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Department of Social Policy seminars

International Social and Public Policy seminar series

This seminar series brings together international scholars working on topics relevant to social policy and public policy in a global context. Participants comprise eminent external speakers alongside faculty from the Department of Social Policy at the LSE. They present new and cutting edge research applied to social policy questions from multiple disciplines, including sociology, criminology, education, demography, anthropology and economics. The series provides the opportunity for social policy faculty, researchers and PhD students to participate in an academic community of interest and encounter multi- and interdisciplinary approaches across a range of social policy issues. The seminars are open to staff and students from across the LSE and beyond. The seminars are also open to our Alumni.

 

Winter Term Schedule

 

 

March

 

Thursday 21 March 2024, 1.00pm-2.30pm

Online and in-person attendance. CBG.1.02

Birth spacing and the health of mothers and fathers: an analysis of physical and mental health using individual- and sibling-fixed effects
Presenter: Dr Kieron Barclay (Stockholm University)
Chair: Professor Berkay Ozcan (Department of Social Policy, LSE)

Abstract: Decisions around reproductive timing may have important consequences for the health of parents. There is a large literature examining the relationship between birth spacing and subsequent health outcomes for parents, and particularly for mothers. Previous studies find that both shorter and longer birth intervals are associated with worse health outcomes than birth intervals of approximately 2-3 years. However, almost all research on this topic lacks an identification strategy. In this study we use Norwegian register data to examine the relationship between birth spacing and the number of general practitioner consultations for physical and mental health issues (excluding pregnancy complications) for mothers and fathers in the period immediately after childbirth (1–5 and 6–11 months after childbearing), the medium-term (5-6 years after childbearing) as well as the long-term (10-11 years after childbearing). To examine short-term health outcomes, we estimate individual fixed-effects models, comparing health outcomes after different births to the same parent. We apply sibling fixed effects in our analysis of medium- and long-term outcomes, holding constant the family background of the mothers and fathers that we study. Overall, the results from our analyses are consistent with very small to negligible effects of birth spacing behavior on parental health.

Presenter Bio: Kieron Barclay is an Associate Professor of Sociology at Stockholm University, a Pro Futura Scientia XIV fellow at the Swedish Collegium for Advanced Study, and a Research Fellow at the Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research. His research is in the field of social demography and primarily concerns how family conditions are related to health and mortality, with a particular focus on the interrelationship between health and fertility. Recent work has appeared in Demography, Population Studies, and International Journal of Epidemiology.

 

Attend in person: CBG.1.02

Register to attend via zoom here

 

 

Thursday 28 March 2024, 1.00pm-2.30pm

Online and in-person attendanceCBG.2.02

Reflections on British Muslims and Social Policy
Presenter: Dr Waqar Ahmad
Chair: Professor Lucinda Platt (Department of Social Policy, LSE)

Abstract: ‘Family’, ‘nation’ and ‘Britishness’ have been important organizing themes in the conceptualization, development and entitlement of social welfare. While Fabian social policy focused on state action to tackle social problems more systematically than earlier interventions such as the Factory Acts, the Poor Law and public health measures, Fabianism was influenced by eugenicist and imperialist ideologies and an important aim of the envisaged welfare state was to maintain the racially superior empire by guaranteeing ‘a fit and healthy workforce, a fit and healthy army and the cooperation of fit and healthy mothers’ (Fiona Williams). In Britain, Muslims have often been perceived as the epitome of otherness, in terms of notions of the ideal family, a pure nation and proper Britishness. Consequently, policy interventions have often focused on promoting cultural change and ‘special initiatives’ rather than addressing need, even when obvious and proven interventions are available, and racist and Islamophobic tropes have been used to blame the victims’ religion, culture or marriage practices for their ills. This seminar will examine how Britain’s Muslims fare in British social policy, how they are conceptualized in terms of ‘Britishness’, the ‘nation’ and ‘ideal family, the process of social change within the Muslim populations, and potential implications for social policy. 

Presenter Bio: Waqar Ahmad has worked in social policy at the University of Bradford (Research Assistant, Lecturer, Senior Lecturer), University of York (Senior Research Fellow), University of Leeds (Professor) and Middlesex University (Deputy Vice Chancellor). In his most recent position as Chancellor, he steered Abu Dhabi University to joint top position in the MENA region (with Tel Aviv University and King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals) in the Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2024. He is a Visiting Professor in the Department of Social Policy at the London School of Economics, Honorary Professor in the Department of Sociology at the University of York and has previously held a Visiting Professorship in the Department of Epidemiology and Public Health at University College London. Waqar has been the Chief Social Scientist in the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister and has served on research boards of the ESRC, HEFCE and the NHS. His publications have appeared in, among others, the Lancet, Sociology of Health and Illness (including a SHI Monograph), Sociology, Ageing and Society, Critical Social Policy and Critical Public Health, Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies and Ethnic and Racial Studies. 

