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- Plans to axe child poverty measures contradict the :
vast majority of expert advice the government received (posted: 18 November 2015)
- Moving the Goalposts: Poverty and Access:
to Sport for Young People (posted: 16 November 2015)
- Research Officer vacancy at CASE :
to carry out research into early years education in England (posted: 13 November 2015)
- Housing Plus Academy:
New housing academy for social landlords, backed by leading social housing providers, to be launched (posted: 09 November 2015)
- Joseph Rowntree Foundation and LSE partnership :
to investigate link between poverty and inequalities (posted: 02 November 2015)
- New report from the Equality and Human Rights Commission includes CASE contribution :
to the supporting evidence base (posted: 30 October 2015)
- Too Many Children Left Behind: the US achievement gap in comparative perspective :
21st Oct, CASE and LSE International Inequalities Institute public lecture (posted: 04 October 2015)
- No magic bullet in London schools:
- success just years of steady improvements in quality, new research shows. (posted: 30 September 2015)
- Papal Audience :
Lord Nicholas Stern meets Pope Francis in special audience on the theme of environmental justice (posted: 11 September 2015)
- Coalition government education policies muddied by conflicting strategies:
Ruth Lupton and Stephanie Thomson (posted: 11 September 2015)
- Inequalities and disadvantage in London: Focus on Religion and Belief:
New blog on research findings from Social Policy in a Cold Climate (posted: 20 August 2015)
- Pension reforms since the financial crisis could have a serious impact on the future retirement incomes of young Europeans:
Blog post by Aaron Grech (posted: 16 August 2015)
- Downward mobility, opportunity hoarding and the 'glass floor':
Abigail McKnight's new report for the Social Mobility and Child Poverty Commission (posted: 17 July 2015)
- Honour for STICERD's Director:
Oriana Bandiera elected Fellow of the British Academy (posted: 16 July 2015)
- New child poverty measures could allow government to shirk its responsibilities:
British politics and policy at LSE blog (posted: 06 July 2015)
- Special Event:
Changing London: The Rough Guide for the next London Mayor Book Launch (posted: 06 July 2015)
- 01-May-2015 00:00:00:
LSE Research Festival (posted: 21 May 2015)
- STICERD Morishima Lecture:
Scarcity: A talk for people too busy to attend talks (posted: 21 May 2015)
- Department of Social Policy Public Lecture:
The Government Paternalist: nanny state or helpful friend? (posted: 20 May 2015)
- International Inequalities Institute public lecture:
Joseph E. Stiglitz, The Great Divide (posted: 19 May 2015)
- CEPR:
Public Economics Annual Symposium 2015 (posted: 14 May 2015)
- Inequality in the 21st Century:
A day long engagement with Thomas Piketty (posted: 11 May 2015)
- LSE Works/CASE Public Lecture:
Making a Difference in Education: what the evidence says (posted: 06 May 2015)
- New appointment:
Nicholas Stern elected Member of the American Philosophical Society (posted: 30 April 2015)
- Inequality: what can be done?:
CASE and International Inequalities Institute public lecture (posted: 30 April 2015)
- Poverty in Suburbia – ‘the American experience':
Smith Institute and CASE special seminar (posted: 28 April 2015)
- LSE Housing and Communities Event:
Report Launch: Is Welfare Reform Working? (posted: 26 March 2015)
- Event: Housing Plus Think Tank::
Energy saving matters – social landlords can lead the way (posted: 20 February 2015)
- Good Times, Bad Times, Hard Times:
Live Debate from the RSA (19th February 2015) - Video now available (posted: 19 February 2015)
- LSE Housing and Communities - in the news:
High rise estates can work if they are made energy efficient, says new LSE report (posted: 16 February 2015)
- LSE Housing and Communities Event:
High Rise Hope Revisited (posted: 30 January 2015)
- CASE/SPCC Special Event:
The Coalition's Social Policy Record: Policy, Spending and Outcomes 2010-2015 (posted: 28 January 2015)
The Welfare Reform and Work
Bill, currently going through the House of Lords, proposes to remove all income
and material deprivation measures from the Child Poverty Act. By doing so, the
government is acting against the advice of 99% of respondents to its own
consultation on the matter, find
Nick Roberts and
Kitty Stewart in a new blog for LSE British Politics and Policy.
Continue reading here
News Posted: 18 November 2015 [ Back to the Top]
Monday 7th December 2015
LSE Housing and Communities
recently launched a new report:
Moving the Goalposts: Poverty and Access to Sport for Young People.
Earlier in the year we carried out area-based
qualitative research for
StreetGames, the leading charity working to break
down the barriers created by poverty and area disadvantage that prevent young
people participating in sport.
Professor
David Piachaud
Chaired this important event where
Jane Ashworth, Chief Executive of
StreetGames explained why this research is so important. Professor
Anne Power presented the main findings and recommendations
and Sir
Robin Wales, Mayor of Newham and Baroness Tessa Jowell also
offered their perspectives on the importance of sport for London's young people.
Download the report:
Full Report |
Executive Summary |
Literature Review 
Audio
recording of the launch event
StreetGames asked us to help them better understand why
high poverty areas suffer such major disadvantages and throw up so many barriers
in the field of 'active learning' and whether informal sport and physical
activity could actually help. We visited five deprived areas in England
and Wales and spoke to about 135 young people between the ages of 14-25, local
parents and key actors in order to uncover what young people do, what they think
of their area, why they play sport or don’t, and what the barriers to
involvement are. We know that sport and physical activity help young people
develop confidence and motivation, social and team skills, and also motivates
them to strive and succeed. The health impacts of lack of exercise are
already serious and projected to become more so in the future. This relevant and
timely report offers a unique insight into the lives of young people in deprived
areas, the barriers they face to participation, ways in which communities and
charities can support the work already done in poor areas, and new ways of
opening access to sport for young people.
Further information: For more information contact Nicola Serle at LSE (n.serle@lse.ac.uk)
Tel: 020 7955 6684.
