children’s lives and social circles. What is clear is that children are directly affected by political decisions and policies. But they don’t have a say in elections.

In some places, the voting age for some elections has already been lowered to 16. Research shows that young people are more likely to if they start at 16. Labour now proposes this for .

Many want the voting age to be lowered further, or . But any age higher than 0 leaves millions of child citizens without representation of their interests. That problem can be solved by giving children proxy votes from birth, to be cast by their primary carers. We can combine this with any voting age we deem right.

Proxy voting is when a person delegates their voting rights to another person to vote on their behalf. It is . It could work roughly in the same way with children and their parents or caregivers. Instead of delegation, we would use our registers of who is a child’s primary carer, authorising parents or legal guardians to vote on their behalf, if they are not yet old enough to vote themselves.

Giving children’s interests a voice

The idea of proxy voting for children has been and discussed by politicians for decades, but hasn’t been tried yet.

For some, the idea may be concerning, with fears that primary carers will use the votes in their own interests rather than the children’s. Of course their interests are not exactly identical. But they largely overlap on the policies that matter most – from high quality childcare and schooling to generally improving the life prospects for the young.

For example, if prospects are bad, the young remain economically .

And even if a few carers use proxy votes badly, this is still better than not having children’s interests represented at all. Furthermore, we could restrict the number of possible extra votes per primary carer, so that people with more children did not have more votes.

Perhaps some would still feel that carers getting to exercise more votes somehow shows that society values families more than the childless. But this is a misunderstanding of proxy voting. It is needed simply to give children’s interests appropriate weight in our politics, given our demographics.

According to philosophers, there are two main reasons for giving people . The first is simply that the vote is a mark of respect for people as free and equal moral agents capable of forming and expressing their own and the common good of their society.

The second relates to the good consequences of voting: giving people the vote avoids many and raises the chances that nobody’s important interests will be overlooked.

Having proxy voting in place would likely make it easier to teach children about politics more effectively from an earlier age, and help them to become active citizens. But the main argument for it is simply that it gives weight to their interests in the electoral process. With millions more potential votes to be gained, we can expect that political parties would compete for these votes by committing to policies that are fairer towards the young.

When faced with the disproportionate political influence of the elderly, some philosophers have toyed with the idea of at least (as the Romans ). But many people think this would be a terrible idea: it would be a form of exclusion from politics. Adding proxy votes for children does not exclude anybody.

In lieu of a proxy voting system, if you’re a parent, this election is a good opportunity to start about the democratic process, the issues you are concerned about and why you vote. You may even want to take them to the ballot box with you. that talking to young people about politics can help them trust in their own ability to effect change.

, Senior Lecturer in Political Theory
This article is republished from under a Creative Commons license. Read the .

How teenage dreams shape our lives

Wed, 26 Jun 2024 18:41:12 +0100

A and an exhibition at the explore how teenage experiences and dreams shape our later lives. It is based on research with women in their seventies and eighties reflecting on their .

This was a time of real change. Girls often stayed at school longer, which meant more qualifications, and for some of them this meant well-paid careers. Some, but not all, could access the pill. Teenagers with money to spare could buy pop music records, follow the latest fashions and save up to travel.

Our Teenage Kicks videos show their dreams for their future. From daydreaming about what it would be like to drive a car, or even just to wear trousers, to dreams of travelling to different countries, getting married, and delaying children until the family finances were secure.

Each of the eight women reflects on how their teenage experiences affected how their lives turned out. For some, like Joyce, dreams are cut short. She was planning on training as a teacher, but had to leave school when her mum got ill and she was needed at home.

Others, like Andrea, achieve some of their teenage dreams. Now retired, she is rekindling her teenage interest in politics and social justice, taking part in climate protests and volunteering at her local food bank.

You can see until September. The gallery is viewed from the street outside NGI, so no need to check opening times.

Alternatively, you can see the whole , read the zine or watch the video.

New book explores changes in everyday eating habits

Wed, 19 Jun 2024 11:30:00 +0100

In his new book, Alan Warde explores how eating habits have changed in recent decades and asks what it means for us to eat well.

He traces the changing culinary landscape of food consumption in Britain since the 1950s, drawing connections between global trends in mass food production and the changing practices of what and how we eat.

From a move towards more informal ways of eating, and an increase in eating out, Warde demonstrates how social change shapes what we put on our plates, sharpening both the pleasures and the anxieties around food.

Drawing on research undertaken over 40 years, the book offers fresh insights into such practices as everyday meals, shopping, cooking and dining out and how these are shaped by demographic, social and cultural processes. The book provides a comprehensive and engaging analysis of eating in Britain today and of the many controversies about how this has changed.

is Emeritus Professor of Sociology and Professorial Fellow in the at the University of Manchester. He specialises in cultural sociology, consumption and food. In 2019 he received the BSA Distinguished Service to British Sociology Award.

