Social policies and distributional outcomes in a changing Britain
Meet the team

Dr Polly Vizard
Polly Vizard is an Associate Professorial Research Fellow and Associate Director of Centre for Analysis of Social Exclusion. Her research focuses on multidimensional poverty and inequality, the analysis of deprivation and distributional outcomes using social surveys and administrative data, social and public policy, social indicators, Sen's capability framework, human rights-based approaches, and equality and human rights monitoring. She is currently principal investigator on the CASE research programme Social Policies and Distributional Outcomes in a Changing Britain, which runs from October 2017-October 2020.

Professor Sir John Hills
John Hills was Richard Titmuss Professor of Social Policy, LSE and Chair of CASE. John was a co-Investigator on the project and, jointly with Polly Vizard, he was responsible for co-ordinating the management and delivery of the overall programme. John's research within the SPDO programme focused on distributional outcomes, social security and general housing policy, integration of findings and reflecting on the twenty-five years of social and policy change.

Dr Tania Burchardt
Tania Burchardt is Associate Director of CASE, Deputy Director of STICERD, and an Associate Professor in Social Policy at LSE. Tania is a co-investigator on the SPDO programme and is working on social attitudes and subjective experiences, distributional outcomes, adult social care, public and private welfare, and on reflections on the twenty-five years of social and policy change.

Dr Abigail McKnight
Abigail McKnight is Director of the Centre for Analysis of Social Exclusion at the LSE where she has worked since 1999. Her research interests include inequality, poverty, wealth, social mobility and employment policy. She has recently held research grants from the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, Nuffield Foundation, the European Commission and the Social Mobility Commission. She organises CASE Welfare Policy and Analysis Seminars and is an editorial board member of Social Inclusion.

Dr Kitty Stewart
Kitty Stewart is an Associate Director at CASE and an Associate Professor in Social Policy as LSE. Kitty is a co-investigator with a particular focus on early years and the social policy implications of Brexit. Kitty is also involved in the overall assessment of twenty-five years of social and policy change.

Dr Polina Obolenskaya
Polina Obolenskaya was a Research Fellow at CASE and one of the two main analysts on the programme. She worked on distributional outcomes as well as on various policy areas including health; adult social care; compulsory age (5 to 18) education and higher education. Polina also contributed to the integration of findings, overall assessment and conclusions as well as working on reflecting on twenty-five years of social and policy change. Polina is now a Research Fellow in sociology, violence and society at City University and a CASE Visiting Fellow.

Dr Kerris Cooper
Kerris Cooper was a Research Fellow at CASE and one of the two main analysts on this programme. Her work has a particular focus on attitudes and subjective experiences. She also worked across a number of areas of social policy, including social security and general housing policy; early years; employment; safety and security; social policy implications of Brexit; English city and regional devolution. Kerris also contributed to the integration of findings, and overall assessment and conclusions as well as working on reflecting on twenty-five years of social and policy change. Kerris is now a Senior Researcher working on early years at the Education Policy Institute and a CASE Senior Visiting Fellow.

Dr Eleni Karagiannaki
Eleni Karagiannaki is Assistant Professorial Research Fellow at CASE. Eleni is developing a bespoke inequalities analysis programme in STATA to support SPDO research on distributional outcomes, social attitudes and subjective experiences.

Professor Nicola Lacey
Nicola Lacey is Professor of Law, Gender and Policy at LSE. Nicola is taking the lead on physical safety and security.

Dr Isabel Shutes
Isabel Shutes is Assistant Professor at the Department of Social Policy, LSE and Associate at CASE. Isabel is working with Kitty Stewart and Kerris Cooper on the social policy implications of Brexit.

Professor Ruth Lupton
Ruth Lupton is an Honorary Professor at the University of Manchester and a Visiting Professor at CASE. Ruth's contributions to the programme focus on compulsory education (age 5-18) and English city / regional devolution.

Professor Suzanne Fitzpatrick
Suzanne Fitzpatrick is a Professor of Housing and Social Policy at Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh. Her particular focus within the SPDO programme is on homelessness and complex needs. She is also involved in work on country level devolution.

Professor Glen Bramley
Glen Bramley is a professor of Urban Studies at the Institute for Social Policy, Housing and Equalities Research at Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh. Glen will be working with Suzanne Fitzpatrick and Mark Stephens and will provide input on the country level devolution module and on homeless/complex needs.

Professor Mark Stephens
Mark Stephens is Professor of Public Policy, I-SPHERE and Director of The Urban Institute at Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh. Within this project, he is taking the lead on country level devolution.

Professor Lindsey Macmillan
Lindsey Macmillan is Professor of Economics and Director of the Centre for Education Policy and Equalising Opportunities (CEPEO) at UCL Institute of Education, and a CASE Visiting Professor. Lindsey's contributions to the programme focus on social mobility and ethnicity.

Ms Mary Reader
Mary Readerwas Research Officer at CASE. Mary worked with Kitty Stewart on early childhood policy and with Tania Burchardt on public and private welfare activity.