Transcript Ethnic diversity in UK social science and public policy

Ethnic diversity in UK social
science and public policy
research
Principal investigator on project: Dr.
Sarah Salway
Workshop leader: Dr. Peter Allmark,
Sheffield Hallam University
Introduction
• Ethnic diversity in UK social science and
public policy research: a consultation and
development exercise to produce
guidelines for sound scientific and ethical
practice.
• Joseph Rowntree Foundation
Research team
• Principal investigator on project: Dr. Sarah
Salway (Sheffield Hallam University)
• Research team: Professor George Ellison (St
George's, London), Dr. Richard Tutton
(University of Lancaster) Dr. Gina Higginbottom
(University of Alberta), and Professor Kate
Gerrish (SHU) Dr. Peter Allmark (SHU)
Workshop aims
• To help participants clarify their own ideas
and beliefs concerning ethnicity and social
science research using discussion
methods focused around vignettes;
• To discuss whether guidelines for social
science and public policy research would
be a feasible and useful outcome of the
JRF project.
Workshop structure
• Brief background to the project
• Group work – using vignettes
Background to project
• 1. UK = multi-ethnic society
• 13% Not White-British
• 9% Non-white [Black:
Caribbean/African/Other; Indian; Pakistani;
Bangladeshi; Other.
• (UK Census 2001)
2. UK = Unequal society along
ethnic lines
• Risks of poverty are highest for Bangladeshis, Pakistanis
and Black Africans, but are also above average for
Caribbean, Indian and Chinese people.
• Over half of Pakistani, Bangladeshi and Black African
children are growing up in poverty.
• Black Africans have very high rates of higher education
qualifications, but also suffer from high rates of
unemployment and poor occupational outcomes.
• There also appear to be 'ethnic penalties' in access to
social security benefits and other financial support.
• (Source: Platt L [2007] Poverty and ethnicity in the UK)
2 UK = unequal society along
ethnic lines
White
Black
Caribbean
Indian
Pakistani
Bangladeshi
Men
17
23
24
34
36
Ratio
1.00
1.35
1.41
2.00
2.12
Women
18
36
30
42
48
Ratio
1.06
2.12
1.76
2.47
2.82
Age
standardised
percentages
Source: Health Survey for England (1993–96).
3. UK Policy makers required to
tackle discrimination and inequality
• Race Relation (Amendment) Act 2000
– Discrimination by public authority "unlawful"
– Public authorities charged with promoting
equality of opportunity and good relations
4. Therefore policy makers need
the right evidence base
• 'Research, and those pursuing it, should respect
the diversity of human society and conditions
and the multi-cultural nature of society,
Whenever relevant, it should take account of
age, disability, gender, sexual orientation, race,
culture and religion in its design, undertaking
and reporting. The body of research evidence
available to policy makers should reflect the
diversity of the population' (Para 2.2.7)'
• Research Governance Framework 2005
5. But when and how?
• When should social science and public
policy researchers take specific steps to
include specific ethnic groups in their
samples? When should they take steps to
do a separate analysis of these groups?
• What helpful and unhelpful assumptions
might underpin research in which ethnicity
is a primary focus?