PolicyWorld_Template:Layout 1 29/9/08 09:37 Page 1 PolicyWorld AUTUMN 2008 NEWSLETTER OF T HE SOCIAL POLICYA SSOCIATION INSIDE: I Social policy in Taiwan I Nicholas Timmins takes over as SPA Chair I The role of service users in research I Polly Toynbee talks about her new book Unjust Rewards Professor Kuo-yu Wang writes a history of the Taiwanese Association for Social Welfare ISSN 1745-6320 PolicyWorld_Template:Layout 1 29/9/08 09:37 Page 2 PolicyWorld_Template:Layout 1 29/9/08 09:37 Page 3 PolicyWorld PolicyWorld Welcome to the Autumn 2008 edition of PolicyWorld. I am excited to unveil a refreshed look for the magazine, which is now entering its fifth year in a full colour magazine format. This edition marks the return to three editions each year, so expect your next copy in Spring 2009! Read on for news about SPA members' work on user involvement (page 10), knowledge transfer (page 11) and research ethics guidelines (page 8). In addition, there is a report on social policy in Taiwan on pages 16 and 17 to accompany Simon Prideaux's account of his visit to the International Symposium on Social Policy in East Asia. Outgoing chair Saul Becker shares his views on the SPA's recent progress on page 9, while on page 22 two SPA members share their memories of comedian Linda Smith, who entertained delegates at the 2000 conference with a milestone stand-up routine. More than 20 contributors have been involved in the publication and I thank them all for giving their time and energy. Please do not hesitate to contact me at [email protected] with ideas or suggestions for future editions. Contributions of all kinds are welcome, including letters or opinion pieces. Contents I do hope you enjoy the following pages. 4-8 SPA news roundup: Best wishes Chair's introduction New SPA president Kate Merriam Scottish social policy network [email protected] SPA women's network The ESRC and the SPA Ethics guidelines for social policy research PolicyWorld is published three times a year. Letters, opinions, Membership report suggestions and contributions for future editions are welcomed. Please contact Kate Merriam at [email protected] for more information. 9 An interview with Saul Becker Editor: Print Designer: 10 Peter Dwyer: User involvement seminar Kate Merriam Nick Hunt report [email protected] The Lavenham Press 47 Water St., Lavenham Suffolk CO10 9RN 11 Caroline Glendinning: Promoting Tel: 01787 247 436 knowledge transfer [email protected] 12-13 SPA Conference and Awards The Social Policy Association (SPA) is a professional association open for membership to 14-15 Postgraduate section academics and practitioners working in social policy, and to others with an interest in UK and international social policy. The association hosts 16-17 Social policy in Taiwan an annual conference and funds smaller seminar events, as well as producing journals and other publications. In addition, the association's 18-19 SWAP executive committee represents the interests of the membership in communication with other professional and academic bodies. The annual SPA awards are presented at the conference, including a lifetime 22-23 Books: Unjust rewards by Polly Toynbee achievement award and best newcomer award. There is also a thriving SPA postgraduate network with a dedicated annual postgraduate and Driving Miss Smith by Warren Lakin conference and regular seminars. More information is available at www.social-policy.com. www.social-policy.com AUTUMN 2008 PolicyWorld 3 PolicyWorld_Template:Layout 1 29/9/08 09:37 Page 4 SPA News Chair’s Introduction Caroline Glendinning I am honoured and delighted to have been elected Chair of the Social Policy Association from 2008-2011 – and also rather daunted by the prospect of taking over from Saul Becker, whose energy and enthusiasm will be very hard to match. First, a bit of background with wider academic and policy developments considering the implications for Social Policy. for those who don't know outside my immediate research area. The I hope that our renewed relationship with the me. I've been an SPA friendliness and informality of SPA events of ESRC [see page 7] will be maintained in the member from sometime in course makes this both easy and fun. form of regular meetings with the SPA Executive. the 1970s (the exact date I will also be exploring with the Executive is lost in the mists of time) While I am privileged to be taking over as whether the SPA can become more active in and was also Secretary Chair of the SPA at a time when the promoting social policy research and from 1998 to 2001. I'm organisation is in very good shape, there are ‘engaging’ Government, other organisations currently Director of nevertheless some clear priorities ahead. One