 

Attend in person: CBG.2.02

Register to attend via zoom here

 

 

 

Archive 2023-24

Catch up on our 2023/24 seminar series via our YouTube channel here.

 

Winter Term

 

14 March 2024

Intergenerational educational mobility during the twentieth century in 77 low- and middle-income and 15 high-income countries
Presenter: Dr Mobarak Hossain

Video coming soon


 

 

15 February 2024

Conflict-related migration: new insights from Ukraine
Presenter: Professor Lucinda Platt

Watch the presentation here

 


 

8 February 2024

Research similarity and Women in Academia
Presenter: Dr Alessandra Casarico

Watch the presentation here


 

1 February 2024

Colonization and Social Policy: A Comparative Analysis of Social Policy Development in South Asia; Pre to Post Colonial Era
Presenter: Dr Zahid Mumtaz

Watch the presentation here


 

25 January 2024

Intergenerational Poverty Persistence in Europe - is there a Great Gatsby Curve for Poverty?
Presenter: Professor Brian Nolan

Watch the presentation here


 

18 January 2024

Kingdon at 40: Multiple Streams, Multiple Flaws
Presenter: Dr Fabio Battaglia

No video available


 

 

Autumn Term

7 December 2023

The Altruistic Authoritarian Citizen
Presenters:Professor Reza Hasmath (University of Alberta) and Dr Timothy Hildebrandt (LSE)
Watch the presentation here


 

 

23 November 2023

Formal Trade, Informal State: Public Authority and the Governance of Informal Cross-Border Trade in Eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) 
Presenter: Dr Jonathan Bashi Rudahindwa (SOAS, University of London)
Watch the presentation here


 

16 November 2023

Qualitative Literacy: A Guide to Evaluating Ethnographic and Interview Research
Presenters: Professor Mario Small (Columbia University) and Dr Jessica Calarco (University of Wisconsin-Madison)
Watch the presentation here


 

9 November 2023

The Political Economy of Women's Work in Palestine under Settler Colonialism
Presenter: Dr Samia M Al-Botmeh (Birzeit University)
Watch the presentation here


 

26 October 2023

Energy Policy Support Increases through Policy Goal Communication
Presenter: Dr Gracia Bruckmann (University of Bern)
No video available


 

12 October 2023

Marketing Development Studies in the Neoliberal University and How to Be Cosmopolitan 
SPECIAL Race Matters Initiative (RMI) Seminar
Presenter: Dr Kamna Patel (University College London)Watch the presentation here


 

5 October 2023

Imperial Development: The Humanitarian-Development Nexus in Jordan and Lebanon
Presenter: Dr Lama Tawakkol (University of Manchester)
Watch the presentation here

 

 

Archive 2022-23

30 March 2023

Social and academic embeddedness as buffers against school closure effects on schooling outcomes

Speaker: Professor Herman van de Werfhorst, European University Institute

Watch the video


23 March 2023

Zero poverty society: on how to lift the social floor

Speaker: Professor Ive Marx, University of Antwerp

Watch the video


2 February 2023

When the burden lifts: The effect of school and day care re-openings on parent’s employment and life satisfaction

Speaker: Professor Marita Jacob, University of Cologne

Watch the video


26 January 2023

More driven? Experimental evidence on differences in cognitive effort by social origin

Speaker: Dr Jonas Radl, Universidad Carlos III de Madrid

Watch the video


19 January 2023

An historical analysis of NGO registration in contemporary China

Speakers: Dr Tim Hildebrandt, Department of Social Policy, LSE, Dr Blake Miller, Department of Methodology, LSE, and Guodong Ju, Department of Social Policy, LSE.

Video not available


8 December 2022

Energy taxes, social policy, and economic vulnerability

Speaker: Professor Kenneth Nelson, SoFI, Stokholm University

Video not available


1 December 2022

What accounts for the recent 'tutoring revolution' in English education policy?

Speaker: Dr Sonia Exley, Department of Social Policy, LSE

Video not available


17 November 2022

Why research (does not) affect policy: experimental evidence on the role of perceived political bias

Speaker: Dr Berkay Ozcan, Department of Social Policy, LSE

Video not available


10 November 2022

Why do we need data on sex?

