@jaywiggan.bsky.social
Senior Lecturer in social policy. All things employment and social security policy.
https://policy.bristoluniversitypress.co.uk/the-politics-of-unemployment-policy-in-britain
https://policy.bristoluniversitypress.co.uk/the-politics-of-unemployment-policy-in-britain
Reposted
Not a drill - there's a Britain-focused lectureship (FT, permanent) available.
www.jobs.ac.uk/job/DPQ588/l...
www.jobs.ac.uk/job/DPQ588/l...
Lecturer in British and Comparative Politics at UCL
An academic position as a Lecturer in British and Comparative Politics is being advertised on jobs.ac.uk. Click now to find more details and explore additional academic job opportunities.
www.jobs.ac.uk
November 28, 2025 at 4:35 PM
Not a drill - there's a Britain-focused lectureship (FT, permanent) available.
www.jobs.ac.uk/job/DPQ588/l...
www.jobs.ac.uk/job/DPQ588/l...
Reposted
Increasingly obvious yet usually badly discussed. The 1960s / 70s was the ending of the post-war European industrial growth era, 2010s the breakdown of its free market replacement together with the fraying of 1940s rules indirectly by 21st century technology.
I really do think you can see 2008-2025 as a period of rupture in the same sort of way as the 1960s and early 70s. A period of rupture characterised by the disruption of globalism (financial crisis etc) combined with political populism (ostensibly anti elites) and distrust in government (eg Covid).
November 28, 2025 at 8:06 AM
Increasingly obvious yet usually badly discussed. The 1960s / 70s was the ending of the post-war European industrial growth era, 2010s the breakdown of its free market replacement together with the fraying of 1940s rules indirectly by 21st century technology.
Reposted
Just before that OBR document dropped, I wrote this about why sluggish household spending is part of the grim plan
open.substack.com/pub/gileswil...
open.substack.com/pub/gileswil...
the chart of misery, and also a sign of success
stagnant household real consumption is what we were told we needed
open.substack.com
November 26, 2025 at 4:28 PM
Just before that OBR document dropped, I wrote this about why sluggish household spending is part of the grim plan
open.substack.com/pub/gileswil...
open.substack.com/pub/gileswil...
Reposted
The flat fee of £925 is a 6% levy on fees of £15,419 - a higher rate on lower costs, a lower rate on higher cost degrees. This will have a smaller impact than a 6% levy on the 19 institutions who thought it could cost them > £10m as their average international fees are above £15k
The government will charge universities £925 per international student for each year of study from August 2028, in a blow to cash-strapped higher education institutions. Helen Packer reports #Budget2026
https://www.timeshighereducation.com/news/international-student-levy-set-ps925-student-2028
https://www.timeshighereducation.com/news/international-student-levy-set-ps925-student-2028
International student levy set at £925 per student from 2028
Chancellor confirms details of controversial tax on income from overseas students, while universities also expect to be hit by changes to pension tax rules
www.timeshighereducation.com
November 26, 2025 at 4:31 PM
The flat fee of £925 is a 6% levy on fees of £15,419 - a higher rate on lower costs, a lower rate on higher cost degrees. This will have a smaller impact than a 6% levy on the 19 institutions who thought it could cost them > £10m as their average international fees are above £15k
Reposted
Yeah. The correct 'reform' of the OBR is it should be Parliament's creature first and foremost. It's good for HMT to have its own forecasts and for the Chancellor's ideology to be a partial driver to them!
What should happen is that: we publish multiple OBR forecasts in advance around different tax / spend scenarios and we can then have a proper debate about the state of the nations finances.
The OBR publishing early is bad news for a) the person who carries the can b) the political debate around the OBR but maybe good for those of us who think Budget documents should be published before, not after, the Chancellor speaks as a matter of course when the world doesn't end at 13:30 today?
November 26, 2025 at 12:40 PM
Yeah. The correct 'reform' of the OBR is it should be Parliament's creature first and foremost. It's good for HMT to have its own forecasts and for the Chancellor's ideology to be a partial driver to them!
Reposted
Much to agree with here, notably on Labour's bewildering lack of interest in what 2010-24 governments actually did in policy terms. But this - something we have known for well over a century! - just cannot be repeated too often.
November 25, 2025 at 12:35 PM
Much to agree with here, notably on Labour's bewildering lack of interest in what 2010-24 governments actually did in policy terms. But this - something we have known for well over a century! - just cannot be repeated too often.
Reposted
Job Alert! DH postdoc at Edinburgh - Post-Doctoral Research Fellow to work on the AHRC-funded project "Voices in Slavery’s Archive: Law, Place and Testimony in British Guiana", which will build a digital archive out of the recorded words of enslaved people. www.jobs.ac.uk/job/DPN147/p...