Why using dating apps for public health messaging is an ethical dilemma

Mon, 10 Jun 2024 17:38:37 +0100

Dating apps are not just about finding love or hooking up. They are becoming increasingly important in the communication of public health messaging, particularly sexual health.

In 2023, magazine suggested that dating apps could “become a key component in [sexually infectious diseases] prevention”. And their prediction seems to be spot on.

Grindr, a dating app popular among men who have sex with men, for example, has recently partnered with and in London to allow users to order HIV test kits through the app. While these partnerships hold promise for public health, they also raise important ethical challenges. Alongside colleagues from the UK and US, we have of these challenges and proposed ways of addressing them.

During the , more people than ever started using . Today, apps such as Tinder, Match, or Grindr have millions of users worldwide. A recent in the US showed that more than half of people aged under 30 had used dating apps. Most dating apps can be accessed from smartphones, allowing users to find other people based on shared interests, preferences or location.

A concluded that apps have multiple benefits for public health, including the ability to effectively target specific groups. In the US, is a successful example of collaborating with dating apps to promote sexual health. And, during the recent outbreak, Grindr provided information and its vaccine to users.

Profit, privacy and prejudice

But most apps are profit-generators for businesses and operate in ethical and regulatory contexts that are very different to those of medical or health related professions. One major concern is privacy, as apps collect vast amounts of personal data. Cybersecurity experts have argued that apps are a “”. This is, in part, because the main goal of apps is “generating, capturing and controlling ” for profit.

Unfortunately, there are many examples of apps mishandling data. For example, has been fined for sharing sensitive user data with third parties, including users’ HIV status. This misuse of data can have severe consequences, including in unsafe environments.

Dating apps can also reproduce all too common in wider society. that many users, particularly from marginalised groups, experience harassment, including and , on these platforms. of the experiences of dating apps among rural sexual minority men in the US found that online dating often led to “deception, bullying or discrimination, and harassment or coercion”.

Some apps, such as Grindr, – but other with features which allow, if not encourage, discrimination. Discriminatory experiences undermine users’ trust in dating apps, making marginalised groups more reluctant to use them. This also means that marginalised groups may be less likely to access public health information and help through dating apps.

Some dating apps operate with opaque policies. For example, and can terminate any user’s account, for any reason and without any notice. Some who had been using apps to disseminate information have had their profiles blocked on some apps.

Future collaborations with apps should prioritise the benefit of users over those of the app businesses, develop transparent data policies that prevent users’ data from being shared for profit, ensure the apps’ commitment to anti-discrimination and anti-harrassment, and provide links to health and wellbeing services beyond the apps.

Dating apps have the potential to be powerful allies in public health, especially in reaching populations that have often been ignored. However, their use must be carefully managed to avoid compromising user privacy, safety and marginalisation.

Election 2024: current positions and post-election aims for each party

Tue, 04 Jun 2024 13:22:40 +0100

With polls predicting huge losses for the Conservatives and huge gains for Labour, the election campaign so far has focused on the battle between the two biggest parties in Westminster. But the parliamentary dynamics are exceptionally fluid this year. Here’s a summary of where every party in Westminster currently stands – and where they are hoping to be after July 4.

Conservatives: 346 seats and everything to lose

Sunak’s Conservatives held 346 seats when he called the election. They started with 365 after the 2019 election but have lost since then. Several other former Conservative MPs have defected to other parties and others have been suspended.

A hefty chunk of the party’s current MPs , leaving newly selected candidates to fight what is likely to be an incredibly difficult campaign for the party.

The Conservatives are almost guaranteed to be sitting on the opposition benches in the next parliament, with one recent poll suggesting they could fall to just 66 seats – their . This could put them in dangerous territory. It would be a humiliation for Sunak if the party performed so poorly that it fell into third place behind the Liberal Democrats.

Against this backdrop, winning 150 seats or more would be a pretty decent showing.

Labour: 205 seats and hoping for 400

The Labour Party won in the 2019 general election under its former leader Jeremy Corbyn. This has increased slightly since then, through a combination of defecting Conservative MPs and byelections. Labour with 205 seats.

The party’s in Blackpool last month, where Chris Webb won 58% of the vote, was the sixth time Labour won a byelection with a swing of more than 20% since 2019. This bodes well for election day, where Starmer will be keen to try to win a comfortable majority and, if recent polling is correct, in the House of Commons.