News Posted: 16 November 2015 [ Back to the Top]
We are appointing a Research Officer on an 18 month fixed
term contract, to carry out research into the patterns and drivers of social
segregation within early years education in England. The project continues a
strand of work in CASE on early childhood policy and disadvantage. We are
excited to have raised funding for this project which we think is the first
attempt to examine segregation in relation to early years settings in the UK.
We are looking for a researcher who has experience of
using large scale datasets, is enthusiastic about learning new analytical
techniques, has research interests in early education policy, and has a high
level of proficiency in STATA. Experience of using the National Pupil Database
and/or of using geographical mapping software would be an additional advantage.
You must also have a completed
PhD in a relevant discipline and will also have excellent written and verbal
communication skills.
Further information and how to apply.
News Posted: 13 November 2015 [ Back to the Top]
The National
Communities Resource Centre and the London School of Economics and Political
Science (LSE) will launch the new Housing Plus Academy on Monday 9 November at
Trafford Hall. The Academy will help housing associations remain viable social
businesses by supporting the communities where they work in a period of
austerity. It will be hands-on and action-oriented locally while driving home
policy messages among decision-makers. The Academy will develop knowledge
exchange and offer peer learning, accredited participative training and think
tanks to explore areas needing action and support to social landlords,
particularly helping their front line staff and tenants to respond to welfare
reform, financial pressures, energy costs, job access, community and social
needs.
Twelve leading
housing associations have become partners and sponsors of the Housing Plus
Academy alongside the Joseph Rowntree Foundation who are supporting efforts to
include small, community based organisations and vulnerable minorities. It is
also backed by the National Housing Federation, the Chartered Institute of
Housing, along with a number of small housing associations. With sponsorship and
minimal charges for each event, the Housing Plus Academy will be
self-sustaining.
Professor Power
commented: “Housing Plus seems to have real purchase because housing
associations are driven by the urgent need to retain their business viability
while at the same time depending on tenants coping and paying their way. They
have a strong ethical purpose, and are the most significant organisations within
low income communities, alongside schools.”
“Local authorities
are also involved but their role and responsibilities are significantly
different because of their much wider political remit. However many have a
direct involvement in the key Housing Plus themes, particularly through their
role as social landlords or through transfer associations. All social landlords
favour the think tank model as the basis for the Housing Plus Academy.”
Chartered Institute of Housing chief executive Terrie Alafat said: "In a
tough environment, the Housing Plus Academy can help housing professionals and
organisations maintain their support for residents and communities."
David Orr, Chief Executive
of the National Housing Federation said: “Trafford Hall and LSE have a national
reputation that spans many years and today housing has more challenges than
ever. Initiatives like the Housing Plus Academy will help the sector to rise to
these challenges and prosper in the future, helping all of us to do more with
fewer resources.”
Notes
For further information, please contact Nicola Serle,
n.serle@lse.ac.uk
or phone 0207 955
6684 or Sally Wyatt, Chief Executive Trafford Hall,
s.wyatt@traffordhall.com or phone 01244 300246.
News Posted: 09 November 2015 [ Back to the Top]
The
London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) is delighted to have been
awarded £565,000 by the
Joseph Rowntree Foundation
(JRF) for a three-year programme to investigate the links between poverty and
inequalities
The partnership was
announced by LSE alumna Ms Julia Unwin CBE, Chief Executive of the Joseph
Rowntree Foundation, at an LSE public lecture to launch a new book
Social Class in the 21st Century.
The donation establishes a new early career fellowship within the LSE
International Inequalities
Institute
(III) as well as a programme of research on the connections between inequality,
diversity and poverty which will be led by LSE’s
Centre for Analysis of Social Exclusion
(CASE).
The research aims to review the relationships between inequalities of various
kinds and poverty. It will investigate areas such as
the consequences of living in an unequal society for
the lives of those in poverty; how people’s prospects of social mobility are
affected if parental resources are unequally distributed between families; the
links between poverty, inequality and geographical and neighbourhood
segregation; how inequality affects risks of poverty for different groups, such
as by ethnicity, gender, disability and migration status; and the political and
attitudinal effects of inequality for support (or otherwise) for effective
collective action against poverty.
The funding will also ensure a programme of practitioner visitors to the III and
a public engagement programme of events and publications to support the
research.
Professor John Hills, co-director of the III at LSE and director of CASE, said:
“Inequality and the persistence of poverty in affluent societies are key issues
of our time, but ones whose nature and inter-relationships have been changing
and are contested. We hope that this new collaboration between the International
Inequalities Institute and the Joseph Rowntree Foundation on this Poverty and
Inequalities programme will help the development of understanding and policies
to address the divide between rich and poor.”
Ms Julia Unwin CBE said: “The aim of JRF's partnership with the new Institute is
to support activities focused on the consequences of different kinds of
inequality for poverty, and the prospects of successful public action to reduce
it, with the focus on the UK, in line with JRF's mission. We want to improve
understanding of the links between inequality and poverty, including between
different groups in society. We hope this partnership will make an important
contribution to public debate and understanding at a critical time for efforts
to reduce poverty in the UK.”
News Posted: 02 November 2015 [ Back to the Top]
A comprehensive review on
progress towards equality and human rights in Britain,
Is Britain Fairer? was published by the
Equality and Human Rights
Commission
today. CASE's Tania Burchardt, Eleni Karagiannaki, Polly Vizard and Ellie Suh
were involved in developing the underlying supporting
evidence base for the
report. The evidence base draws on the Commission’s Measurement Frameworks,
and provides
data and evidence around 10 critical ‘domains’: Life, Health, Physical security;
Legal security, Education; Standard of living; Productive and valued activities;
Individual, family and social life; Identity, expression and self-respect and
Participation, influence and voice.
