Sam is an LSE Fellow in the Department of Social Policy, where he also undertook his PhD and worked as a Research Officer. His ESRC-funded PhD compared work-family policy change in England and Germany since the late-1990s, which was based on qualitative analysis of policy documents and interviews with politicians, civil servants and interest groups and other stakeholders in the policymaking process. His research involved a six-month stint as a guest researcher at the WZB Berlin Social Sciences Centre. Prior to undertaking his PhD, Sam worked in policy research for think tanks and charities for five years. He also holds an MSc in European Social Policy from the LSE and an undergraduate degree in history from the University of Edinburgh.

Sam’s research interests involve the comparative analysis of welfare state continuity and change in the face of challenges presented by socio-economic and demographic trends. He has a particular interest in the role that ideas play in processes of stability and change across different institutional contexts. Besides his thesis on work-family policy, Sam’s research focus encompasses social investment policies more broadly, in particular education policy throughout the life course. Recently his work has involved comparing East Asian and European welfare states, with a particular focus on Korea.