Paul Spicker
LightNews LightNews
banner
paulspicker.bsky.social
Paul Spicker
@paulspicker.bsky.social
480 followers 380 following 65 posts

Paul is Emeritus Professor of Public Policy at the Robert Gordon University, Aberdeen. He mainly writes on poverty, benefits, social justice and social policy. Find his published work at https://observant-paulspicker.wordpress.com/paul-spicker/ .. more

Videos
Political science 56%
Economics 12%
Posts Replies Media Videos

Reposted by Alice Sullivan

paulspicker.bsky.social
Paul Spicker @paulspicker.bsky.social · 5d
David and I have clashed bitterly in the past, because we both care about what we're doing. On this issue, however, he's absolutely in the right. Universities, and social science, depend on our ability to disagree with each other.

Reposted by Paul Spicker

profalices.bsky.social
Professor Alice Sullivan @profalices.bsky.social · 5d
Solidarity with Professor David Gordon. The way he has been treated by University of Bristol management is a scandal. www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/01...
Academic suspended after defending gender-critical speaker
Prof David Gordon is accused of breaking rules by replying to an email from the University of Bristol’s LGBTQ+ Staff Network
www.telegraph.co.uk

paulspicker.bsky.social
Paul Spicker @paulspicker.bsky.social · 14d
The Acts of Elizabeth came much later, in 1598 and 1601. The earlier Tudor Acts were partly punitive, but the Act of 1536 was also influenced by the 1531 defence of welfare provision made on behalf of the city of Ypres. Read the astonishing Ypres report at rgu-repository.worktribe.com/output/1238880

paulspicker.bsky.social
Paul Spicker @paulspicker.bsky.social · 15d
Vives published his arguments for welfare in January, 1526. It's the 500th anniversary of that work.

Reposted by Paul Spicker

tina-hearn.bsky.social
tina-hearn.bsky.social @tina-hearn.bsky.social · 15d
One of the earliest known commissioned studies on #socialpolicy available at: rgu-repository.worktribe.com/output/1238872 via @paulspicker.bsky.social #poverty #socialwelfare
The origins of modern welfare: Juan Luis Vives; on the relief of the poor, or of human need.
This book presents new translations of the earliest known studies in Social Policy. Juan-Luis Vives’s De Subventione Pauperum (On the Relief of the Poor) i...
rgu-repository.worktribe.com

Reposted by Paul Spicker

ferrinfo.bsky.social
Gareth Morgan - Ferret @ferrinfo.bsky.social · 25d
‘tis the season to be jolly… wrong, in the Daily Mail. This time the Mail manages to give a 3 child family on benefits over £25k more than is correct when comparing with a single high earner. benefitsinthefuture.com/tis-the-seas... #benefits #work #dailymail
‘tis the season to be jolly… misleading, in the Daily Mail – Benefits in the Future
There might almost seem to be a deliberate campaign by some of the press to mislead or distort the rules and rates around benefits entitlements. In particular, there seems to be a trend, amongst the u...
benefitsinthefuture.com

Reposted by Paul Spicker

Reposted by Paul Spicker

paulspicker.bsky.social
Paul Spicker @paulspicker.bsky.social · Dec 9
A Korean translation of my edition of two 16th-century works of social policy has been published at jeniecreative2025.imweb.me . For those who, like myself, can't read or speak a word of Korean, the English edition is freely available at observant-paulspicker.wordpress.com/open-access/...
지니크리에이티브
기독교 역사 전문서적 출판사
jeniecreative2025.imweb.me

paulspicker.bsky.social
Paul Spicker @paulspicker.bsky.social · Dec 2
This clip is from legal theorist AV Dicey, writing in 1917.

paulspicker.bsky.social
Paul Spicker @paulspicker.bsky.social · Nov 29
I've read it and cited you (on 'consistency'), but its quirky issue-based agenda isn't a basis for a taught course. The core of ethical teaching for policy makers needs to consider
* ethics of the policy
* responsibilities to the agency
* individual ethics, and
* constraints on the use of power.

paulspicker.bsky.social
Paul Spicker @paulspicker.bsky.social · Nov 11
The BBC should reject Trump's libel claim.

1. The words used were Trump's own.
2. The edit still put two sides - it could have stopped with his call to "fight".
3. Trump has pleaded immunity: these are the words of the POTUS, not an individual.
4. There is no evidence of reputational damage.

paulspicker.bsky.social
Paul Spicker @paulspicker.bsky.social · Oct 29
I agree - but there's more to managing immigration than revising the system of controls. observant-paulspicker.wordpress.com/2025/09/10/w...

paulspicker.bsky.social
Paul Spicker @paulspicker.bsky.social · Oct 16
We have to stop thinking about pensions and benefits as 'spending'. They're transfer payments, or redistribution - quite different! - so they should be paid for by taxation or contribution, and should be treated distinctly in the accounts.