Postdoctoral Research Fellow at The University of Edinburgh
Explore an exciting academic career as a Postdoctoral Research Fellow. Don't miss out on other academic jobs. Click to apply and explore more opportunities.
www.jobs.ac.uk
November 24, 2025 at 2:24 PM
Job Alert! DH postdoc at Edinburgh - Post-Doctoral Research Fellow to work on the AHRC-funded project "Voices in Slavery’s Archive: Law, Place and Testimony in British Guiana", which will build a digital archive out of the recorded words of enslaved people. www.jobs.ac.uk/job/DPN147/p...
Reposted
It's great to see the @socialpolicyblog.bsky.social is now on BlueSky! Follow for insightful #SocialPolicy analysis from @socialpolicyuk.bsky.social authors and more!
We’re now live on Bluesky! And we're back online and preparing for a full re-launch next week!
We’re the companion blog to the SPA's journals — Journal of Social Policy, Social Policy & Society, and Journal of International & Comparative Social Policy.
Follow us here and at socialpolicyblog.co.uk
We’re the companion blog to the SPA's journals — Journal of Social Policy, Social Policy & Society, and Journal of International & Comparative Social Policy.
Follow us here and at socialpolicyblog.co.uk
Social Policy Blog
Companion Blog to the Journal of Social Policy, Social Policy & Society, and the Journal of International & Comparative Social Policy
socialpolicyblog.co.uk
November 21, 2025 at 5:51 PM
It's great to see the @socialpolicyblog.bsky.social is now on BlueSky! Follow for insightful #SocialPolicy analysis from @socialpolicyuk.bsky.social authors and more!
Reposted
New @resolutionfoundation.org @safety-nets.bsky.social report on the localisation of social security since 2013: Support delivered by local authorities isn't well understood but is an increasingly important part of the social security system: real spending on it is now 122 times higher than 2010-11
The localisation era • Resolution Foundation
This report is part of the project Safety Nets: social security for families in a devolved UK, funded by the Nuffield Foundation. It examines the growth of localised social security in the UK from 201...
www.resolutionfoundation.org
November 20, 2025 at 11:56 AM
New @resolutionfoundation.org @safety-nets.bsky.social report on the localisation of social security since 2013: Support delivered by local authorities isn't well understood but is an increasingly important part of the social security system: real spending on it is now 122 times higher than 2010-11
Reposted
Reposting, just in case you don't yet know - next week, in Edinburgh, Prof Mark Findlay is talking on his book, Governing the Metaverse.
Tell your friends, tell your students, tell it to that enigmatic stranger sitting in the corner...
#Law #Regulation #Cyberspace #Metaverse
Tell your friends, tell your students, tell it to that enigmatic stranger sitting in the corner...
#Law #Regulation #Cyberspace #Metaverse
We will be welcoming our Professorial Fellow Mark Findlay back to Edinburgh to talk on his recent book, Governing the Metaverse.
26 November, 1615 hrs (GMT/UTC), in person, MacLaren Stuart Room, Law School, Old College, Edinburgh
www.law.ed.ac.uk/news-events/...
26 November, 1615 hrs (GMT/UTC), in person, MacLaren Stuart Room, Law School, Old College, Edinburgh
www.law.ed.ac.uk/news-events/...
Governing the Metaverse: Law Order and Freedom in Digital Space | Edinburgh Law School
www.law.ed.ac.uk
November 20, 2025 at 4:22 PM
Reposting, just in case you don't yet know - next week, in Edinburgh, Prof Mark Findlay is talking on his book, Governing the Metaverse.
Tell your friends, tell your students, tell it to that enigmatic stranger sitting in the corner...
#Law #Regulation #Cyberspace #Metaverse
Tell your friends, tell your students, tell it to that enigmatic stranger sitting in the corner...
#Law #Regulation #Cyberspace #Metaverse
Reposted
Historic shift in Copenhagen. After a century of Social Democratic rule, the city have elected its first ever left-wing mayor.
www.dr.dk/nyheder/poli...
www.dr.dk/nyheder/poli...
Hvid røg fra København: SF skriver historie og erobrer overborgmesterposten fra S
Socialdemokratiet erkender nederlaget og bliver det tredje største parti i hovedstaden efter Enhedslisten og SF.
www.dr.dk
November 19, 2025 at 8:55 AM
Historic shift in Copenhagen. After a century of Social Democratic rule, the city have elected its first ever left-wing mayor.
www.dr.dk/nyheder/poli...
www.dr.dk/nyheder/poli...
