Bridging the protection gap: Lived experiences of insecurity and regulatory deficits

ESRC Grand Union Doctoral Training Partnership (DTP) collaborative doctoral studentship

The Centre for Criminology, the University of Oxford and the Open University with Unchecked UK.

 

SUPERVISORS

Professor Ian Loader, University of Oxford

Dr Dan Taylor, Open University

Phoebe Clay, Unchecked UK

 

PROJECT OVERVIEW

In recent decades, the pursuit of ‘competitiveness’ and ‘flexibility’ has eroded social protections across many domains. This project investigates the impacts of deficient social protections and regulatory oversight on social insecurity and inequality in disadvantaged UK communities.

The absence of basic protections and patchy enforcement in areas like employment, housing, environment, health, social care, food and product safety is exposing citizens, especially those on low incomes, to harm and insecurity. This regulatory deficit – the ‘protection gap’ – reflects a growing divergence between the statutory duties of the state and lived experiences of insecurity. These inter-connected harms present challenges for public policy and the social sciences, where specialists typically address discrete aspects of the cascade of multiple harms from within parallel worlds.

Drawing on theories of social harm and participatory governance, this project investigates the causes, experiences and potential remedies for the protection gap. It addresses two core questions:

  1. How do residents of disadvantaged communities experience and make sense of different domains of insecurity (e.g. housing, employment and environment) in the context of deregulation and uneven enforcement?
  2. How can policymakers, professionals and communities work together to strengthen protections, accountability and trust?

The project adopts a participatory, mixed methods design, along three strands: 1. Investigating lived experience of the protection gap; 2. Mapping and understanding disparities in protection and the challenges faced by regulatory practitioners; 3. Building cooperation and partnerships between local communities and policymakers on new ideas for more effective forms of social regulation and accountability.

In-depth fieldwork will be conducted in two sites, demonstrating broader trends of regulatory failure, which build on supervisory connections and expertise: 1. Macclesfield, Cheshire (extending Loader’s work on place, security and governance, https://securityinplace.org); and 2. Barking and Dagenham, London (building on Taylor’s work on inclusive growth and resident community research networks). In each site, the study will comprise a mix of in-depth interviews and group discussions with diverse residents and practitioners, as well as participatory methods such as audio/video diaries, photo elicitation and deliberative workshops.

We welcome applications from students across the social sciences, especially criminology, human geography, politics, sociology, and urban studies.

 

PARTNERSHIP

The research will be conducted in collaboration with UncheckedUK, the leading civil society voice on regulatory failure, who will provide strategic guidance and non-academic supervision, broker access to policymakers and relevant organisations, and amplify findings to influence debates on re-regulation. This collaboration builds on UncheckedUK’s mission to reverse the erosion of public protections and build healthier, fairer communities, through supplying research-driven, localised evidence to better understand societal challenge of protection and security. UncheckedUK will perform three roles:

  1. Design and support research – we will help shape a research proposition that has the potential to inform campaigns and policy. We will deploy our knowledge of policy, political and media debates to shape the research questions and the methodology. We will also support on the delivery and analysis of the research, ensuring that the insights are impactful and have a wide audience.
  2. Dissemination – we will work alongside the academic partners to generate regular outputs over the course of the research, including briefings, social media posts, blogs and media articles. At key points of the research, we will co-host briefing events for key audiences from civil society and policymaking.
  3. Policy design – we will work with the partners to consider the potential policy implications of the emerging findings, particularly in relation of questions of enforcement of key regulations.

 

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 2025. The award length offered may differ depending on the candidate’s prior training and how they meet ESRC training requirements. The part-time option is only available to students with a Home status, or those that do not require a Visa for study in the UK.

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 29 January 2025. we recommend that you aim to complete and submit your application at least two weeks in advance.

 

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.ox.ac.uk/admissions/graduate/courses/dphil-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: Ian Loader, Centre for Criminology, University of Oxford; ian.loader@crim.ox.ac.uk and Dan Taylor, Open University; dan.taylor@open.ac.uk

Queries about the application process should be addressed to: Abbie O’Regan, Graduate Studies Administrator, Centre for Criminology, University of Oxford; gsa@crim.ox.ac.uk