Scottish National Party: 43 MPs and worried

The SNP have had some spectacular performances in recent general elections, bringing 56 MPs to the House of Commons in 2015, 35 in 2017 and 48 in 2019. But the party has struggled somewhat in the current parliament. It has lost three MPs to defections and the suspensions of Patrick Grady following sexual assault allegations and Margaret Ferrier for COVID rule-breaking shattered the SNP’s previously clean image in Westminster.

The SNP therefore heads into this election with 43 MPs. The party is battling two fronts, with the Alba party threatening to split the nationalist vote and Labour looking to win as many of Scotland’s 57 seats as possible.

Labour won Ferrier’s old seat in the Rutherglen and Hamilton West byelection with a and polling suggests they will from the SNP on July 4.

Liberal Democrats: 15 seats and wanting third place

The Liberal Democrats won 11 seats in the 2019 general election and this has since risen to 15 through four successful byelections. The party performed very strongly in recent local elections, gaining more councillors than Sunak’s Conservatives. Party Leader Ed Davey had a lot of fun over the first week of the campaign and won the party a lot of in the process.

Seats like , where the Liberal Democrats lost out to the Conservatives by just a few hundred votes in 2019, will surely turn yellow. With the SNP predicted to lose many of its Scottish seats, the Lib Dems will be hoping that they can reclaim their position as the official third party at Westminster.

Democratic Unionist Party: seven seats and struggling after scandal

The DUP won eight seats in 2019 but technically lost one when Jeffrey Donaldson resigned . His seat in Lagan Valley has not yet been filled and will be hotly contested, particularly as Donaldson himself is not standing. DUP leader Gavin Robinson will have a tough battle in East Belfast against Alliance party leader Naomi Long.

Sinn Féin: standing aside in key seats

Sinn Féin won seven seats in 2019. However, in line with its abstentionist policy, the party’s elected representatives never took their seats in the House of Commons. The party has already confirmed that it in four of Northern Ireland’s 18 constituencies and will encourage its supporters to vote against Sunak’s Conservatives in those seats. This should work in the Alliance Party’s favour. One of Sinn Féin’s existing MPs – Michelle Gildernew – will also not be standing.

Plaid Cymru: hoping for gains on a new electoral map

Welsh nationalist party Plaid Cymru won four seats in 2019. They fell to just three MPs in 2020 when Jonathan Edwards . Edwards, who has sat as an independent MP for most of the last parliament, has stood down, as has Hywel Williams, a hard working Plaid MP who has been in the Commons for over 20 years.

Plaid will be hoping to retain Williams’ Arfon seat, alongside those of the party’s Westminster leader Liz Saville-Roberts and Ben Lake, both of whom won with comfortable majorities in 2019 with Conservative candidates in second place.

Boundary changes mean that most constituencies in Wales have changed, but the party will be hoping to win back Edwards’s seat in the new Caerfyrddin constituency and perhaps to add Ynys Môn, held by Conservative MP Virginia Crosbie in 2019 with a relatively slender majority of just under 2000.

Alba: fighting its first election

Former Scottish first minister Alex Salmond’s pro-independence Alba party only formed in 2021, so this is its first ever general election campaign. It did however have two MPs in the last parliament, thanks to defections.

The addition of Alba to Scottish ballot papers threatens to split the nationalist vote and will make the election even more challenging for the SNP.

Social Democratic and Labour Party: aiming to hold two seats

Northern Ireland’s SDLP returned two MPs in 2019 and will hope to retain them. The party has been inconsistent in recent elections, and even lost all its seats in 2017.

The nature of Northern Irish politics and electoral pacts between unionist and nationalist parties makes it difficult to predict what will happen here. The SDLP has, however, committed itself to fielding candidates in . Its leader Colum Eastwood won his Foyle seat at the last election, as did .

Alliance: hoping to take a key DUP seat

The centrist Alliance party, also specific to Northern Ireland, has never had more than one MP in the House of Commons. The party’s deputy leader Stephen Farry won the North Down seat for the party in 2019, though the DUP came a close second. Party leader Naomi Long will be trying to unseat the DUP Leader Gavin Robinson for the third time, having lost by 1,819 votes in 2019. She previously held the seat between 2010 and 2015.

The party has had growing success in the Northern Ireland Assembly, where it became the third largest party in 2022. Translating this into more Westminster seats will be tricky, but returning two MPs would be a good result.

Greens: targeting Bristol and Brighton

The Green Party’s one and only MP, Caroline Lucas, from parliament last year. She was the party’s first ever elected MP, holding her Brighton Pavilion constituency since 2010. The Greens are desperately hoping that former party co-leader Siân Berry can hold Lucas’s old seat.

The Greens are also eying up Bristol Central, where the party’s current co-leader Carla Denyer is standing against Labour’s sitting MP Thangam Debbonaire in what could be a real neck-and-neck fight. The party is already the largest party on Bristol Council. On a national level, it will be hoping to perform even better than the 2019 election, when it received a pretty respectable 860,000 votes. With last month, the Green party could hit 1 million votes this time.