Reposted
"Libraries and archives are the labs of humanities and social science scholars, and history is not possible without them." 🔥
I’ve written a piece on the curious lack of media and political interest in the issues faced by our national @britishlibrary.bsky.social. This is strange given we live in a world where ideas, knowledge and research are a long-term source of innovation and insight
www.cityam.com/the-british-...
www.cityam.com/the-british-...
The British library is in crisis: why does nobody care?
The widespread indifference to the British Library's crippling cyberattack demonstrates a perilous failure to value the knowledge infrastructure vital for national prosperity
www.cityam.com
November 18, 2025 at 1:52 PM
"Libraries and archives are the labs of humanities and social science scholars, and history is not possible without them." 🔥
Reposted
Here is a sneak peek from our forthcoming special issue on "social policy implementation in Southern Europe and Latin America" where Llorenç Soler-Buades and Francisco Ferraioli argue that rescaling of welfare can introduce additional burdens for claimants.
The nexus between welfare rescaling and administrative burden: The case of minimum income provision in Spain | Journal of International and Comparative Social Policy | Cambridge Core
The nexus between welfare rescaling and administrative burden: The case of minimum income provision in Spain
www.cambridge.org
November 18, 2025 at 10:00 AM
Here is a sneak peek from our forthcoming special issue on "social policy implementation in Southern Europe and Latin America" where Llorenç Soler-Buades and Francisco Ferraioli argue that rescaling of welfare can introduce additional burdens for claimants.
Reposted
UK universities are becoming “very concerned” amid growing speculation that chancellor Rachel Reeves will use next week’s budget to cap tax-free pension contributions – a move that could cost the sector £50 million. @twilliamsthe.bsky.social reports
Universities fear £50 million hit from budget ‘pensions tax’
Cost to sector ‘significant’ as reports say chancellor planning to limit tax-free contributions
www.timeshighereducation.com
November 18, 2025 at 9:43 AM
UK universities are becoming “very concerned” amid growing speculation that chancellor Rachel Reeves will use next week’s budget to cap tax-free pension contributions – a move that could cost the sector £50 million. @twilliamsthe.bsky.social reports
Reposted
I know it’s always like this. But one striking thing from the budget kite flying and kite pulling back in, is how major policy decisions are constantly being buffeted around by iterative forecast changes.
All feels a bit of a silly way to be making major economic policy & political decisions.
All feels a bit of a silly way to be making major economic policy & political decisions.
November 14, 2025 at 3:18 PM
I know it’s always like this. But one striking thing from the budget kite flying and kite pulling back in, is how major policy decisions are constantly being buffeted around by iterative forecast changes.
All feels a bit of a silly way to be making major economic policy & political decisions.
All feels a bit of a silly way to be making major economic policy & political decisions.
Reposted
📻 Sunday listening 📻 - Alexander Gallas on popular support for the Thatcher governments of the 1980s, Thatcherism as a "two-nations hegemonic project" and the debates between Stuart Hall and Bob Jessop on how to make sense of Thatcherism:
Rewind: Alexander Gallas on the Thatcherite offensive
Podcast Episode · Politics Theory Other · 11/15/2025 · 52m
podcasts.apple.com
November 16, 2025 at 9:43 AM
📻 Sunday listening 📻 - Alexander Gallas on popular support for the Thatcher governments of the 1980s, Thatcherism as a "two-nations hegemonic project" and the debates between Stuart Hall and Bob Jessop on how to make sense of Thatcherism:
Reposted
If you care about the future of University of Edinburgh, call or email your local MSP on Monday:
Monday, 17 November: Call your MSP. UCU has prepared a briefing here, but you can also simply call and tell your story. These cuts will affect the whole city.
www.ucuedinburgh.org.uk/lobby-your-m...
Monday, 17 November: Call your MSP. UCU has prepared a briefing here, but you can also simply call and tell your story. These cuts will affect the whole city.
www.ucuedinburgh.org.uk/lobby-your-m...
Lobby Your MSP! — UCU Edinburgh
www.ucuedinburgh.org.uk
November 16, 2025 at 10:47 AM
If you care about the future of University of Edinburgh, call or email your local MSP on Monday:
Monday, 17 November: Call your MSP. UCU has prepared a briefing here, but you can also simply call and tell your story. These cuts will affect the whole city.
www.ucuedinburgh.org.uk/lobby-your-m...
Monday, 17 November: Call your MSP. UCU has prepared a briefing here, but you can also simply call and tell your story. These cuts will affect the whole city.
www.ucuedinburgh.org.uk/lobby-your-m...
