Oxford University Social Policy and Intervention

15/10/2026

Our Michaelmas Term Seminar Series continues next week!

Join us for our Week 2 seminar with Dr Vidya Diwakar (Institute of Development Studies):
‘When Crises Intersect: Poverty, Vulnerability and Social Policy Responses’

The seminar will explore how intersecting crises, particularly climate-related disasters, violent conflict and economic instability, shape poverty and vulnerability, and what this means for policies and programmes seeking to reduce poverty amid global volatility.

📅 Date: Thursday 22 October
🕓 Time: 16:00–17:30
📍 Location: Department of Social Policy and Intervention, Oxford + online
🔗 Find out more and register: https://f.mtr.cool/mww0dkheen

Please note: Booking is required for those outside DSPI.

14/10/2026

ICYMI: The first seminar of Michaelmas Term is tomorrow: 15 October.

Join us for an insightful talk delivered by Professor Chris Desmond (University of Witwatersrand, South Africa).

📅 Thursday 15 October
🕓 16:00–17:30
📍 Department of Social Policy and Intervention, Oxford + online

More info: https://f.mtr.cool/bp9nfep4l0

13/10/2026

Tomorrow: Watch Dr Bridget Steele (Departmental Lecturer in Evidence-Based Intervention and Policy Evaluation) as part of the Vice-Chancellor's Awards 2026 Winners' Webinar Series ⬇️

Dr Steele will join the Research webinar from 12-1pm to discuss her recognition in the Breakthrough Researcher Award for Leadership in Preventing Sexual Violence in Higher Education.

Registration is open for colleagues across the University of Oxford - find out more (SSO required) https://f.mtr.cool/uypeehxtpd

13/10/2026

🎫Event alert!

Join Pieter Vanhuysse, Professor of Political Economy and Public Policy at University of Southern Denmark as he presents the paper 'Importing Taxpayers for Free: What do destination countries owe origin countries to enhance cross-border movement fiscal justice?'

The cross-border movement of workers is win-win-lose: it increases individual earnings but implies poorer-to-richer-country fiscal transfers. What does justice demand? Join us at DSPI to unpack the big questions surrounding the fairness of global periphery-to-core worker migration.

📅20 October 2026
⏰4.30-6pm
📍32-42 Wellington Square
👉 https://f.mtr.cool/cdi8g56bnr

🎓Open to University of Oxford members

Organisers: Professor Tim Vlandas and Yosuke Buchmeier

12/10/2026

👏 Congratulations to Professor Mary Daly 👏

Awarded an Honorary Doctorate in Social Sciences by Roskilde University, Denmark, Professor Daly has received recognition for her internationally renowned research and significant contributions to contemporary social policy.

➡️Read more about the honorary doctorate and Professor Daly’s work:

The honorary doctorate recognises Professor Daly’s internationally recognised research in the fields of care, family policy and welfare state research.

09/10/2026

🏠 Can families affected by the benefit cap simply move to cheaper accommodation? New research explores the reality.

Examining the gap between the expectation that households can move to cheaper accommodation and the barriers families face, the research highlights:
• A lack of affordable alternatives, with high rents making it difficult to find cheaper accommodation.
• Limited access to social housing, including long waiting lists and shortages of suitable properties.
• The practical and personal costs of moving, including disruption to children’s schooling, support networks and family life.

Published in the Journal of Social Policy, Cambridge University Press; co-authored by Dr Mark Fransham, Ruth Patrick, Kate Andersen, Maddy Power, Aaron Reeves and Kitty Stewart.

🔗 Read the research in full:

An impossible move? Households’ experiences of trying to escape the UK’s benefit cap

08/10/2026

🌡️ How can extreme heat affect menstrual health?

Dr Chloe Brimicombe recently appeared on Channel 4 News to discuss how extreme heat can affect women and young children.

💬 “Heat waves affect multiple different aspects of a menstrual cycle. So, it could be that you are having more periods within a month. You could have a shorter cycle length.”

Dr Chloe Brimicombe’s research explores the links between heat, menstruation and mental health in adolescents and young adults.

Key takeaways:

🔹 Heat may exacerbate menstrual symptoms.
🔹 The combined effects of heat, menstruation and mental health remain understudied.
🔹 Period poverty and stigma may intensify these challenges.

▶️ Watch the Channel 4 News clip to hear more from Dr Chloe Brimicombe: https://f.mtr.cool/00qlzuk3fv

Or, read the research paper in full:

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08/10/2026

📣 Our seminar series for Michaelmas Term kicks off next week!

Join us for the first seminar of the term with Professor Chris Desmond (University of Witwatersrand, South Africa) as he presents: ‘Other people: the risks of unbalanced specialisation in social policy’

The seminar will explore the ways we understand people and how this can shape social policy interventions, asking if it is time to rethink sector governance to facilitate the efficiency gains of a holistic perspective of potential beneficiaries.

Key details:
📅 Date: Thursday 15 October
🕓 Time: 16:00–17:30
📍 Location: Department of Social Policy and Intervention, Oxford + online
🔗 Find out more and register: https://f.mtr.cool/8hudwya97b

Please note: Registration is required for those outside of DSPI.

08/10/2026

🚨 We’re hiring!

We’re looking for a Quantitative Postdoctoral Researcher – Youth Participation and Mental Health to join an interdisciplinary research team working across the UK and Brazil.

The successful candidate will play a key role in a national trial of Cadê o Kauê? – a digital intervention supporting students in Brazilian state schools to promote their peers’ mental health and create more positive school environments.

➡️We’re looking for someone with:
• A PhD/DPhil (or close to completion) in a relevant subject and expertise in evaluating interventions
• Experience managing large datasets and conducting quantitative analysis using statistical software such as R, Stata or SAS
• Expertise in an area such as mental health, global health, adolescent, digital or school-based research
• Strong communication and collaborative research skills

🗓 Apply by: 4 November 2026, 12:00 noon
🔗 Find out more: https://f.mtr.cool/yree67re3q

07/10/2026

In the news: Dr Charlène Calderaro, SNSF Postdoctoral Fellow and Visiting postdoctoral researcher at DSPI, was interviewed by Sky News as part of a documentary on the far-right in the UK.

Investigating female-led anti-immigration groups across the UK and Europe, Data and Forensics correspondent Tom Cheshire used expert analysis from Dr Calderaro to contribute to the discussion around how women are intersecting with increasingly extreme ideas.

▶️Watch the full clip:

Data and Forensics correspondent Tom Cheshire investigates the rise of female-led anti-immigration groups across the UK and Europe, meeting activists, influencers and campaigners shaping a new movement.