Reform UK: causing trouble for the Tories

Reform UK had one sitting MP in the last Parliament, following from the Conservatives. Defections like this are how most small or new parties end up with House of Commons seats. Anderson won his seat with a 5,000 majority in 2019 and has a high profile thanks to his regular controversial contributions. But retaining his seat under a new party label will be very tricky.

Reform UK is fielding candidates across England, Scotland and Wales. It could take a substantial number of votes from the Conservatives, but the electoral system will probably mean that these votes are not concentrated enough to win more than the odd seat.

Workers Party of Great Britain: taking aim at Labour

This relatively new political party held just one seat in the last parliament, thanks to George Galloway’s Rochdale byelection success in February. Galloway will campaign to hold this seat and the party is hoping to woo Labour voters with its claims that Starmer is from Sunak. With a of candidates for such a new party, it could prove something of an annoyance.

, Senior Lecturer in Politics,
This article is republished from under a Creative Commons license. Read the .

Winners of the Sociology Public Engagement Prize announced

Wed, 22 May 2024 16:02:00 +0100

Research engagement comes in shapes and sizes, and this year judges of the annual Sociology Prize for Public Engagement, Philip Drake (Director of Social Responsibility, School of Social Sciences) and Hilary Pilkington (Research Director, Sociology) awarded joint first prize in the staff category to two worthy, but very different, projects. and share first prize this year with .

Helen and Torik won for sharing their plastic recycling research with policymakers and consumers. They organised recycling pop-up events, produced reports for households and policymakers, contributed to government and business consultations and achieved extensive of their project.

Penny Tinkler won for her at Glasgow Women’s Library, which also included intergenerational workshops exploring how gender shapes teenage experiences and later life. Teenage Kicks shares the stories of eight women who were all teenagers in the 1960s.

was highly commended in the staff category for a series of knowledge exchange events, at a local mosque, church and temple, researching the role of faith spaces in healthy ageing. The events led to co-produced policy and practice recommendations and a report on the role of .

We also awarded prizes in our PhD student category. , with (University of Bristol) won first prize in this category for an innovative essay for the British Council Cultural Relations Collection.

In it they explored how artists, from filmmakers to painters, can contribute to peacebuilding, using Colombia and Northern Ireland as their cases. Their essay led to them being invited to take part in further British Council international collaborations on the role of the arts in transitional justice.

was highly commended in the PhD student category for sharing her work exploring identity and belonging for French citizens of South Asian descent through online and in-person events and as a podcast guest.

University of Manchester academic announced as Scientific Section President for 2024 by the British Science Association

Fri, 17 May 2024 16:31:20 +0100

, Senior Lecturer Social Anthropology at the University of Manchester, is announced as a Scientific Section President for Archaeology and Anthropology by the British Science Association (BSA) for 2024.

The Scientific Section Presidents are science professionals who play a crucial role in shaping the programme each year. From top names in British science to up-and-coming researchers tackling some of the greatest scientific challenges of our time.

Each year, the Presidents for each of the BSA’s 16 are nominated for making a significant contribution to their scientific field.

In her capacity of Scientific Section President, Chika will present her research project (Voices of Resilience) as part of the British Science Festival taking place 11 – 15 September at the University of East London.

Voices of Resilience is a collaborative project between researchers, disaster risk reduction (DRR) practitioners, and community actors in Talcahuano, Chile, with the aim to explore and promote intergenerational interactions to strengthen community resilience against disasters.

Chika said about her research:

If you won’t be in London in September, Chika will be presenting her research at the University of Manchester’s on Saturday, 8 June. You can join her for a focusing on resilience in the kitchen and for a documentary screening exploring intergenerational solidarity.

Both events are free and open to all, you can book your tickets .

University launches new scholarship in memory of Laura Nuttall

Thu, 16 May 2024 12:07:18 +0100

��Vlog�ٷ�’s School of Social Sciences has launched a new scholarship in memory of Politics, Philosophy and Economics graduate Laura Nuttall, who passed away exactly a year ago after a long battle against cancer.

After being diagnosed at the age of 18 with glioblastoma multiforme - the most aggressive form of brain cancer – Laura was given 12 months to live, but after undergoing gruelling treatments including innovative immunotherapy in Germany she was able to restart her studies at Manchester.

Despite travelling back and forth to Germany, undergoing more surgery, working as an ambassador for The Brain Tumour Charity and helping out in her community, she showed incredible strength and managed to excel in her studies. As a result, she graduated last summer with enormously proud Mum Nicola, sister Grace and Dad Mark by her side.

