Centre for Research on Inclusive Society (CRIS)

Leads: Professor Lisa Scullion and Dr Graeme Sherriff   

SHUSU seeks to understand complex social issues and work towards social justice and environmental sustainability within the urban environment. The group is actively engaged in research that highlights the processes, outcomes and impacts of marginalisation on individuals and communities. The work of SHUSU reflects the complex and interconnected challenges faced by contemporary society. These challenges include ensuring fair access to housing, equitable welfare systems and services, population mobility, positive social relations within communities, ageing populations, environmental sustainability and inclusive growth. The research is policy relevant, working closely with those in policy and practice to design and disseminate our work and influence decision-making. Our research has been funded by a range of sources: the public sector (TfGM), charities (Citizens Advice, Eaga Charitable Trust, Forces in Mind Trust), businesses (Housing Associations, Lime) and academic funders (EPSRC, ESRC, Horizon 2020). SHUSU has four overarching research themes: Sustainability and Society, Work and Welfare, Housing and Neighbourhoods and Migration and Integration.

Lead: Dr Graeme Sheriff

Our work on environmental sustainability is strongly linked to our core focus on social justice. Our team has become an established voice in this field locally, nationally and internationally. We work closely with external organisations, including local authorities, housing providers, the voluntary and community sector, and government. Whilst locally rooted, we are active in a number of national and international partnerships in the UK, Europe and beyond. Our work revolves around the following themes: Socio-technical approaches to building retrofit and sustainable energy; Fuel and energy poverty; Active travel: walking and cycling; Greenspace and wellbeing; and Urban food growing. SHUSU is a founder and steering group member of the Fuel Poverty Research Network and a member of the support committee of the Cycling and Society Research Network.

Lead: Professor Lisa Scullion

Understanding experiences of work and welfare have never been more critical to addressing issues of poverty and social exclusion. Our research in this area is helping to provide a policy relevant and contemporary evidence base on the experiences of groups within welfare systems and labour markets. This includes ground-breaking research focusing on the impact of welfare conditionality, the evaluation of labour market activation approaches, as well as our commitment to understanding and helping to address poverty at a local and national level.  Expertise includes: the impact of welfare reform; access to and experience of employment-related training and support; employers and sustainable work opportunities; in-work poverty and progression; and broader issues of poverty and social exclusion.

SHUSU has a long and established reputation in the field of housing and neighbourhoods built up over two decades of work. This focuses on identifying the housing needs of diverse communities and homeless populations and has led to real-world impacts in how policies are developed and practice is implemented. Researchers have produced toolkits for central government departments, executive agencies and regional bodies. Research topics include: the relationship between welfare and housing, global housing and the transfer of knowledge between countries, diversity and housing, environments of ageing, homelessness, community safety, regeneration, and social relations in neighbourhoods.

SHUSU researchers have undertaken studies into areas of critical policy relevance, including the experiences of specific groups of migrants such as asylum seekers, refugees, and EU migrants as well as key contemporary issues such as Brexit and access to welfare. Our focus has often been on examining the approaches adopted within local areas to manage migration and integration initiatives. As well as community-based work we have also been involved in shaping policy at local and national level. 

Lead: Dr Tom Redshaw

CLDR conducts sociological, criminological, psychological, and social work research that addresses real world issues, such as such as the digitalisation of society; racism; intersectionality; deviance, crime and criminal justice; violence; and policy development. It produces evidence and develops social theory about the connections among individuals, organisations, and communities and how these connections are shaped by geography, technologies, resources, perceptions, positionalities, and preferences.

CLDR research is organised along the following themes: Criminal Justice, Digital Society, Gender and Sexuality, Race and Ethnicity, Social Care and Social Work.

This brings together researchers active in the field of deviance, crime and criminal justice. Expertise in this theme relates to youth criminal justice, race, gender, autism and criminal justice.

Lead: Dr Gaynor Bagnall

This focuses on interpreting and creatively responding to the opportunities and challenges posed by the increasing digitisation of industry, governance, and everyday life. Expertise in this theme relates to digital culture and (non)consumption, digital economies, digital games, digital health, digital methods, digital sports, the digitisation of work and theories of the digital society.

Lead: Dr Kelly Lockwood

Expertise in this theme relates to women in the criminal justice system, motherhood, digital gender and sexuality, the gendered nature of violence, gender, social class and crime, gender and drugs, gender and poverty and gender and employment.

Lead: Dr Tina Patel

The focus of this theme relates to understanding and seeking to progress work on racism and formal discrimination, racialised processes, cultural collectives, identity and belonging, and equality and diversity. The team has expertise in policing and racism, Islam in prisons, intersectionality (particularly race/class/gender), racism and social work, and racism and leisure spaces.