Reposted by Gráinne McKeever

paulspicker.bsky.social
Paul Spicker @paulspicker.bsky.social · Oct 1
If the i paper is right, 'lifting' the 2-child limit might be for working families only, or a 3-child limit. Neither is good enough. Both exclude some of the poorest children. Both impose a penalty for blending families. And both call for questions about rape.

paulspicker.bsky.social
Paul Spicker @paulspicker.bsky.social · Sep 25
Do you mean you can teach without first having to move the furniture?

paulspicker.bsky.social
Paul Spicker @paulspicker.bsky.social · Sep 24
In "What is the welfare state for?", I argued that welfare provision is now the norm for all governments. bristoluniversitypress.co.uk/trade/what-i... A new report from the ILO on social justice researchrepository.ilo.org/view/deliver...
shows less poverty, less inequality, better social provision.
researchrepository.ilo.org

paulspicker.bsky.social
Paul Spicker @paulspicker.bsky.social · Sep 16
There are many such critiques - here are two of mine.

*What is the welfare state for?* (2025) is about welfare states round the world, bristoluniversitypress.co.uk/trade/what-i...

*How to fix the welfare state* (2022) policy.bristoluniversitypress.co.uk/how-to-fix-t... is about Britain.

paulspicker.bsky.social
Paul Spicker @paulspicker.bsky.social · Sep 11
The EU is consulting on anti-poverty strategy. ec.europa.eu/info/law/bet... They see that poverty is multi-dimensional (correct) and plan to look at intergenerational continuity (largely a myth. Longitudinal studies point to 3 main predictors: education, partnering and the state of the economy.)
European Commission - Have your say
European Commission - Have your say
ec.europa.eu

paulspicker.bsky.social
Paul Spicker @paulspicker.bsky.social · Aug 28
I'm not sure where the figure of 6.5 million people on 'out of work' benefits comes from, but mainly it's 1.6m on "unemployment benefits" and 3.5 m on "incapacity benefits" (www.gov.uk/government/p...) Incapacity means it is "not reasonable" to expect claimants to work: Welfare Reform Act 2012.
Benefit expenditure and caseload tables 2025
Historic and forecast benefit expenditure and caseload data usually consistent with the annual spring and autumn Budgets or Statements.
www.gov.uk

paulspicker.bsky.social
Paul Spicker @paulspicker.bsky.social · Aug 15
The debate over #gerrymandering reveals a major difference between US and European democracy. The US approach (Federalist 46) is meant to subordinate local interests to national priorities. The European ideal is to treat each constituency as an integral geographic community. Neither method works.

paulspicker.bsky.social
Paul Spicker @paulspicker.bsky.social · Aug 10
Jonathan presents it as I was taught it. Managing the economy has to be thought about in a different way to balancing the public finances. tinyurl/bdeecy93

paulspicker.bsky.social
Paul Spicker @paulspicker.bsky.social · Aug 10
'Welfare' and 'pensions' are transfer payments: the money is still there, in the economy, it's just being moved. We ought to account for them differently.

paulspicker.bsky.social
Paul Spicker @paulspicker.bsky.social · Aug 5
No, it doesn't. According to the article, the UK Foreign Office told him that he was now on the USA's list of potential sanctions: 'il figure sur la liste des fonctionnaires de la CPI susceptibles d'être sanctionnés par la nouvelle administration américaine."

Reposted by Paul Spicker

helenlp.bsky.social
Helen LP @helenlp.bsky.social · Mar 17
The debate around disability benefits in the UK is loaded with misinformation and misunderstanding. ESA is an out of work benefit, PIP and DLA are in work benefits. They are supposed to help disabled people meet extra costs of being disabled, which can be substantial. What kinds of costs? Read on.

Reposted by Paul Spicker

shrinkatlarge.bsky.social
Dr Jay Watts @shrinkatlarge.bsky.social · Jul 2
Call me old-fashioned, but I don’t think LCWRA cuts should be ignored by MPs cos PIP is a more memorable acronym.

paulspicker.bsky.social
Paul Spicker @paulspicker.bsky.social · Jul 16
In 1951, Harold Wilson and Barbara Castle joined Nye Bevan, resigning in protest against the Labour government's introduction of NHS charges. Whatever happened to them?

Reposted by Paul Spicker

paulspicker.bsky.social
Paul Spicker @paulspicker.bsky.social · Jul 6
The OECD's "Pensions at a glance" reports % of GDP accounted for by public and private provision.