As well as working through her list of ambitions including meeting Michelle Obama, commanding a Royal Navy ship and presenting a BBC weather forecast, Laura continued raising money for brain charities as well as promoting ��Vlog�ٷ�’s Geoffrey Jefferson Brain Research Centre. Sadly, her cancer progressed quickly in late 2022, and she passed away last May at the age of 23.

When accepting an award in 2021, Laura had said “What sort of legacy will I leave if I just focus on myself and not others? The day I was diagnosed with brain cancer, I just thought I've got two options... I could say all right, that's fine, I'm going to sit here and die - or am I going to do something about it and stay positive? And that is what I chose to do."

In keeping with Laura’s dedication to helping others, and with the collaboration and support of Laura’s family, the School of Social Sciences will award an eligible student from a less privileged background with a physical condition, long term illness or learning difference with a scholarship of £3000 per year for every year of their degree.

All students who meet the criteria will be considered, but a preference will be given to students who are care leavers. The student who is selected to receive the bursary will be informed of this during their first semester of study.

“Laura’s life - and her selfless dedication to improving the lives of others - were an inspiration to the many staff and students who knew her,” said Professor Claire Alexander, Head of ��Vlog�ٷ�’s School of Social Sciences. “We are proud to be part of continuing Laura’s legacy through this new scholarship, and we thank Laura’s family for partnering with us in this new venture in Laura’s name.”

The scholarship was introduced at an event on campus where Laura’s Mum Nicola also launched the publication of ‘, her heartbreaking and inspiring account of helping her daughter to make the most of her remaining time while dealing with her own pain along with that of husband Mark and younger daughter Gracie.

To find out more about Laura’s legacy and her family’s ongoing work, visit .

Most Gypsy and Traveller sites in Great Britain are located within 100 metres of major pollutants, shows research

Wed, 15 May 2024 13:35:42 +0100

, and ,

Gypsy and Traveller are among the . There is a of government failures in meeting these groups’ housing needs.

The of sites has resulted in a homelessness problem. Those who do secure pitches on council-managed sites often have to contend with living near potential hazards.

For our recent , we mapped local authority-managed Gypsy and Traveller sites in Great Britain. Of those sites, 39% were within 50 metres of one or more major pollutants and 54% were within 100 metres.

The effect on residents is significant. As one of our interviewees, Sarah (all names have been changed), put it: “You can’t breathe here. A lot of people have asthma. Lots of babies in the community have poor health. A lot of them have skin rashes. Nobody ever lived past about 50 here. Whatever is coming out is killing people. Lots of people are dying of chest, COPD and cancer.”

Worsening conditions

Between 2021 and 2022, we mapped 291 Gypsy and Traveller sites across Great Britain, noting their proximity to environmental hazards. These included motorways, A-roads, railway lines, industrial estates and sewage works.

To do so, we used the Caravan Count 2020, which lists all authorised local authority managed sites in England and Wales and a freedom of information request to the Scottish government, which gave us the names and addresses of all the authorised public sites in Scotland.

The study included in-depth case studies, site visits and interviews with 13 site residents (including repeat interviews with five site residents on two sites).

Local newspapers that reported on the highly contested historical and current planning processes were also analysed. Freedom of information requests were sent to local authorities to obtain planning meeting documents and 11 interviews were conducted with representatives of local and national organisations that work with Gypsy and Traveller communities.

When new Gypsy and Traveller sites are proposed by local authorities near existing residential areas, objections come from three main groups: residents, local politicians and local media outlets.

These objections often result in new sites being pushed further to the margins of towns and cities, in places that other communities would not be expected to live.

As a result, sites are often in isolated areas, quite literally on the wrong side of the tracks. They are nestled in among the infrastructure that services the needs of the local settled communities, from major roads to recycling centres.

One of the sites we visited has been in use since the 1970s, despite the fact that, already then, it was located near a waste transfer station. The intervening five decades have only seen conditions on the site worsen.

A chicken slaughterhouse nearby now burns carcasses regularly. The household waste recycling centre has expanded to allow for recycling and incineration of solid waste from commerce and industry.

Lorries and other vehicles now come in and out in large numbers, just metres away from some of the pitches. Residents experience constant noise and vibrations. Mary, who lives on the site, says the sound of the skips being deposited from 5am every morning is like a bomb going off: “It drops so hard it shakes the chalet.”

The air is always heavy with dust. Residents have to keep their windows closed – even in the summer – to keep out the flies. As Jane, who is the fourth generation of her family to live on the site, puts it: “We are living in an industrial area. It’s the air quality, the sand, the dust, the recycling tip is just behind us. The noise is a big problem. There is an incinerator near the slaughterhouse and that’s really bad. And the smell…”

Environmental racism

to the World Health Organization, housing is one of the major factors determining health. The physical conditions of a home – including mould, asbestos, cold, damp and noise – are obvious risk factors. So too, are wider environmental factors, from overcrowding and isolation from services to the relative lack of access to green spaces.