News Posted: 30 October 2015 [ Back to the Top]
Date: Wednesday
21 October 2015 Time: 6.30-8pm Venue: Hong Kong Theatre,
Clement House Speaker: Professor Jane Waldfogel Chair: Professor
Sir John Hills
The belief that with hard
work and determination, all children have the opportunity to succeed in life is
a cherished part of the American Dream. Yet, increased inequality in America has
made that dream more difficult for many to obtain. In
Too Many
Children Left Behind, an international team of social scientists
assesses how social mobility varies in the United States compared with
Australia, Canada, and the United Kingdom. Bruce Bradbury, Miles Corak, Jane
Waldfogel, and Elizabeth Washbrook show that the academic achievement gap
between disadvantaged American children and their more advantaged peers is far
greater than in other wealthy countries, with serious consequences for their
future life outcomes. With education the key to expanding opportunities for
those born into low socioeconomic status families, Too Many Children Left
Behind helps us better understand educational disparities and how to reduce
them.
Jane Waldfogel is Compton
Foundation Centennial Professor, Columbia University School of Social Work and
Visiting Professor at CASE, LSE. She is co-author of Too Many Children Left
Behind.
John Hills is Professor
of Social Policy and Director of the Centre for Analysis of Social Exclusion
(CASE) and Co-Director of the International Inequalities Institute at LSE.
The
Centre for Analysis of
Social Exclusion (CASE) at LSE (@CASE_LSE) focuses
on the exploration of different dimensions of social disadvantage, particularly
from longitudinal and neighbourhood perspectives, and examination of the impact
of public policy.
The new
International
Inequalities Institute at LSE (@LSEInequalities)
brings together experts from many LSE departments and centres to provide
co-ordination and strategic leadership for critical and cutting edge research
and inter-disciplinary analysis of inequalities.
Suggested hashtag for
this event for Twitter users: #LSEchildren
This event is free and
open to all with no ticket or pre-registration required. Entry is on a first
come, first served basis. For any queries see
LSE Events FAQ or contact us at events@lse.ac.uk or
0207 955 6043.
News Posted: 04 October 2015 [ Back to the Top]
New work, published as part of the Social Policy in a Cold Climate programme,
concludes that the improved performance
largely reflects gradual improvements in school quality over time.
Improvements in primary schools played a major role in explaining later
improvements in secondary schools.
In 2002 less than a quarter (22%) of children on free school meals in inner
London obtained five or more A*–C grades at GCSE or their equivalent (including
English and Maths). In 2013, this had risen to almost half (48%). Gains were
much smaller among disadvantaged children outside London (17%) to (26%).
The
new work
establishes that the “London effect” for poor children began in the mid-1990s –
well-before many of the high-profile policies in secondary schools
previously credited with London’s success, such as the London Challenge, Teach
First, and the growth of academies.
It’s possible that recent changes reflect London’s status as an economic
powerhouse. To check this the researchers follow a group of children born around
the year 2000 from preschool to age 11. This shows that
disadvantaged pupils in London are not
ahead at age 5, but instead make faster progress once they get to school
compared to their peers outside the capital.
This research is authored by
Jo Blanden (School of Economics, University of Surrey)
Ellen Greaves
(Institute for Fiscal Studies),
Paul Gregg
(Department of Social Policy, Bath University),
Lindsey Macmillan
(Institute of Education, University College London) and
Luke Sibieta (Institute for Fiscal Studies) and is part of the
Social Policy in a Cold Climate programme of work, funded by Joseph Rowntree
Foundation, the Nuffield Foundation and Trust for London through the Centre for
the Analysis of Social Exclusion (CASE), LSE. Co-funding from the ESRC-funded
Centre for the Microeconomic Analysis of Public Policy at the Institute for
Fiscal Studies is gratefully acknowledged.
News Posted: 30 September 2015 [ Back to the Top]
Pope
Francis addressed a meeting organised by the
Sustainable
Development Foundation on the theme of
"Environmental justice and climate change". He received Lord Nicholas Stern, who
presented him with his new book ""Why
Are We Waiting?" where he argues that the effects of climante change are far
worse than predicted, and that embracing change and innovation is paramount to
tackling them.
The papal audience welcomed three hundred participants
who were representatives of religion, politics, economic activity and scientific
research in various sectors, international organisations and those involved in
the fight against poverty. The meeting took place in the Vatican on 11 September
2015.
Lord Stern is a leading climate
change economist and author of the landmark
Stern Review
in 2006. He is STICERD associate and Professor of
Economics at LSE.
News Posted: 11 September 2015 [ Back to the Top]
The
potential benefits of the Pupil Premium for children from low-income families
were counterbalanced by other policies, says a new analysis.
Ruth Lupton,
Professor of Education at the University of Manchester and Visiting Professor at
LSE's Centre for Analysis of Social Exclusion (CASE), and Dr Stephanie Thomson
of the University of Manchester demonstrate that the Pupil Premium, championed
by the former Coalition Government as their ‘most important lever’ in reducing
the impact of inequalities on educational outcomes has, overall, distributed
more money to schools with poorer intakes. Professor Ruth Lupton has made a
short video introducing the research. It is available on the journal
website.
The Pupil
Premium was a key programme for the 2010–15 Coalition Government, and was
championed by then Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg as a ‘flagship’ policy. But
Lupton and Thomson’s research, published in a special issue of the London
Review of Education examining the impact of Coalition policies on the
sector, shows its potential benefits have been counterbalanced by a wider set of
policies. These include cuts to welfare benefits and services which have
disadvantaged low-income families and children.
The authors
also argue that broader education policies, including changes to GCSE assessment
and cuts to school building plans for poorer areas, may also act against
children from low-income families.
'Aspiring
future governments with intentions to reduce inequalities in school outcomes
surely need to see the problem “in the round”,’ say Lupton and Thomson, ‘taking
into account family poverty and the mainstream activities of schools as well as
additional interventions funded through supplementary funding streams.’ The
paper complements a previous review of the Coalition’s schools policies
published by CASE and builds on the Social
Policy in a Cold Climate reports published by the London School of
Economics in 2013 and 2015.
This special
issue of the London
Review of Education
contains 14
articles of critical analysis and reflection by key academics and professionals
on the impact of the 2010–2015 Coalition Government’s radical, reforming
approach to education policy. The issue, titled ‘Education policy under the
2010–15 UK Coalition Government: Critical perspectives’ (vol. 13, no. 2), was
published on 18 September 2015 and is introduced by Professor Chris Husbands,
Director of the UCL Institute of Education.
