Bridging the Protection Gap: Lived Experiences of Insecurity and Local Governance
ESRC Grand Union Doctoral Training Partnership (DTP) collaborative doctoral studentship.
The Centre for Criminology, University of Oxford and The Open University with Growth and Reform Network.
SUPERVISORS
Professor Ian Loader, Centre for Criminology, University of Oxford
Dr Dan Taylor, Politics and International Studies, Open University
Annabel Smith and Rosie Fogden, Growth and Reform Network
PROJECT OVERVIEW
In recent decades, the pursuit of ‘competitiveness’ and ‘flexibility’ has eroded social protections across many domains. This project explores how austerity, deregulation and the retreat of the welfare state have created a growing ‘protection gap’ in everyday life, and how communities and institutions attempt to fill it. It focuses on how local and combined authorities, working within inclusive growth, seek to rebuild protection and trust through innovation in service reform, prevention-focused policy, and place-based governance.
Patchy enforcement in areas such as employment, housing, environment, public safety, health and social care exposes citizens, especially those on low incomes, to harm and insecurity. This protection gap reflects a divergence between the duties of the state and lived experiences of insecurity. These inter-connected harms challenge public policy and the social sciences, where specialists often address discrete aspects of wider cascades of harm.
Drawing on theories of social harm and participatory governance, and a ‘what works’ approach, the project investigates both the causes and experiences of the protection gap and possible remedies. It addresses two core questions:
1. How do residents of disadvantaged communities experience and make sense of insecurity across different domains amid deregulation and uneven enforcement?
2. How can policymakers, professionals and communities work together to strengthen protection, accountability and civic trust through reforms that expand local capacity and embed protection within inclusive growth strategies?
The project proposes a participatory, mixed-methods design along three strands: 1. Investigating lived experiences of the protection gap; 2. Mapping disparities in protection and challenges for local authorities and service providers; and 3. Exploring how partnerships between communities and policymakers can enable more effective regulation, accountability and inclusive growth.
Fieldwork is proposed in two regions of the Growth and Reform Network that demonstrate broader trends of regulatory failure and variation in local capacity: (1) Greater Manchester and nearby localities; and (2) Barking and Dagenham, London, extending work on inclusive growth and community research networks. Comparative analysis will examine how devolution, local capacity and partnership models shape experiences of protection and insecurity.
The project provides scope for the successful applicant to develop their own focus and study design, building on their disciplinary background and specific interests. While centred on the politics of protection and local governance, the studentship is interdisciplinary and welcomes applicants from politics, sociology, criminology, geography, public policy or related fields.
PARTNERSHIP
The Growth and Reform Network is a national coalition of twenty-seven local and combined authorities committed to advancing inclusive growth and public service reform. It works with local leaders, officers and policymakers to test and share practical approaches that improve public services, strengthen local economies and promote social justice. The Network operates as a bridge between research, local practice and central government, supporting evidence-informed reform across multiple sectors of local governance.
1. Research design and support: The Network will advise on the framing of research questions and methods to ensure the study speaks directly to current challenges in inclusive growth and public service reform. It will facilitate access to local authority officers, practitioners and policymakers across its membership, providing practical insight and case-study opportunities.
2. Dissemination: The Network will co-host briefings, workshops and blogs with the supervisory team to share interim and final findings with local and national audiences, supporting the communication of evidence-informed recommendations.
3. Policy engagement: Drawing on its links across local and combined authorities, the Network will help translate research findings into actionable proposals for strengthening local capacity and social protection. Its in-kind contribution will include staff time, convening expertise and access to its member network.
The Growth and Reform Network will play a strategic role throughout the project.
STUDENTSHIP DETAILS
The PhD studentship will be funded by the Grand Union DTP for an expected 3.5 years (or part-time equivalent) from October 2026. The award length offered may differ depending on the candidate’s prior training and how they meet ESRC training requirements.
Information about Grand Union DTP ESRC studentships and eligibility can be found on the Grand Union DTP website.
APPLICATION DEADLINE
12:00 midday UK time on 28th January 2026
HOW TO APPLY
To apply for the studentship, you must submit an application to study for a DPhil in Criminology at the University of Oxford. Details about applying can be found via https://www.law.ox.ac.uk/centre-for-criminology/information-student-applicants-criminology
Your application should include a research proposal that indicates how your proposed research would engage with the core elements of this project if you were offered the studentship. Your proposal may draw on the description of the research detailed above.
In addition you must complete a Grand Union DTP Application Form and upload it, together with your graduate application form. Please ensure you also select 'ESRC Grand Union DTP Studentships in Social Sciences' in the University of Oxford scholarships section of the University's graduate application form.
The admissions process is in two parts: applications will be assessed by the institution and the selected candidate will then be assessed as part of the applicant pool for ESRC Grand Union DTP funding.
QUERIES
Queries about the studentship should be addressed to: Professor Ian Loader - ian.loader@crim.ox.ac.uk and Dr Dan Taylor - dan.taylor@open.ac.uk
