Biography

Eileen Alexander is a Teaching Fellow in the Department of Methodology. Eileen is interested in developing a better understanding of informal everyday welfare practices in the UK and their implications for social policy. Her doctoral research draws on narrative and collaborative methods to better understand how informal financial support is exchanged between households struggling to cover their basic living costs. At the heart of her research is a focus on how informal welfare impacts people’s personal relationships and networks of support. Before joining the Department of Methodology, Eileen conducted her doctoral research in the LSE’s Department of Social Policy, where she taught on undergraduate courses. She has also contributed to research programmes at LSE Housing and Communities and the Centre for Analysis of Social Exclusion. Eileen has conducted hundreds of qualitative interviews, organised focus groups, and supported participant-led research projects. She holds an MSc in Social Policy and Planning from the LSE and an undergraduate degree in Political Science and International Studies from the University of Wisconsin Madison.

Eileen Alexander's current research interests are:

• Private rented sector and tenure dynamics
• Welfare reform
• Housing and neighbourhood policy
• Qualitative and geographic research methods including tenant peer research

Eileen's latest projects include:

• Investigation into how large housing associations can continue to invest in communities given current funding changes and resource constraints.