News Posted: 11 September 2015 [ Back to the Top]
In our comprehensive
report on inequality and disadvantage in London published earlier this year, The
Changing Anatomy of Economic Inequality in London (2007-2013), we
provided a detailed picture of what happened to different population groups in
London in the wake of the crisis and downturn.
In a series of
blogs, hosted by research funders
Trust for London, we are expanding that analysis by ‘drilling down’ into
different aspects of inequality in London. The
latest blog looks at key economic outcomes (wealth,
unemployment, and wages – unfortunately a breakdown of London data on income is
not available) by religion and belief.
News Posted: 20 August 2015 [ Back to the Top]
What effect has the
financial crisis had on pension systems in EU countries?
Aaron Grech notes that prior to the
crisis there was a significant divergence in pensions across the EU, with some
states having relatively generous systems in comparison to others. He writes
that following the crisis, southern European states have had to substantially
cut back on pensions, while other states in northern Europe have remained
relatively unscathed. He argues that although it should still be possible for
these systems to keep pensioners out of poverty, European policymakers will need
to ensure a properly functioning labour market that provides opportunities for
young Europeans.
Continue reading at LSE British Politics and
Policy blog.
News Posted: 16 August 2015 [ Back to the Top]
A new
report Downward mobility, opportunity hoarding and the ‘glass floor’ by Abigail
McKnight has been published by the Social
Mobility and Child Poverty Commission. It examines the evidence for a
cohort of British children born in 1970 in terms of the relationship between
family background, childhood cognitive skills and adult success in the labour
market. In particular it considers the role of parents’ education, later
childhood performance in reading and maths, social and emotional skills in
childhood, type of secondary school attended and whether or not individuals go
on to attain a degree.
The research finds
that, on average, children from lower income families or those with less
advantaged social class backgrounds do not perform as well in a series of
cognitive tests taken at age 5 as children from higher income families or those
from advantaged social class backgrounds. Children from more advantaged family
backgrounds are more likely to have high earnings in later adult life and are
more likely to be in a “top job”. This is not simply due to different levels of
cognitive ability as it holds within attainment groups as well as over the
complete distribution. Analysis is focused on a group of initially high
attaining children and a group of initially low attaining children and follows
their progress through to labour market outcomes at age 42.
The research identifies a number of factors that account for the fact that
children from more affluent family backgrounds are more likely to be highly
successful in the labour market as adults: highly educated parents; higher
maths skills age 10; stronger social and emotional skills age 10; greater
likelihood of attending a Grammar or a Private secondary school; more likely to
attain a degree level qualification. The hoarding of opportunities by
better-off families is likely to contribute to the reduced success of initially
high attaining children from less advantaged families converting early potential
into later labour market success.
Richard Reeves of the
Brookings Institute, whose own research focusing on American social mobility has
been influential, has written an interesting blog
about this report.
As part of our Social Policy in a Cold
Climate programme (SPCC) we have produced a summary of recent
research on social
mobility and education attainment
based on research by Jo Blanden,
Claire Crawford, Ellen Greaves, Paul Gregg, Lindsey Macmillan, Abigail McKnight,
Luke Sibieta and Anna Vignoles.
A new working paper in this theme from
the SPCC programme is now available:
When and Why do Initially High Attaining Poor
Children Fall Behind? by Claire Crawford, Lindsey Macmillan and Anna Vignoles.
More research on this theme is
forthcoming in Autumn 2015. If you’d like to receive email updates
sign up here.
News Posted: 17 July 2015 [ Back to the Top]
Professor Oriana Bandiera, director of STICERD, has today been elected Fellow
of the British Academy. She joins a list of 42 highly distinguished UK academics
from 18 universities, taking the total number of living Fellows to over one
thousand for the first time. This year seven LSE academics, including LSE's
Director Craigh Calhoun, have received the honour.
At its Annual General Meeting (16 July 2015), the Academy welcomed the new
Fellows whose research areas span the full range of the subject areas across the
humanities and social sciences, from history to psychology, economics to law,
literature to philosophy and languages to archaeology.
Professor Bandiera said “The Academy plays a key role in bridging
research excellence and policy discourse, while strengthening both in the
process. I am thrilled to be able to contribute to its endeavours.”
Lord Stern, President of the British Academy, said: “This year we have the
honour of once again welcoming the finest researchers and scholars into our
Fellowship. Elected from across the UK and world for their distinction in the
humanities and social sciences, they represent an unrivalled resource of
expertise and knowledge. Our Fellows play a vital role in the work of the
Academy; encouraging younger researchers, engaging in public discussion of the
great issues and ideas of our time, and contributing to policy reports. Their
collective work and expertise are testament to why research in the humanities
and social sciences is vital for our understanding of the world and humanity.”
Each year, the British Academy elects to its Fellowship outstanding
UK-based scholars who have achieved distinction in any branch of the humanities
and social sciences. Others based overseas can also be elected as Corresponding
Fellows, and, in addition, the Academy can elect Honorary Fellows.
A full list of all the elected fellows can be found in the
British Academy
website.
News Posted: 16 July 2015 [ Back to the Top]
Abandoning the child poverty targets will damage the interests of
disadvantaged children, and represents a significant step back in attempts to
make Britain a fairer society, argue
Kitty
Stewart,
Tania
Burchardt,
John Hills
and Polly
Vizard.
Last week the
Conservative Government
announced
that it would be abandoning the
indicators and targets in the Child Poverty Act (passed
with cross-party support in 2010), and replacing them with
a set of broader measures of life
chances. It will introduce a
statutory duty to report on measures of worklessness
and GCSE attainment, and it will develop a range of other indicators “to measure
progress against the root causes of poverty” – which it
identifies as family breakdown,
problem debt, and
drug and alcohol dependency. Income
based poverty measures are not
merely being downgraded within this
new approach; they are being dropped
entirely. Crucially, the relevant
data will still be published (at least for now). It
is vital that the data continue to be
published – and on time – so that
others can hold government accountable.