The people we spoke with, including site residents and organisational representatives, highlight the harmful health effects of living on many Gypsy and Traveller sites. This chimes with the government’s own , which have found these sites to be unsafe.

Research on health inequalities in the UK bears this out. People from Gypsy and Irish Traveller backgrounds the poorest health and a life expectancy of between ten and 25 years less than the general population. They also have of long-term illness and conditions that limit everyday life and activities.

The Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022 has further constrained Gypsy and Traveller communities by criminalising roadside stopping and forcing people on to transit sites. These are designed for short stays and are often in than permanent sites.

This poses a plain threat to , from travelling in the summer months to fairs and attending religious gatherings.

Thousands of people rely on these local authority-managed sites, located dangerously near the kind of environmental pollutants that are with poor health and premature deaths. The term “environmental racism” is used to refer to how people from minority and low-income communities are to environmental harm.

Yvonne MacNamara is the chief executive of the non-profit advocacy organisation, Traveller Movement. She highlights that the inequalities these communities face are systemic. Local authorities, she says, treat Traveller communities “like second-class citizens”.

To one resident’s mind, attitudes within local government to Gypsy and Traveller social housing are clearly . As she put it: “They wouldn’t expect anyone but a Traveller to live here.”

, Professor of Sociology, and , Royal Literary Fund Fellow, . This article is republished from under a Creative Commons license. Read the .

What being a teenage girl in 1960s Britain was really like

Wed, 15 May 2024 13:26:40 +0100

Dressed in a mini skirt and passionate about boys, music, dance and fashion, teenage girl is a pop culture icon, the seeming beneficiary of the ascendancy of in the west and of unprecedented social and cultural changes.

Quite how real women actually experienced – and benefited from – this era of social change is more complex. For the past six years, I have led of girls growing up in Britain between the 1950s and 1970s. In order to understand how this era has shaped women’s experiences and identities in later life, my colleagues and I conducted interviews with 70 women born between 1939 and 1952.

We also data on girlhood from Britain’s first birth cohort study, as well as the .

The current Teenage Kicks exhibition, at the Glasgow Women’s Library and until May 18, delves into eight of our interviewees’ stories. Edinburgh-based artist Candice Purwin has illustrated the striking diversity they relay: growing up in very different circumstances navigated the possibilities and pitfalls of the 1960s and early 1970s in very different ways.

Swinging London

Our interviewees were from different social class backgrounds and across both rural and urban locations. To spark memories, we played music that these women would have listened to when they were young. We talked with them about their personal photos.

One interviewee, Liz, was the epitome of a modern, mobile, young woman. At 17, she was earning an income, travelling to Europe with friends and enjoying the consumerism of . She told us about visiting clubs and shopping in new department stores. At 19, she left to work in the US.

This sense of London as a place of opportunity was a recurrent theme. Andrea embarked on a science degree in London, aged 18. Coming to the capital meant being able to escape village life and the scrutiny of her religious parents.

Andrea found freedom to engage in student politics and to come out as a lesbian. Being gay was a stigmatised identity at the time. She recalled furtive visits to London’s only lesbian club, the Gateway Club. “A crummy place really,” she said, “down in the basement, small, hot and dark.”

Another interviewee, Joyce, grew up in in an overcrowded home in central London. She said she felt like “the bee’s knees” when she started earning money. She described the pair of white boots she was able to buy, to wear when she went out dancing.

Like her peers, though, Joyce mainly spent her leisure time walking the streets with friends and going to cafés. “We sat there all night with one coffee,” she said, “sometimes two, if you were feeling rash.”

In rural areas, girls were often dependent on limited public transport to access leisure venues, shops and cafes in nearby towns. Going to the cinema was a major expedition.

Valerie, who grew up on a farm near Portsmouth on England’s south coast, said: “We couldn’t get there until 6 o’clock and we had to be on the 9 o’clock bus back.” As films were often shown on a continuous loop throughout the day, she said “you’d pick up a film half way through, watch it until the bit that you came in at, and then leave.”

For girls abroad, the capital the opportunities Britain itself promised. One interviewee, Cynthia, migrated from St Kitts, in search of better prospects. “Jobs were easy to find when I came to Britain,” she said.

Cynthia worked as a machinist in a clothing factory by day. By night, she studied typing and administration. These new qualifications helped her secure a better-paid job as a secretary in a solicitor’s office.