Reposted
My new article on everyone’s favourite PM, Liz Truss, is out in New Political Economy 🧵
When neoliberalism meets technocracy: intra-elite conflict and the realignment of Britain’s macroeconomic regime under Liz Truss
This article offers a new account of Liz Truss’s premiership by analysing the political economy of the 2022 mini-Budget crisis. Engaging with literature on depoliticisation, statecraft, and the Cit...
www.tandfonline.com
November 12, 2025 at 9:30 PM
My new article on everyone’s favourite PM, Liz Truss, is out in New Political Economy 🧵
Reposted
New Universal Credit statistics today show the % of claimants in the ‘no work requirements’ conditionality group has continued to rise to 49%, and the proportion in work has fallen to 33%. This is likely to be written up as ‘a rise in claimants not required to work’, but context is very important! 🧵
November 11, 2025 at 4:45 PM
New Universal Credit statistics today show the % of claimants in the ‘no work requirements’ conditionality group has continued to rise to 49%, and the proportion in work has fallen to 33%. This is likely to be written up as ‘a rise in claimants not required to work’, but context is very important! 🧵
Reposted
Reposted
Mayfield Review rightly highlights employer incentives for more evidence & then action. But this is the bit that's absolutely crucial and has been ducked by governments for a long time. That must change for better living standards, inclusion &growth.
3/n www.resolutionfoundation.org/comment/from...
3/n www.resolutionfoundation.org/comment/from...
From Review to reality • Resolution Foundation
There’s always a danger that official reviews end up generating a lot of talk and symbolic gestures, but don’t set out meaningful steps for change. That’s the challenge faced by the just-published rev...
www.resolutionfoundation.org
November 7, 2025 at 4:29 PM
Mayfield Review rightly highlights employer incentives for more evidence & then action. But this is the bit that's absolutely crucial and has been ducked by governments for a long time. That must change for better living standards, inclusion &growth.
3/n www.resolutionfoundation.org/comment/from...
3/n www.resolutionfoundation.org/comment/from...
Reposted
What an utterly terrible thing for Edinburgh Council to do. It's bad enough sharing space with black cabs but private hires are just bad www.edinburghlive.co.uk/news/edinbur...
Plans for Edinburgh private hire cars to be allowed to use bus lanes
Council officers are recommending that councillors delay making any decision on a policy change until after several projects and traffic studies are completed
www.edinburghlive.co.uk
November 4, 2025 at 7:00 PM
What an utterly terrible thing for Edinburgh Council to do. It's bad enough sharing space with black cabs but private hires are just bad www.edinburghlive.co.uk/news/edinbur...
Reposted
Looking forward to speaking here on Wednesday:
www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/spa-worksh...
www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/spa-worksh...
SPA Workshop: Immigration, Citizenship, and Social Policy in the UK
A one-day workshop on how immigration status shapes access to work, education, healthcare, housing, and safety.
www.eventbrite.co.uk
October 27, 2025 at 10:28 AM
Looking forward to speaking here on Wednesday:
www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/spa-worksh...
www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/spa-worksh...
Reposted
We're hiring!💥
IPPR North are looking for a senior researcher who has big ideas for the future of our regions. Join us at this pivotal time for our economy and democracy.
Based in Manchester, apply by 31st October.
www.ippr.org/jobs/senior-...
IPPR North are looking for a senior researcher who has big ideas for the future of our regions. Join us at this pivotal time for our economy and democracy.
Based in Manchester, apply by 31st October.
www.ippr.org/jobs/senior-...
Senior Research Fellow, IPPR North | IPPR
The Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) is an independent charity working towards a fairer, greener, and more prosperous society.
www.ippr.org
October 15, 2025 at 11:11 AM
We're hiring!💥
IPPR North are looking for a senior researcher who has big ideas for the future of our regions. Join us at this pivotal time for our economy and democracy.
Based in Manchester, apply by 31st October.
www.ippr.org/jobs/senior-...
IPPR North are looking for a senior researcher who has big ideas for the future of our regions. Join us at this pivotal time for our economy and democracy.
Based in Manchester, apply by 31st October.
www.ippr.org/jobs/senior-...
Reposted
Anyway, what the Government have done here on universities is put out a thinkpiece that's like a paper bag with 'policies' written on it - but with very little inside. All they've really done is press the button marked 'higher fees' without any sense of structural reform. (19/?)
October 24, 2025 at 3:21 PM
Anyway, what the Government have done here on universities is put out a thinkpiece that's like a paper bag with 'policies' written on it - but with very little inside. All they've really done is press the button marked 'higher fees' without any sense of structural reform. (19/?)