But the Conservatives have made it clear that they no
longer consider income poverty part
of their concern.
Continue reading here
News Posted: 06 July 2015 [ Back to the Top]

Monday 6th July 4.30-6pm,
followed by an informal reception32L
1.04 1st Floor Conference Room, 32 Lincoln's Inn Fields WC2A 3PHChair:
Professor
Anne PowerSpeakers:
David Robinson, Changing London;
Tony Travers, LSE LondonSummary:CASE
are delighted to invite you to the launch of a new book
Changing London,
a rough guide for the next Mayor,
which captures the radical but practical ideas of the people of London with a
pioneering and collaborative approach to politics.
Author David Robinson will present and discuss the main themes that came out
of hundreds of suggestions from Londoners on how their city should look, plus
experiences learnt from cities around the world. Tony Travers will respond to
the proposals and speak about the coming mayoral election.
The book brings together these ideas under five big visions for London:
-
What would the city look like if we determined to make it the best place on
earth to raise a child? Or if it was a friendly city, where neighbourhoods
thrived and everybody mattered?
-
How could we build a fair city where lavish wealth
and
abject poverty and both have been much reduced? Or maybe a healthy
city, that did no harm and tackled sickness at source?
-
And,
to lead it all, how should we revitalise and retool a
democracy which saw only 38% vote in
the last mayoral election.
Ideas range from play streets to plotting sheds, London Sundays to a Have-a-Go
Festival, a permanent Fair Pay Commission, a Children’s Trust Fund and a
cultural guarantee for every child, citizens budgets, a Mayor’s Share in the
biggest businesses and the April Vote – an annual London referendum. Booking
information:The
event is free but booking is essential. Please RSVP to
lsehousingandcommunities@lse.ac.uk. Places are limited so please reply as
soon as possible. For more information contact Cheryl Conner at LSE (c.j.conner@lse.ac.uk).
If you are not able to attend but would like more details of the book please let
us know.The
book can be
ordered direct from the publishers: the paperback is £9.99 including free
P&P; and the ebook is £4.50.
News Posted: 06 July 2015 [ Back to the Top]
The fifth
edition of the LSE Research Festival, now under the auspices of the School's
Institute of Public Affairs|, offers a series of exciting public engagement events. The event
has grown into a multi-event celebration of social science research
and it is a key feature of the LSE calendar.
To find
out more about the festival and the programme of events go to
www.lse.ac.uk/researchfestival.
News Posted: 21 May 2015 [ Back to the Top]
Thursday 21st May 2015, 6:30- 8pm
Old Theatre, Old Building, LSE
Speaker: Professor Sendhil Mullainathan
Why does poverty persist? Why do successful people get things done at
the last minute? A single psychology--the psychology of scarcity--connects
these seemingly unconnected questions. The research in our book shows how
scarcity creates its own mindset. Understanding this mindset sheds light on our
personal problems as well as the broader social problem of poverty and what we
can do about it.
After the success of last year's Sticerd Morishima Lecture presented by Thomas
Piketty, we are proud to annnounce the next public lecture will be
presented by
Sendhil
Mullainathan on May 21st at the LSE. This event is free and open to all with
no ticket or pre-registration required. More details of the event can be found
here.
News Posted: 21 May 2015 [ Back to the Top]
Wednesday 20 May 2015, 06:30pm - 08:00pm
Old Theatre, Old Building
Speaker: Professor Sir Julian Le Grand
Play | Download: Audio, Video
Should governments save people from themselves? If someone smokes, drinks, takes hard drugs, or tries to assist in a friend's suicide, does the government have the right to intervene? If so, how? This lecture offers answers to these questions - among the most socially important of our age.
Sir Julian Le Grand is the Richard Titmuss Professor of Social Policy at the LSE. He was awarded a knighthood in the 2015 New Year's honours list for services to social science and public service.
He is the co-author of Government Paternalism: nanny state or helpful friend?
News Posted: 20 May 2015 [ Back to the Top]
Why has inequality increased in the Western world
and what can we do about it? In his new book, The Great Divide, which he
presented at
International Inequalities Institute public lecture on 19th May 2015, Joseph
E. Stiglitz expands on the diagnosis he offered in his best-selling book The
Price of Inequality and suggested ways to counter this growing problem.
Stiglitz argues that inequality is a choice: the cumulative result of unjust
policies and misguided priorities. Ultimately, Stiglitz believes our choice is
not between growth and fairness; with the right policies, we can choose both.
A podcast and video of
this event is available to download from The
Great Divide
Atkinson, Piketty and Stiglitz at the LSE's
International Inequalities Institute
In recent weeks, the LSE’s new International Inequalities Instituted has hosted
three major thinkers on inequality: Tony Atkinson, Thomas Piketty and Joseph
Stiglitz. In this
article for the LSE British Politics
and Policy blog,
Mike Savage and John
Hills discuss
what emerged out of these events, writing that the politics of inequality will
undoubtedly become increasingly central to public debate.
News Posted: 19 May 2015 [ Back to the Top]
The 2015 CEPR Annual Public Economics Symposium will take place on 14-15 May at the London School of Economics. It will be hosted by STICERD and co-funded by the International Growth Centre.
The goal of the symposium is to provide a forum for high-quality work in public economics and to bring together economists in the field from across Europe as well as key researchers from outside the region.
This year's symposium features a keynote talk by Professor Emmanuel Saez, UC Berkeley. The symposium will also include a number of sessions devoted specifically to the theme of "public economics and development".
The event provides a unique opportunity for researchers from different universities and countries to discuss their work in a relaxed atmosphere and to develop long-term collaborative relationships. It is also a great opportunity for young researchers to meet and discuss their work with senior economists.
For more information about this event please go to
http://sticerd.lse.ac.uk/_new/events/cepr/default.asp
News Posted: 14 May 2015 [ Back to the Top]
Monday 11th May 2015
LSE International Inequalities Institute
conference:
A day-long seminar with Thomas Piketty, whose Capital in the Twenty-First Century
has been of global significance in shaping debates about inequality across the
globe, was hosted by LSE's new
International Inequalities Institute with the Department of Sociology at LSE.