Unequal access

We found that access to the widening educational and professional opportunities for girls was uneven. More were going to university and into . Most, however, left school at 15 without qualifications and with limited work prospects.

Joyce thrived at school but left at 15 when her mother became ill. Later, she took evening classes and became a telephonist.

Pamela too was a star pupil but her mother thought it pointless educating a daughter. “She’s only going to get married!”, her mother would say. Once in the workforce, however, Pamela excelled and quickly progressed into management.

Like others whose education was foreshortened due to hardship and sexism, Pamela and Joyce later regretted not having been able to pursue their studies further.

In popular culture, the 1960s are associated with . Most of the women we spoke with, however, said that, as girls, they feared getting pregnant out of wedlock.

became available to married women in 1961. But access for single women until 1974. Even access to basic sex education was limited.

Pamela fell in love at 17 and got pregnant. Her mother insisted that she give up both that relationship and her baby. She eventually started a new relationship and married at 20. This was an abusive marriage. Taking control of her fertility, she went on the pill and by age 24, she had secured a divorce.

The unprecedented trend towards early marriage meant was typically short-lived. In 1965, 40% of brides were under 21. from 1969 proved an important development for many.

Women about aspects of their younger selves having stayed with them in later life. Many live with what we call “”, the feeling that they could have been a different person and had a different life if things had gone differently when they were young.

Some of our interviewees explained that it was not possible to rectify what they missed in their youth. Others spoke about using retirement to make up for missed opportunities. Most advise their own children and grandchildren to make the most of being young.

, Professor of Sociology and History,
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Summer Solstice Celebrations at Jodrell Bank with Creative Manchester

Fri, 10 May 2024 17:35:04 +0100

Jodrell Bank and Creative Manchester are delighted to hold two exciting events to mark the Summer Solstice on June 21, 2024. The daytime event explores the intersection of art, myth, and science, in celebration of renowned author Alan Garner and offers engaging panel discussions and lectures for enthusiasts across literature, archaeology and physics.

In the evening novelist Sarah Perry will discuss her new novel ‘Enlightenment’ in an intimate setting, featuring a reading and a Q&A.

Date: Friday, 21 June 2024, 10.30am – 5.30pm
Location: Jodrell Bank

The day begins with a variety of panel discussions, a walk of the Jodrell Bank site and a filmed conversation with Alan Garner exploring the themes of his literary work. Alan Garner’s writing is deeply rooted in the history and landscape of Alderley Edge, draws inspiration from the area's archaeology and the cosmic wonders observed at Jodrell Bank Observatory.

In celebration of his 90th birthday, experts from archaeology, physics, and literature will convene at Jodrell Bank to discuss the impact of Garner's writing on their respective fields, as well as how the sciences have influenced the writer himself. Together, they will explore themes of time and place in his novels, celebrating his contribution to contemporary storytelling.

Purchase your ticket and optional lunch and transport from Oxford Road .

Date: Friday, 21 June 2024, 6.30pm – 8pm
Location: Jodrell Bank

Later in the day, attendees can enjoy an evening with author Sarah Perry, featuring her latest novel, Enlightenment. Perry's book delves into questions of faith, physics, and human emotion against the backdrop of a small town in Essex. The newest story from award-winning novelist Sarah Perry weaves a web of entangled relationships and emotion, its characters trapped within the conflict between faith and fact.

Traversing some of the biggest questions on an intimate and captivating level, Enlightenment will stay with you long after closing the final page.

The event offers a chance to hear Perry discuss her creative process, read excerpts from "Enlightenment," and participate in a Q&A session.

Purchase your ticket and optional dinner .

These events promise a thought-provoking exploration of literature and science, set against the backdrop of the Summer Solstice at Jodrell Bank. Tickets are available for both events, with a discounted rate available for the ‘An Evening With Sarah Perry’ event if attending both events.

These events are part of Creative Manchester’s ‘Solstice and Equinox series’, a series of events which brings innovative creative artists to ��Vlog�ٷ�’s four Cultural Institutions.

Each of our unique cultural institutions – the Whitworth, the John Rylands Research Institute and Library, Manchester Museum and Jodrell Bank Discovery Centre – focus on building civic, national and international partnerships to advance the social, environmental and individual wellbeing of our communities.

SoSS recognition at the University's Making a Difference Awards 2024

Fri, 10 May 2024 15:53:15 +0100

��Vlog�ٷ�'s 10th Making a Difference Awards ceremony took place on Thursday 9 May in the University’s Whitworth Hall, and live streamed on YouTube.

The Making a Difference Awards recognise the outstanding achievements of our staff, students, alumni and external partners, and celebrate how they are making a difference.

The received two wins and two highly commended awards, a testament to the school’s dedication to social responsibility.

