ced1j2dw@leeds.ac.uk

PhD Topic:  The effectiveness of anti-poverty programmes.  A comparative study.

At a time of recession, bringing the unemployed back to work is central to policymaking. Meanwhile the resources to do this task are diminishing. This project's aim is to examine how organizations charged with this task respond in a  context of reduced resources and increased uncertainty. What structures work best? Does the joining up of services help? What lessons are there for the UK from other countries?

This study is funded mainly by the Economic and Social Research Council’s CASE scheme, with match funding from LP (and another partner). The purpose of the CASE scheme is to build research capacity by training PhD-level researchers to conduct rigorous research in close collaboration with those outside of the university who can then use the research.  This collaboration with Learning Partnerships extends CERIC’s research on public service provision into the local community.

John is examining neighbourhood-based anti-poverty programmes in Leeds and a comparable city. The programmes under scrutiny are delivered by local networks of organizations that provide advice, training, and job placement, usually by bringing their clients into (or closer to) paid work. Provision in most cities is organized as a mixed market, including the public, private, and voluntary sectors, with different approaches and funding streams.  He is based at Learning Partnerships and conducting ethnographic research on the front line of provision.