Project Director: Christina Beatty
Project Duration: 2014-2015

RCUK state that research public engagement can empower people, broaden attitudes and ensure that the work of universities and research institutes is relevant to society and wider social concerns. This project will build on the ground-breaking report Hitting the Poorest Places Hardest: the local and regional impact of welfare reform in 2013 which received in-depth coverage in the Financial Times. Now that the overhaul of the benefits system is substantially underway, the focus of this new study will be to ascertain the extent to which the reforms are achieving the key policy objective of changing claimants' labour market behaviour. The emerging findings will be disseminated widely via the media and public engagement activities.

The project team also includes Mike Foden.