The British Journal of Sociology ran a special issue of reviews on Piketty's book,
featuring several of the contributors to this event.
Speakers: Tony Atkinson, Laura Bear, Wendy Carlin, Gareth Jones, John Hills,
Naila Kabeer, Lisa Mckenzie, Diane Perrons, Thomas Piketty, Bob Rowthorn, Mike
Savage, Stephanie Seguino, David Soskice
Listen to the
podcast.
More information:
event webpage.
Suggested hashtag for this event for Twitter users: #LSEIII
News Posted: 11 May 2015 [ Back to the Top]
Wednesday 6 May 2015 6:30-8:00pm
Hong Kong Theatre, Clement House
Speakers: Professor Robert Cassen, Professor Sandra McNally, Professor Anna Vignoles
Discussant: Professor Steve Strand
Play | Download: Audio, Slides
Is education policy evidence-based? The speakers have written a book, Making a Difference in Education: What the evidence says surveying the evidence about the effectiveness of education in the UK. They will review the book's main findings about raising pupil outcomes and narrowing the social gap.
Robert Cassen is a Visiting Professor in the Centre for Analysis of Social Exclusion, LSE; in 2008 he received an OBE for services to education.
Sandra McNally is Professor of Economics at the University of Surrey and Director of the Education and Skills Programme in the Centre for Economic Performance, LSE.
Anna Vignoles is Professor of Education at the University of Cambridge. She is a Research Associate at the Institute for Fiscal Studies and a Visiting Professor at the Institute of Education.
Steve Strand is Professor of Education at the University of Oxford.
LSE Works is a series of public lectures, that will showcase some of the latest research by LSE's academic departments and research centres. In each session, LSE academics will present key research findings, demonstrating where appropriate the implications of their studies for public policy. A list of all the LSE Works lectures can be viewed at LSE Works.
News Posted: 06 May 2015 [ Back to the Top]
Nicholas Stern has been elected a Member of the American
Philosophical Society (APS) in April 2015. His membership has
been announced at the same time as Thomas Piketty's, the only other
international academic to recieve the honour in he Social Sciences category.
The APS promotes useful knowledge in the sciences and humanities through
excellence in scholarly research, professional meetings, support of young
scholars, publications, library resources, a museum and community outreach.
News Posted: 30 April 2015 [ Back to the Top]
Thursday 30 April 2015, 6.30-8pm
Sheikh Zayed Theatre, New Academic Building
Speakers: Professor Sir Tony Atkinson, Tom Clark, and Professor Baroness Lister
Introducing his new book, Inequality: what can be done?, Professor Atkinson will argue we can do much more about inequality than skeptics imagine.
Watch the video of Tony Atkinson talking about the event, below:
Professor Tony Atkinson
Download the Podcast (MP3) and Slides (PDF) from the event.
Tony Atkinson is a Centennial Professor at LSE and a Fellow of Nuffield College, Oxford.
Tom Clark writes for The Guardian and is the author of Hard Times: the divisive toll of the economic slump.
Ruth Lister is Baroness Lister of Burtersett and Emeritus Professor of Social Policy at Loughborough University.
Suggested hashtag for this event for Twitter users: #LSEinequality
This event is free and open to all with no ticket or pre-registration required. Entry is on a first come, first served basis.
For any queries see LSE Events FAQ or contact us at events@lse.ac.uk or 0207 955 6043.
Media queries: please contact the Press Office if you would like to request a press seat or have a media query about this event, email LSE.Press.Events@lse.ac.uk.
News Posted: 30 April 2015 [ Back to the Top]
Part of the CASE Social Exclusion Seminar Series
Tuesday 28th April 2015, 4.30-6pm, followed by a reception
32L 1.04 1st Floor Conference Room, 32 Lincoln's Inn Fields WC2A 3PH

The Centre for Analysis of Social Exclusion, the Smith Institute and the Barrow Cadbury Fund are delighted to welcome back Alan Berube, Senior Fellow and Deputy Director of the Brookings Metropolitan Policy Program, to talk about his report: Confronting Suburban Poverty.
Alan has spent over a decade researching poverty. His earlier work uncovered surprising trends - there seemed to be more poor people in metropolitan areas living outside big cities than within them. This seminar explores the whats, whys and wherefores of suburban poverty and what it means for social and housing policy.
Paul Hunter, Head of Research at the Smith Institute, and
Ruth Lupton, Professor of Education at the University of Manchester, will respond from a UK perspective. The event will be chaired by Anne Power, Professor of Social Policy at LSE.
Booking information:
The event is free but booking is essential. Please RSVP to lsehousingandcommunities@lse.ac.uk. Places are limited so please reply as soon as possible. For more information contact Cheryl Conner at LSE ( c.j.conner@lse.ac.uk). If you are not able to attend but would like more details of the research please let us know.
Draft outline:
4.30-4.35pm
Anne Power: Welcome from the Chair
4.35-5.00pm
Alan Berube: Poverty in Suburbia
5.00-5.15pm
Paul Hunter and Ruth Lupton: response – a UK perspective (7.5 mins each)
5.15-6.00pm
Questions and discussion
News Posted: 28 April 2015 [ Back to the Top]
Date:
Thursday 26th
March 2015
Click to download the
Full report
and the
summary (pdf).
A summary of the event can be found
here.
Slides from
the launch are available here and you can listen to a
podcast here. A powerful article about the report from The Guardian's Aditya
Chakrabortty can be
found here
Welfare reform has a core
aim to promote access to work, breaking the cycle of benefits and poverty. The
changes to benefits that have accompanied this process have had a major impact
on some households’ income, and on the ability of social landlords to ensure
successful rent collection whilst preventing undue hardship among tenants.
