Evidence to support social justice
Nuffield Foundation
An independent charitable trust: we fund research that changes people’s lives
Today is United Nations 's #SocialJusticeDay. This year, discussions are on:
➡️Lack of access to social protection
➡️Digital exclusion
➡️Disruption of trade
The theme of this year, which broadly looks at 'Overcoming Barriers and Unleashing Opportunities for Social Justice' is an aim we think can be informed by research into the challenges facing society in the UK. Below we spotlight seven projects we've funded that are using evidence to address the issues outlined above.
Led by: Institute for the Future of Work , Imperial College London , University of Warwick - Warwick Business School
The Pissarides Review will examine how automation technologies are transforming work, society and the economy in the UK.
The findings will inform the development of social policies to address disadvantages, mitigate risks and build resilience for vulnerable communities and groups arising from technological disruption.
These proposed policies and strategies will build the adaptive capacity of individuals, firms, communities and groups and ultimately support the building of a future of better work.
Last month, the Institute for the Future of Work held a conference to discuss the latest perspectives from research, policy and practice.
Watch the recording below🎞️:
Train in Vain, a briefing from the Economy 2030 project, points out that while overall skills training and rates of job mobility are declining, people who have fewer qualifications or out of work are the most affected as they are less likely to be given training compared to those with higher qualifications. This discrepancy in accessing training increases inequalities.
The report makes a case for better training & skills provision, which could be hugely beneficial to the UK.
Explore data 📈 :
Led by: Institute For Fiscal Studies
Despite the rapid improvement in women's education, they still face inequalities across employment and earnings, childcare and housework, poverty across the life course and the experience of violence and representation.
This chapter of the Deaton Review takes a magnifying glass to persistent gender inequalities. The researchers use data to highlight stark gaps such as the fact that the average working-age woman in the UK earned 40% less than her male counterpart in 2019.
Watch the short explainer below before diving into the report📽️:
Led by: Professor Katie Boyle, University of Stirling
1️⃣Why do people encounter barriers in accessing justice when violations of social rights occur?
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2️⃣How can accessing justice for violations of social rights be improved?
3️⃣What further research might be taken next?
The answers can be found in Professor Katie Boyle's project on accessing justice for social rights. Among other key findings, her report concluded that people on low incomes are the least likely to have sufficient social protection afforded to them through worker rights.
Find out why and what can be done ⚖️ :
Led by: Professor Simeon Yates , University of Liverpool
A significant proportion of young people – often identified as “digital natives” – have the weakest understanding of how their data is harvested online and used, according to Professor Simeon Yates
Professor Simeon Yates and his team have developed a guide to support the development of training or community interventions designed to develop what they call democratic education for data citizenship.
Find this resource here 🗎:
Led by: Dr Kitty Stewart, The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) , Dr Ruth Patrick University of York & Aaron Reeves, University of Oxford
In this paper, the researchers build on the existing typology of social policy towards children & develop a new category of ‘adult-behaviour-orientated’ child-contingent policy. It highlights how the UK’s social security support for children is increasingly conditional on the behaviour of the adults in their household.
The research goes on to analyse support for children across Europe through this lens.
Read the analysis🧸:
Led by: Silvia Avram , University of Essex
Dr Silvia Avram tested the hypothesis that unstable jobs with flexible hours and pay improve the job-finding chances of the working-age non-employed in the UK. She wanted to investigate whether:
1️⃣Earnings uncertainty is linked with the probability of leaving unemployment in the general population, and whether this link is stronger for more risk-averse individuals
2️⃣A causal link between earnings uncertainty and the likelihood of taking up paid work can be established using experimental methods
3️⃣Policy interventions such as benefit sanctions and/or a reduction of benefit application costs can alter the influence of earnings uncertainty on labour supply.
She found that the workers avoided uncertainty whenever they could.
Find out more in the explainer 📺:
Apply for funding
We have two funding deadlines a year — one in March and one in September. We're on the lookout for original research across our core areas of Education, Welfare and Justice. If you have a project idea, apply to us for research grants.