Students from rural and disadvantaged areas disproportionally affected by subject cuts, British Academy warns

We do not need more invitations to white-led tables; we need to build our own spaces, on our own terms, free from institutions that have historically harmed us.

The UK’s social security landscape and public services infrastructure have been transformed since the Conservatives took office in 2010, initially as part of a coalition with the Liberal Democrats. The collision of austerity and a punitive approach to welfare reform have seen a drastic and far-reaching hollowing out of provision, which left the welfare state in poor health to respond to Covid-19 and then the cost-of-living crisis. There is growing evidence documenting the impact of these changes on society, and a greater appreciation of the harm caused by inadequate social security provision and under-resourced, failing public services. However, not enough is known about how these changes map onto the experiences of individuals over time. This working paper corrects this, reporting on in-depth research with those at the sharp edge of the social security system. The researchers have conducted repeat interviews with ten individuals for more than ten years, with the most recent interviews taking place during the winter of 2023-24. This research uncovers the extent to which social security and the wider infrastructure routinely fails individuals and their families. It highlights the harms caused by conditionality, and reveals the extent to which repeated fights for entitlement to support can grind people down over time.

We’re interested in publishing several blogs by people with lived experience of mental ill-health, distress and trauma considering the topic "the limitations of lived experience".

Healthier food is now twice as expensive per calorie as its less nutritious counterparts.

Information relating to Over £800,000 to help patients living with gynaecological cancers