National study into welfare behaviour

Researchers from Sheffield Hallam University are taking part in a major study into the conditions attached to welfare entitlement, and whether they successfully change the behaviour of recipients.

The Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) is funding the £2.5m, five year project, which brings together researchersfrom Sheffield Hallam, University of Salford, University of Sheffield, Heriot-Watt University and the University of Stirling.

The study will explore the ethics and effectiveness of welfare conditionality, which has increased over the last 20 years to encourage ‘positive’ behaviour of welfare recipients. Examples of welfare conditionality include requesting recipients to undertake training or work programmes in order to claim Job Seekers’ Allowance, or complying with conditions related to family intervention projects.

The research group will hold interviews and focus groups with policymakers,managers and frontline staff who deliver welfare initiatives. They will also speak to the diverse groups of welfare service users who are subject to the conditions.

In addition to influencing future welfare policy and practice, the study aims to contribute towards training the next generation of social researchers by creating eight PhD studentships.

Professor Del Roy Fletcher, of Sheffield Hallam University’s Centre for Regional Economic and Social Research, said: "This project will provide an international focal point for research on welfare conditionality.

"Together, we will be exploring the extent to which conditionality may be justified and, importantly, its effectiveness in changing the behaviour of welfare recipients. We gratefully acknowledge the support of the ESRC."

The study will be informed by a range of methods, including a comprehensive review of relevant academic literature, statistical data sources and policy documents, an international expert seminar series, and consultation workshops with welfare service users and practitioners.

New empirical qualitative data will be generated in with the following three sets of respondents:

1.         40 semi structured interviews with ‘elite’ policy makers and actors.

2.         24 focus groups (each with 6-10 respondents) with frontline welfare practitioners who implement policy.

3.         1200 repeat qualitative longitudinal interviews with a diverse sample of 400 welfare service users who are subject to welfare conditionality. Each person will be interviewed three times.

Fieldwork will be carried out in a variety of locations in England and Scotland.

For press information contact: Joe Field on 0114 225 2074 or email pressoffice@shu.ac.uk