Congratulations go to all those involved.

Outstanding public engagement initiative - Winner

(PhD student in Sociology) nominated by , for her co-produced “Echoes of Displacement”.

‘Echoes of Displacement’ is a captivating comic book narrating the collective story of people growing older while seeking sanctuary in the UK. Created collaboratively with participants and refugee charities, the comic is widely used by organisations to raise awareness about refugee experiences.

Outstanding public engagement initiative – Highly Commended

, Suzanne Gower and the Students for their ‘Justice Gap Student Reporter Scheme’.

For the Justice Gap Reporter Scheme, students and staff from Manchester, Cardiff, UCL and Glasgow universities write articles about the law and justice informing the public about law and justice as it relates to them, covering lesser-known parts of the justice system which is often not covered in mainstream media.

Outstanding contribution to social and environmental impact through entrepreneurship - Winner

nominated by , for her ‘One Bin to Rule Them All’.

‘One Bin To Rule Them All’ is an innovative, interdisciplinary project which enables a sustainable circular plastics economy by using behavioural understanding and new economic models to reshape recycling practices. From mapping household contamination to influencing UN Plastics Treaty negotiations, the team enables improved recycling outcomes across supply chains.

Outstanding contribution to equality, diversity and inclusion – Highly Commended

and GM4Women2028 Charity and Helen Pankurst for ‘Dialogue, Deeds and Determination: Diversifying and strengthening voices, dialogue and connections of Women and Girls to powerholders in Greater Manchester’.

GM4Women2028 is a charity aiming to improve the lives of women and girls in Greater Manchester. The Dialogue, Deeds and Determination (DDD) project is engaging with policy-makers, politicians and the public and holding to account elected representatives. Together they are committing to data-driven action to tackle gender inequality in GM.

Find out more about the Making a Difference awards on our .

Research highlights role of faith spaces in supporting healthy ageing

Wed, 24 Apr 2024 12:46:44 +0100

A team of researchers from ��Vlog�ٷ� has spent the last 18 months examining how faith spaces in Greater Manchester support different groups of older people within their communities.

Greater Manchester has a growing older population which is becoming increasingly culturally diverse. The city region also faces high levels of inequality around health, income and access to neighbourhood services.

In this context, faith spaces provide much needed support as well as places for social connection. However, they are rarely acknowledged for the work they do, are mostly self-funded, and rely on mainly older volunteers to deliver their services.

Researchers from the Manchester Urban Ageing Research Group () spoke to a wide range of partners including local authority public health and neighbourhood officers, third sector organisations, faith-based and interfaith networks, and diverse groups representing older people from across Greater Manchester. A range of participants contributed to the data, including faith leaders or representatives of faith communities, as well as older people who are regular users of faith spaces.

Their research found that faith spaces provide spiritual wellbeing, belonging and a sense of community by serving as ‘social connectors’, and that they provide practical and emotional support across gender and social class.

The faith spaces in this study also supported a wider range of benefits beyond that of spiritual wellbeing, both for those who identified with a faith community, and by those who did not. Some participants from the White British community who visited an Anglican church told the researchers that they did not think of themselves as people of faith, but the space was important for social purposes - Beth, a White woman in her 70s, said “I’m a humanist so I don’t come here for the service, but to have a cup of tea with people.”

The activities provided by the faith spaces were not restricted to indoor meetings - a group of women started going for walks in a local park as part of an informal initiative by a lay leader from the Muslim community who participated in the research. One of the women taking part was Rayhana, a 72-year-old Muslim woman, who had found herself ‘stuck at home’ without a network of other Asian women after retiring from her busy life working as a teacher and looking after her children on her own. “It made a big difference in my life because I used to sit at home depressed not going anywhere," she said. "But now I come out with these people, and we enjoy that."

The research uncovered high inequality across different neighbourhoods, as well as social isolation amongst groups and individuals within the older population. Such experiences are reflected in the provision of various services by faith spaces, these often targeting recent migrants, those experiencing isolation and/or financial hardship, and people undergoing challenging life transitions such as bereavement, divorce, health problems and relocation.

The experts are calling for a more strategic involvement of faith-based groups in public health and age-friendly agendas. Taking into consideration the existing support happening in faith spaces and the opportunities for that work to be expanded, they suggest that policymakers should explore how to enhance the role of faith spaces in contributing to promoting health and wellbeing in the community, and provide support to enhance the social function of faith spaces, both for existing users and members of the wider community.

They also appeal for recognition of the role of faith spaces in supporting isolated/newly arrived groups to the community and their potential to connect older people to age-friendly initiatives, as well as support for faith spaces to access funding and the broadening of the age-friendly framework to embrace spiritual participation and cultural diversity.

The report is available to view