Accessing Social Justice in a Global Context: Access to Basic Provisions and Services
Online
This International Research Seminars is organised by the School for Policy Studies are part of a broader programme of research seminars held within the School. Drawing on the existing expertise within the school as well as external speakers, the seminars explore the theme ‘Accessing Social Justice in a Global Context.’
The first seminar focuses on Access to Basic Provisions and Services and is centred around equitable access to welfare provision for different groups in various countries:
Internal Speakers
Susan Harkness – Gender Disparities in Welfare
Title: Single mothers’ income in twelve rich nations: Differences in disadvantage across the distribution
Short abstract: Previous research has shown single mothers to be less well-off and at higher risk of poverty than mothers in couples. The scale of these differences have been shown to vary considerably across countries. In this article, I extend current research by showing how penalties to single motherhood vary across the income distribution in twelve rich nations. Using harmonised data from the Luxembourg Income Study (LIS), I first show how the distribution of income among single-mother headed households differs to that of couples with children. Unconditional quantile treatment effect (QTE) models are then used to illustrate how demographic characteristics, employment and tax and welfare-benefits affect single mothers’ relative income at different points of the income distribution.
Biography: Susan Harkness is a Professor of Public Policy and Director of the Centre for Poverty and Social Justice in the School for Policy Studies in Bristol. Her research is interested in how income inequality and poverty is shaped by gender and family structure. Using quantitative methods, it focuses on less advantaged groups, including part-time and low-paid workers, and single-mother families.
Angeliki Papadaki – Meals on wheels for older people
Title: ‘It’s not just about the dinner; it’s about everything else that we do’: experiences of Meals on Wheels providers during the pandemic and analysis of service information in local authority websites in England
Short abstract: Meals on Wheels deliver meals to older adults, or those in need of care and support, who might otherwise not be able to acquire and prepare their own meals. The benefits of the service are widely recognised and extend beyond nutrition. However, the service is hugely under-researched in the UK, and more evidence is required to support decisions on its continuation and enhancement. This seminar will focus on findings from two studies: 1) research with service providers from two local authorities in South West England, exploring experiences and perceptions around the benefits and challenges faced by the service, and how these changed during the first UK national lockdown, and; 2) a content analysis of information on Meals on Wheels in local authority websites in England.
Biography: Dr Angeliki Papadaki is a Senior Lecturer in Nutrition. Her specialist area of research is the exploration of traditional diets (definition, assessment of adherence, barriers and facilitators to adherence, acceptability, promotion, effect on chronic disease risk factors and incidence), by integrating theoretical models of behaviour change into interventions. Angeliki's research expands to the investigation of services for older and vulnerable adults, particularly Meals on Wheels and community meals. This involves qualitatively exploring views and experiences of service users and providers and evaluating effects of the service on nutritional, health and social wellbeing outcomes.
External Speaker
Abdul-Rahim, Mohammed, University of Development Studies (Ghana), The Ghana School Feeding Programme
Title: Discretion on the frontlines of the implementation of the Ghana School Feeding Programme: Street-Level Bureaucrats Adapting to Austerity in Northern Ghana
Short abstract: Since its inception in 2005, research has shown that the Ghana School Feeding Programme (GSFP) has been instrumental in increasing primary school enrolments and reducing hunger and malnutrition among children from deprived and marginalised contexts. Using Michael Lipsky’s Street-Level Bureaucrat conceptual framework, this paper explores the implications of Ghana’s fiscal austerity programme for the implementation of the GSFP. Specifically, the paper examines the coping strategies adopted by the service providers to endure the challenges of delivering the programme within the climate of austerity. The findings highlight how financial challenges can lead to inadequate service delivery, as the service providers adopt a host of discretionary practices. The resort to these coping mechanisms come at a significant cost to school children’s education and nutrition.
Biography: Dr Abdul-Rahim Mohammed is currently a lecturer in the Department of Development Management and Policy Studies, University for Development Studies (Ghana). Broadly, his research interests include exploring the notion of children’s agency in the Global South, Child Labour, Social Policies in the Global South, Policy Implementation gaps, and Qualitative Inquiries into food insecurity. Abdul’s recent research focuses on qualitaively exploring children’s access to school meals in Ghana.