Speaker: Professor Alice Sullivan, UCL

Watch the video


20 October 2022

Disability and Trade Union Membership in the UK

Speaker: Professor Melanie Jones, Cardiff University

Watch the video


13 October 2022

A Political Economy of Behavioural Public Policy

Speaker: Dr Adam Oliver, Department of Social Policy, LSE

Watch the video


6 October 2022

Orderly Britain

Speaker: Professor Tim Newburn, Department of Social Policy, LSE

Watch the video

Archive 2021-22

19 May 2022

Wellbeing and Do-gooding? Critical understandings of individual altruism and human sociality 

Speaker: Professor Hartley Dean (Department of Social Policy, LSE)

Watch the video


12 May 2022

Family Goals and Behavior in an International Comparative Analysis

Speaker: Dr Alicia Adserà (Princeton University)

Video not available


24 March 2022

Forgotten Wives: an alternative history of LSE

Speaker: Professor Ann Oakley (UCL Social Research Institute)

Watch the video


17 March 2022

Diversity in Seminar and Study Groups and Student Outcomes: Evidence from SP401

Speakers: Dr Berkay Ozcan and Valentina Contreras (Department of Social Policy, LSE)

Watch the video


10 March 2022

The Contours of Political Manipulation: Inside Richard Nixon’s ‘Law and Order’ Campaign

Speaker: Dr Leonidas Cheliotis (Department of Social Policy, LSE)

Video not available


3 March 2022

Leaving Fathers Behind? The Politics of Departing from the Male Breadwinner Model in Germany and the UK

Speaker: Dr Sam Mohun-Himmelweit (Department of Social Policy, LSE)

Watch the video


24 February 2022

PISA, Political Discourse, and Education Governance in the Age of Global Reference Societies

Speaker: Professor Louis Volante (Brock University)

Watch the video


10 February 2022

Parental Skills, Assortative Mating, and the Incidence of Autism Spectrum Disorder

Speaker: Dr Chiara Orsini (University of Sheffield)

Video not available


3 February 2022

Policy capacity matters for education reforms: A diverging tale of two Brazilian states

Speaker: Dr Yifei Yan (Department of Social Policy, LSE)

Watch the video


27 January 2022

Income source confusion using the SILC

Speaker: Dr Iva Tasseva (Department of Social Policy, LSE)

Watch the video


9 December 2021

The Schumpeterian consensus: the new logic of global social policy to face the fourth industrial revolution

Speaker: Dr Vicente Silva (Department of Social Policy, LSE)

Watch the video


25 November 2021

Tracking system in education and inequalities.  A longitudinal analysis of two school reforms in Switzerland

Speaker: Professor Georges Felouzis (University of Geneva)

Watch the video


18 November 2021

After Covid-19: what have we learned about the UK's labour market, inequality and the welfare system

Speaker: Dr Mike Brewer (Resolution Foundation)

Watch the video


11 November 2021

Home Care Fault Lines: Understanding Tensions and Creating Alliances (book talk)

Speaker: Professor Cynthia Crawford (University of Toronto)

Watch the video


4 November 2021

The Positive Effect of Women’s Education on Fertility in Low-Fertility China

Speaker: Dr Shuang Chen (Department of Social Policy, LSE)

Watch the video


7 October 2021

SLEEPWALKING INTO THE ‘POST-RACIAL’: SOCIAL POLICY AND THE STUDY OF RACE

Seminar based on joint Paper by Professor Coretta Phillips (Department of Social Policy, LSE) and Professor Fiona Williams (University of Leeds)

Speaker: Professor Coretta Phillips (Department of Social Policy, LSE)

Watch the video


 

Archive- 2020-21

23 March 2021

Which integration policies work? The heterogeneous impact of policies and institutions on immigrants’ labor market success in Europe

Speaker: Professor Lucinda Platt (Department of Social Policy, LSE)

Watch the video


16 March 2021

Unidentical Twins? Comparing Social Policy Responses to COVID-19 in North America

Speaker: Professor Daniel Béland (McGill University)

Watch the video


9 March 2021

Demographic Change and Perceptions of Racism

Speaker: Christopher Maggio (Department of Social Policy, LSE)

Watch the video


2 March 2021

Poverty Among the Working Age Population in Post-Industrial Democracies (with some comments on inequality)

Speaker: Professor Evelyne Huber (University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill)

Watch the video


23 February 2021

Tense times for young migrants: Temporality, life-course, and immigration status

Speaker: Dr Vanessa Hughes (Department of Social Policy, LSE)

Presentation slides

Watch the video


16 February 2021

Poverty, Not the Poor

Speaker: Professor David Brady (University of California, Riverside)

Watch the video


9 February 2021

Does Incarceration Shape Trust in the State, Community Engagement, and Civic Participation?