and the wider public [see page 11]. Research (Adults, Older People and Carers) in of these will be to ensure we have the new the Social Policy Research Unit at the University arrangements for paying subscriptions online in In the meantime, if you have any concerns or of York, where I started my academic career in place, ready for members to renew their suggestions of issues that you think SPA should the early 1970s and returned to work again in subscriptions at the end of the year. The RAE be aware of, please don’t hesitate to contact me. 2004. As an applied researcher rather than a will also be announced in December and we more conventional academic, I've always will be looking carefully at the Social Policy Caroline Glendinning valued being involved in the SPA – and results. We will also be keeping a close eye on Professor of Social Policy particularly attending the annual conferences – the development of the RAE’s successor, the University of York because of the opportunities to keep in touch Research Excellence Framework, and [email protected] SPA Executive Committee 2008-09 Chair Meredith Beaumont Steve McKay Karen Rowlingson Caroline Glendinning University of Nottingham University of Birmingham University of Birmingham University of York [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] Rachael Dobson Kate Merriam Kirstein Rummery University of Leeds Policy World editor University of Stirling Vice Chair [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] Nick Ellison University of Leeds Pete Dwyer Jan Pahl Christine Skinner [email protected] Nottingham Trent University University of Kent University of York [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] Honorary Secretary Kevin Farnsworth Catherine Palmer Adam Whitworth Tess Ridge University of Sheffield Durham University University of Oxford University of Bath [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] Jim Goddard Richard Parry Emma Wincup University of Bradford University of Edinburgh University of Leeds Treasurer [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] Rana Jawad University of Warwick Chris Holden Simon Prideaux Sharon Wright [email protected] London School of Hygiene and University of Leeds University of Stirling Tropical Medicine [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] Jackie Rafferty Nicola Yeates Majella Kilkey University of Southampton The Open University University of Hull [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] 4 PolicyWorld AUTUMN 2008 www.social-policy.com PolicyWorld_Template:Layout 1 29/9/08 09:38 Page 5 SPA News Introducing the President... Nicholas Timmins Nicholas Timmins was recently invited to assume presidency of the Social Policy Association by the then Chair Saul Becker, following the end of Polly Toynbee's tenure in the role. His acceptance was received with pleasure by the committee, who described his writing as both informative and thorough - as well as well thumbed! Public Policy Editor of the Financial Times since SPA Executive Committee 2008-09 1996, Timmins is also the author of The Five giants of the Welfare State, a book which begins with Beveridge, examining the creation of the Welfare State and following the path of welfare provision right into New Labour's first term (2001 edition). Writing about his reasons for beginning the book, Timmins states: "A further motivation to write was anger - anger that it is impossible now to travel on the London underground or walk the streets of our big cities without finding beggars, or, more often, without beggars finding us. That, in my lifetime, did not happen before the late 1980s. Then - and despite that anger - there was the perverse need to declare that, even after well over a decade of ideological assault, the welfare state still exists." Before he worked at the Financial Times, Timmins worked at the Independent newspaper from its founding and for ten years afterward. During this time, he was health and social services correspondent, political correspondent and public policy editor. He has also worked for The Times, the Press Association and Nature. Nicholas Timmins presented the SPA Awards at this year's annual conference in Edinburgh. "I thought he was entertaining and very well informed about social policy issues," said Majella Kilkey, who attended the dinner. www.social-policy.com AUTUMN 2008 PolicyWorld 5 PolicyWorld_Template:Layout 1 29/9/08 09:38 Page 6 SPA News Tackling These are interesting times for the development of social poverty, policies in Scotland. The establishment of a coalition government led by the Scottish Nationalist Party (SNP) in 2007 inequality has been widely interpreted as representing a watershed in Scottish politics.