皇家华人

Year-long project, in collaboration with the Resolution Foundation think tank and multiple external partners, exploring structural inequalities in UK society.

'Exploring Inequalities: Igniting research to better inform UK policy' combined research and evidence on inequalities in the UK, with the aim of facilitating informed and joined-up policy making. The project听provided a multi-disciplinary exploration of the nature of, and intersections between,听forms of structural inequality.听

By bringing together a broad range of experts from academia, research, third sector organisations, business, policy, government and elsewhere, the project aimed to cut across standard research and policy boundaries to synthesise and deepen our understanding of inequalities in the UK.

Critically, the work sought out ga.ps in collective knowledge听in order to facilitate informed, evidence-based research agendas and policymaking at all levels of government. The study addressed multiple and inter-related inequalities across four thematic areas:听Education; Employment;听Health; and Housing

About the project

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The project was a collaboration between UCL鈥檚 Grand Challenge of Justice and Equality, UCL Public Policy, and the , funded by UCL鈥檚 Knowledge Exchange Fund (HEIF).

Conceived of by Siobhan Morris, Katherine Welch, and in collaboration with Matthew Whittaker, the project aimed to break through the silos that can sometimes arise when focusing on an area as broad as 鈥榠nequality鈥�.听The project sought to challenge researchers, businesses, practitioners and policymakers to think disruptively to generate new solutions to听tackle inequalities in UK society, by bringing together academic expertise at 皇家华人ith authoritative analytical research from the听Resolution Foundation听and leading experts from a range of fields. The project is addressing questions including:

• What are the current policy challenges in tackling embedded structural and relational inequalities in the UK, and why do they exist?
• How are inequalities experienced in relation to one another, how are these cumulative, and how do they overlap?
• How are such inequalities sustained?听
• How can we better connect quantitative and qualitative data on different forms of inequality in the UK to produce robust evidence for policy?
• How can data be accessed and used in innovative ways to better link inequality research across disciplines?

Jointly chaired by Professor Nick Gallent, Professor of Housing and Planning at 皇家华人鈥檚 Bartlett School of Planning, and Matthew Whittaker, Deputy Director of the Resolution Foundation, over the course of nine months听the project听convened six roundtables and conducted numerous in鈥慸epth interviews with research, business, third sector, and policy experts from a range of disciplines, policy areas, sectors and locations.听

In total, over 50 organisations drawn from different sectors and from across the UK took part 鈥� exchanging knowledge, sharing insights, building partnerships, and co-creating new research agendas. Discussions at the six roundtable workshops focused on reviewing and synthesising our understanding of inequalities, identifying gaps in our collective knowledge, and responses to these to facilitate informed, joined鈥憉p policy making at all levels of government and in research agendas.听

Briefing papers and summaries of discussions from each roundtable were prepared by Fahmida Rahman, Oliver Patel and Dr Clare Stainthorp.听Alongside their roles in leading the project, Dr Olivia Stevenson and Siobhan Morris conducted multiple interviews with Civil Servants and policy professionals to supplement discussions. Additionally, a total of 38 meetings with key influencers and experts from NGOs, charities, think tanks, and business leaders were also held to ensure a breadth of views and insights across the devolved nations.

The project team also tested initial findings through a series of engagements. This has included an interim discussion of findings at the Equally Ours Policy Forum in London, a talk entitled, 鈥淲hy intersectionality is key to tackling inequality鈥� to the UK Communities Foundation AGM in Glasgow, presenting the project and issue of structural inequality at a one day conference for sixth form students from schools across the South of England.

Through all of these activities, the work has forged networks and relationships that didn鈥檛 previously exist, but which we hope will bear considerable future fruit in terms of collaborations and the deepening of our collective understanding of structural inequalities in the UK. We look forward to discussing where next, for both research and policy initiatives, aimed at tackling inequalities.

About the Partners

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UCL Grand Challenges听is UCL鈥檚 flagship programme to cultivate cross-disciplinary collaborations that explore pathways to solutions across six major strands related to matters of pressing societal concern.听The Grand Challenge of Justice & Equality听fosters cross-disciplinary research from UCL, examining the barriers that people face to just solutions and equality of opportunity.

听is an award-winning independent think-tank focused on improving the living standards for those on low to middle incomes, working across a wide range of economic policy areas. They are a leading UK authority on securing widely-shared economic growth.

听connects researchers with policy professionals, to inform policy with evidence.

Project members听

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The project seeks to cut across standard research and policy boundaries by bringing together a broad range of experts from academia, business, the charity sector, NGOs, and government.

> View project members听

Project Impact

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On 9 October 2019, the听project's main report,听Structurally Unsound, was launched at a public听event at the Resolution Foundation.

Sir Simon Woolley,听Founder and Director of Operation Black Vote, and Sam Smethers, Chief Executive of the Fawcett Society were the key note speakers, alongside Siobhan Morris, Dr Olivia Stevenson and Matt Whittaker.听

The report has generated significant media interest with coverage in the national press as well as publications in sector-leading media outfits, including , , , and . The report was also referenced during听 in the House of Lords by Lord Bilimoria.

Following its launch, the project team have been invited to discuss听findings through a series of engagements, including听at the Government Equalities Office, the Confederation of British Industry, Ministry of Justice, Greater Manchester Combined Authority, Equally Ours Policy Forum, Welsh Centre for Public Policy, a talk entitled, 鈥淲hy intersectionality is key to tackling inequality鈥� to the UK Communities Foundation AGM in Glasgow, and presenting the project and a discussion of structural inequality at one day conference for sixth form students from schools across the South of England.

In addition, the authors have conducted events for employers,听a , and the report was referenced in the .听In October 2020, project leads delivered a on tackling structural inequalities in UK society.听