Speaker: Professor Chris Wildeman (Duke University)

Watch the video


2 February 2021

The normativity of marriage and the marriage premium for children’s outcomes

Speaker: Professor Florencia Torche (Stanford University)

Watch the video


26 January 2021

Inequalities in Breastfeeding in the U.S. across the 20th Century

Speaker: Dr Vida Maralani (Cornell University)

Watch the video


19 Jaunary 2021

Family structure and gender ideologies of youth in Britain

Speaker: Professor Pia Schober (University of Tübingen)

Watch the video


8 December 2020

The Company We Keep
Interracial Friendships and Romantic Relationships from Adolescence to Adulthood

Speaker: Professor Grace Kao (Yale University)

Watch the video


1 December 2020

They Can’t All Be Stars: The Matthew Effect, Status Bias, and Status Persistence in NBA All-Star Elections

Speaker: Dr Thomas Biegert (Department of Social Policy, LSE)

Presentation slides

Watch the video


24 November 2020

How combination and sequence of weather events shape Mexico-U.S. migration flows

Speaker: Professor Filiz Garip (Cornell University)

Watch the video


17 November 2020

Policy Capacity Matters for Capacity Development: Comparing Teacher In-service Training and Career Advancement in Basic Education Systems of India and China

Speaker: Dr Yifei Yan (Department of Social Policy, LSE)

Presentation slides

Watch the video


10 November 2020

Social class inequalities in school GCSE attainment – Mis-reading cultural capital 

Speakers: Professor Vernon Gayle (University of Edinburgh), Dr Sarah Stopforth (University of Sussex)

Watch the video


3 November 2020

From the Local to the Global: Care Chains, Ageing and Futurity through the Indian Ayah

Speaker: Dr Shalini Grover (International Inequalities Institute, LSE)

Presentation slides

Watch the video


28 October 2020

Mechanisms of Matthew effects in social investment

Speaker: Dr Amelia Peterson (Department of Social Policy, LSE)

Presentation slides

Watch the video


 

Archive 2017-2019

2019/20

29 January 2020

‘Emplaced’ Indian Construction Labour-Camps: The Architecture of Discipline and the Limits to Collective Action.

Speaker: Dr Sunil Kumar (LSE, Department of Social Policy)


11 December 2019

Experimental Criminology and the Free-Rider Problem

Speakers: Dr Johann Koehler (LSE, Department of Social Policy) and Tobias Smith (UC-Berkeley)


30th October 2019

Collaborative ethnography and its limitations: Researching young migrants in London

Speaker: Vanessa Hughes (LSE, Department of Social Policy)


 

2018/19

13 March 2019

Challenging dominant social policy assumptions; an apprenticeship for young people with multiple problems and needs.

Speakers: Alice Sampson and Femi Ade-Davis


27 February 2019

Administrative Burden: Policymaking by Other Means

Speakers: Professor Pamela Herd and Professor Donald Moynihan


30 January 2019

Towards a New Social Contract - Taking on Distributional Tensions in Europe and Central Asia

Speaker: Maurizio Bussolo


31 October 2018

How useful is Gillian Hart's Distinction between 'Little d' and 'Big D' Development? Theoretical Reflections, a Case Study, and some Lessons for Social Policy

Speaker: Professor David Lewis, LSE


2017/18

16 May 2018

Health implications of Economic Insecurity

Speaker: Professor Lars Osberg


7 March 2018

Police Reform and the Politics of Denial: An Academic's Journey into "Activism".

Speaker: Dr Michael Shiner, LSE


21 February 2018

Political Parties and Private Schools: A Comparative Analysis of Policy and Politics in England and Germany

Speaker: Dr Rita Nikolai, Humboldt University, Berlin


24 January 2018

The Kids Are Alright: The Rise in Non-Marital Births and Child Well-being

Speaker: Professor Christina Gibson-Davis, Duke University


10 January 2018

The Politics of Post-Crisis European Social Spending

Speaker: Dr Ian McManus, LSE


22 November 2017

Accumulation or Absorption? The Development of Household Non-Employment in Europe during the Great Recession

Speakers: Professor Bernhard Ebbinghaus, University of Oxford, Dr Thomas Biegert, LSE


15 November 2017

Great Expectations: Long-term Poverty Reduction, Intergenerational Change and Young Beneficiaries’ Aspirations in Brazil’s Bolsa Família Programme

Speaker: Dr Hayley Jones, LSE


18 October 2017

Ethnic school composition and multiple ethnic identity formation of adolescents in the Netherlands

Speaker: Dr Gert-Jan Veerman, Ede Christian University of Applied Sciences


11 October 2017

Inter-ethnic relations of teenagers in England’s schools: the role of school and neighbourhood ethnic composition

Speaker: Professor Simon Burgess, University of Bristol

 

For any questions related to the seminar series, please email soc.pol.webteam@lse.ac.uk