LSE Housing and
Communities carried out two rounds of interviews with 200 tenants in the South
West of England covering big cities, coastal towns, villages and tourist centres
over a two-year period to find out how the reforms are playing out in low-income
communities. This unique evidence about how tenants and social landlords are
coping under these financial pressures is written up in a new report
Is Welfare Reform Working?
which was launched at LSE on Thursday 26th March with presentations from:
-
Victor Da Cunha, Chief
Executive, Curo Housing, SW HAILO
-
Anne Power, Professor of
Social Policy, London School of Economics
-
Eileen Herden,
Researcher, LSE Housing and Communities
-
Margaret Hodge, MP, Chair
of the Public Accounts Committee, House of Commons (Chair)
Further information:
For more
information contact Nicola Serle at LSE (n.serle@lse.ac.uk)
or Rebecca Chapman at Curo (Rebecca.Chapman@curo-group.co.uk).
If you are not able to attend but would like more details of the research please
let us know.
News Posted: 26 March 2015 [ Back to the Top]
CHANGE OF DATE: this event will now be held on
Wednesday 6th May 2015
With an informal supper and debate from 6.30pm on Tuesday 5th May
Trafford Hall, National Communities Resource Centre, Wimbolds Trafford, Chester CH2 4JP
Overview
LSE Housing and Communities, and the National Communities Resource Centre, are hosting an important think tank at Trafford Hall outside Chester on how energy saving improves buildings, brings in rent, tackles climate change, addresses fuel poverty and brings communities together. This Energy Plus event is part of our popular Housing Plus programme which examines the wider role of social landlords in poorer neighbourhoods beyond just providing homes. Our previous think tank on how social landlords can prioritise energy saving in times of austerity concluded that tackling "fabric first", having very simple-to-manage systems and providing ongoing support are key. This event will use live case studies in each session and participants will contribute their experience.
Energy Plus is about helping social landlords and tenants find ways to reduce energy use in homes and buildings to tackle fuel poverty, reduce energy costs and help with rent and other arrears. Many social landlords are leading the field with innovative projects, but sharing experience and promoting what works within the sector is vital. Energy saving is now "a must". Energy supply problems and reducing the ‘heat or eat’ dilemma many tenants face, provide a real incentive for Energy Plus. We want to develop our strong, knowledge exchange network among larger and smaller social landlords across the country to share best practise, learn from mistakes and develop partnerships that really deliver.
Housing Plus is supported by government officials who are keen to learn from the experience of social landlords. We will report on the difference and contribution social landlords can make in low income communities, and the real barriers to delivery and local and national scale.
Please RSVP as soon as possible as only 40 places are available.
If you are unable to attend but would like to be part of our Housing Plus network or if you have any questions, contact Nicola Serle, the organiser of Housing Plus, at n.serle@lse.ac.uk or 020 7955 6684.
News Posted: 20 February 2015 [ Back to the Top]
Have we fully comprehended the human cost of the recession?
Watch the Video
The economic recession may be over, but the aftermath is a policy of austerity stretching out for as far as the eye can see - with grave implications for the welfare state. The Left complains that the bills run up by the bankers are being paid by the poor, while the Right claims to be rebalancing the scales against shirkers and in favour of strivers.
Director of the LSE's Centre for Analysis of Social Exclusion, Professor John Hills revives the original argument for social security as way of smoothing everyone's path between cradle and grave - something important for the middling majority, as well as the impoverished few.
He joins Guardian journalist and author Tom Clark, who has uncovered how the cuts are scarring poor communities, not only in terms of material hardship, but also the psychological damage caused by poverty. He will explain how feedback from the "war on welfare" is now disadvantaging workers as well as the unemployed, in a labour market where jobs are again plentiful, but where security and fulfilment remain in short supply.
Speakers: Professor John Hills, director, LSE's Centre for Analysis of Social Exclusion; Tom Clark, Guardian journalist and author
Chair: Anthony Painter, director of Institutional Reform, RSA
News Posted: 19 February 2015 [ Back to the Top]
Residents of a high rise estate in West London experienced a significant improvement in their quality of life following energy efficiency refurbishments, according to new LSE research.
LSE Housing and Communities, in partnership with Rockwool, launched High Rise Hope Revisited on February 12 2015, a new report examining the social implications of whole building energy efficiency refurbishments in residential tower blocks.
Based on research conducted at the Edward Woods estate in Shepherds Bush, London, the report finds that upgrading work carried out across 754 flats in three 23-storey tower blocks has enhanced the quality of life and living conditions for residents, with aesthetic improvements instilling a sense of pride within the community.
The Edwards Woods estate scheme was led and managed by the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, who commissioned Energy Conscious Design (ECD) Architects and the building contractors Breyer for the project which began in 2011. Ambitious and complex in nature, it has primarily involved remedial work on the concrete building structure, external cladding of the blocks with Rockwool's External Wall insulation system and the installation of solar panels to provide 82,000 kWh of electricity annually for lifts and communal lighting. The scheme was used as a model case study for how the Green Deal and Community Energy Saving Partnership (CESP) 'whole building' approach would work in high-rise, socially rented estates.
High Rise Hope Revisited is the second part of the LSE's study at the Edward Woods estate. In 2012, an initial report, High Rise Hope, interviewed residents during the renovation works. Following this research, LSE returned to the estate when all the upgrading work was complete to highlight lessons learned and assess the social and community impact of transforming a 1960s local authority housing estate into a landmark, high rise model of social housing.
Among the most significant lessons learned from the project was the importance of communication with residents. High Rise Hope Revisited recommends regular community updates are necessary to ensure tenants feel part and informed of improvement works. In addition to initial consultations, the report suggests more ongoing support helps to improve wider understanding of the objectives of regeneration, and to explain any delays that occur. The residents of Edward Woods, who were also concerned about the removal of visible staff presence during the project, cited better management of the works as their overriding suggestion for improvement.
LSE's key findings in the second report, High Rise Hope Revisited, demonstrate that, "Overall, residents value living on the estate. Residents on the Edward Woods estate like their homes, they find their flats comfortable and have a generally high quality of life." The research also states that, "residents are positive about the estate and their homes and generally feel safe living there." In fact, "78% now describe their quality of life in their home as good or excellent, compared with 68% in 2011, showing a marked improvement," and "people are generally proud to live on the estate, with many saying this had improved since the regeneration. Residents overwhelmingly say they enjoy living there."
"Edward Woods has a fascinating history because it is a large, concrete, high-rise, council-owned estate, housing a very low income community in 23 storey tower blocks and maisonettes in a very busy part of West London," says Professor Anne Power, LSE Housing and Communities. "It is popular, well managed, attractive and fully occupied. It shows that with careful on-site management, high-rise estates can work, if they are also made energy efficient. This is crucial so that residents can pay their rent, meet basic costs and escape fuel poverty."
This article was published on the LSE website
Read the the full report, HIGH RISE HOPE REVISITED: The social implications of upgrading the energy efficiency of large estates, and the executive summary.
News Posted: 16 February 2015 [ Back to the Top]
REPORT LAUNCH EVENT
HIGH RISE HOPE REVISITED: The social implications of upgrading the energy efficiency of large estates
Thursday 12th February 2015, 5:00pm - 6:30pm; Followed by a reception and networking 6:30pm - 7:30pm.
Refreshments will be served from 4.30pm
Venue: 32L 1.04, 1st Floor Conference Room, London School of Economics, 32 Lincoln's Inn Fields, London WC2A 3PH
Campus Map; Nearest tube station: Holborn
RSVP to lsehousingandcommunities@lse.ac.uk by 6th February.
For more information about the research or the event contact n.serle@lse.ac.uk or kayleigh.hume@rockwool.com
In 2012 the London School for Economics and ROCKWOOL published High Rise Hope, a path-breaking investigation into the social impact of whole building energy efficiency refurbishments in residential tower blocks.
Following this research, LSE Housing and Communities went back to the Edward Woods estate in Shepherd's Bush, in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, to re-interview residents once the upgrading work was complete. High Rise Hope Revisited highlights lessons learned and the potential social and community impact from transforming a 1960s local authority housing estate into a landmark retrofitted high rise model of social housing. The project provides many invaluable lessons for large-scale energy efficiency schemes showing how energy saving can help take millions of people out of fuel poverty, if accompanied by support and advice to help tenants cut energy use.
Key findings included:
- Addressing issues of fuel poverty and energy efficient improvements to the existing housing stock
- Improving quality of life and conditions in individual homes and wider estates and neighbourhoods
- Making people feel proud of the aesthetic improvements to their area and general upgrade - people feel their area compares well with others
Join us on the 12th February 2015 at the London School of Economics to discuss findings and lessons learned. A range of key industry figures will also be presenting on a selection of related topics around social housing, with an opportunity to network.
Programme
- Why retrofitting high-rise makes sense
Sunand Prasad, Senior Partner Penoyre & Prasad LLP and ex-President of RIBA
- Edward Woods estate: what can social landlords do
Darren Snaith, Director of Refurbishment and Regeneration, ROCKWOOL UK
- High Rise Hope Revisited: what residents tell us about their community and the experience of major reinvestment, what the lessons hold for the future
Professor Anne Power, London School of Economics
- The long term gains of retrofitting the Edward Woods estate
London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham
- Retrofit issues in social housing
Andrew Eagles, Managing Director, Sustainable Homes
- Wilmcote House: What Portsmouth City Council hopes to achieve
Steve Groves, Repairs & Maintenance Manager, Portsmouth City Council
For more information, see Rockwool's website: http://www.rockwool.co.uk/solutions/facade+systems/high+rise+hope+revisited
News Posted: 30 January 2015 [ Back to the Top]
Wednesday 28th January 2015
Researchers from the LSE and Universities of Manchester and York launched nine new reports including an overview of the Coalition's social policy record and separate papers on taxes and benefits; health; adult social care; under fives; further and higher education and skills; employment; housing; area regeneration:
- The Coalition's Social Policy Record: Policy Spending and Outcomes 2010-2015
Full paper| Summary
- The Coalition's Record on Area Regeneration and Neighbourhood Renewal: Policy, Spending and Outcomes 2010-2015
Full paper| Summary
- The Coalition's Record on Housing: Policy, Spending and Outcomes 2010-2015
Full paper| Summary
- The Coalition's Record on Adult Social Care: Policy, Spending and Outcomes 2010-2015
Full paper| Summary
- The Coalition's Record on Health: Policy, Spending and Outcomes 2010-2015
Full paper| Summary
- The Coalition's Record on Employment: Policy, Spending and Outcomes 2010-2015
Full paper| Summary
- The Coalition's Record on Further Education, Skills and Access to Higher Education: Policy, Spending and Outcomes 2010-2015
Full paper| Summary
- The Coalition's Record on Under Fives 2010-2015
Full paper| Summary
- The Coalition's Record on Cash Transfers, Poverty and Inequality 2010-2015
Full paper| Summary
Each paper contains thorough analysis of policy, spending and trends in outcomes, showing how the Coalition has tackled the fiscal and social policy challenges it faced in 2010. What has it protected from austerity measures and what has been cut? What has been the effect on services and the people receiving them? What has happened to poverty, inequality and the distribution of other social and economic outcomes? Has the government kept to its pledges to cut the deficit while protecting those most in need, radically reform the welfare state and increase social mobility? What challenges remain as further austerity looms?
Video of the presentations from launch event are now available
If you missed the launch event for the Coalition
papers you can watch the overview summary presentation with Ruth Lupton and John
Hills here
The Coalition’s Social Policy Record: Policy, Spending
and Outcomes 2010-2015
The breakout sessions are also available to watch:
The Coalition’s Record on Employment, Tax, and
Benefits 2010-2015 with John Hills and
Abigail McKnight
The Coalition’s Record on Health, Social care and
Housing 2010-2015 Tania Burchardt, Becky
Tunstall and Polly Vizard
The Coalitions Record on Early years, Schools, and
Further and Higher Education 2010-2015 with
Ruth Lupton and Kitty Stewart
The work is part of the Social Policy in a Cold Climate research programme, which is funded by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, Nuffield Foundation and Trust for London. The views expressed are those of the authors and not necessarily those of the funders.
News Posted: 28 January 2015 [ Back to the Top]
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