Policy in Practice estimates that total unclaimed income related benefits and social tariffs in the UK is now £23 billion, more than 2023
Research is an important part of our work at Policy in Practice. We have a dedicated research team who work with academics, local government policymakers, and the third sector, to conduct and facilitate research. Our goal is to bridge the link between rigorous research and its practical policy applications. In doing so, we help local authorities and other partners to understand the needs of their population, and improve service provision.
We bring two key areas of expertise to our research work.
- We have deep knowledge of the complexities of the UK benefits system, and how policies from many areas and levels of government can come together to impact an individual or householdThis knowledge comes from our practical experience of working with local authorities to help them make sense of their benefits administration data, and from running the Better Off Calculator, which helps many thousands of people to navigate the benefit system each weekBecause we work closely with many local authorities we are also well-placed to understand common challenges and disseminate research findings
- We have unparalleled experience analysing local governments’ benefits data, as well as other related datasetsWe’ve worked with public sector data since 2014 and regularly workwith administrative benefits data from over 100 local authorities across the UKWe also work with local health, social care, housing and legal services data. Currently, there are few academic or government users of this data
Policy in Practice is one of only a handful of organisations that use this data systematically. We have built up the knowledge and expertise required to use it for research
Reports and evaluations
In-house
research
Academic partnerships
Reports and evaluations commissioned by public sector or third sector clients.
For example, analysing the link between the freeze in the Local Housing Allowance and homelessness, and estimating the impact of community legal services.
In-house research, which feeds into continuous improvements of our services, or allows us to comment on policy issues that are important to us.
For example, estimating real-time poverty rates, and submitting to the All-Party Parliamentary Group on in-work poverty.
Partnerships with academic researchers, who bring their expertise to research questions that matter to local government and benefits policy.
For example, analysing the financial precursors to children’s social care referrals.
Meet the research team
Our research team members are social policy experts with experience working in academia, in government and at non-profits. They are passionate about doing research that has impact
Mary-Alice Doyle
Research Lead
Mary-Alice is a social policy researcher with experience in policy, research management and working with administrative data. She has worked as an economist and policy advisor in various roles in the Australian government, and as a research manager at J-PAL North America. She is currently a PhD candidate at the London School of Economics. Her research focus is on benefits policy, and how the way the benefits system is designed and administered can affect employment, education and health outcomes for recipients and their families.
Juliet-Nil Uraz
Senior Research Analyst
Juliet is an applied economist with experience in public policy, impact evaluations and inequality measurement.
She has contributed to the World Political Cleavages and Inequality project (WPID.world) co-directed by Thomas Piketty and worked at the European Systemic Risk Board.
She holds a Master’s degree from the Paris School of Economics and is currently a PhD candidate at the London School of Economics. Her research aims to quantify the importance of legal assistance for social welfare problems. She is particularly interested in the interactions between access to civil legal aid, benefit take-up, debt management and eviction proceedings.
Magda Rossetti Youlton
Senior Research Analyst
Magdalena has over ten years of experience working in the public sector, international organisations, and research institutes in policy areas such as employment, health, education, taxation, disability, and urban development.
She was an Advisor for the Ministry of Finance and has worked with local governments in Chile. She has been a consultant for several international organisations, including the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (UN) and the Interamerican Development Bank.
She holds a Master’s of Public Administration and is currently a PhD candidate at the London School of Economics, where her research focuses on poverty, spatial inequality, and household composition.
Zoe Charlesworth
Associate Policy and Research Consultant
Zoe Charlesworth joined Policy in Practice with over twenty years’ experience of welfare benefits policy gained from her work within both the public and private sectors. She has an extensive understanding of regulation and practice of both legacy benefits and Universal Credit having previously been a Benefit Manager and a Revenues and Benefit Manager at three local authorities and an independent consultant on welfare policy.
Zoe has published numerous articles on welfare benefits and has spoken extensively on the impact of welfare policy and the impact of Universal Credit. Zoe is currently a consultant on research and welfare policy at Policy in Practice. She previously held roles as the Director of Operations and Policy at Policy in Practice, the strategic lead for benefit policy and delivery within local authorities, and Policy Consultant at the Local Government Association.
Recent blogs
Why people don’t claim benefits and support they are eligible for
Analytics, Better Off Calculator, Financing welfare policy analysis, LIFT platform, Local government, Research
No Comments
With updated numbers for unclaimed benefits for 2024 coming soon we look at the reasons why people don’t claim support they’re eligible for
New study launched to investigate links between poverty and child welfare
The links between child welfare and financial precarcity will be explored with University of Kingston in this new two year study using data
Universal Credit and income volatility: how councils can help
Universal Credit can create income volatility for families on the lowest incomes. We’re analysing data to see how this affects households.
New analysis: Missing out: £19 billion of support goes unclaimed each year
New analysis from Policy in Practice finds that 21 million families are missing out on £19 billion of unclaimed benefits
How we can use administrative data in research to create impact
Unlocking insights from administrative data is what our research team does. Read about their current projects and plans for 2023
Household Support Fund: Schemes should consider new Local Welfare Assistance research
Money for Household Support Fund schemes has been announced and new research about Local Welfare Assistance schemes can help with plan designs
How one council identified three preventative ways to support residents in debt
Read new analysis on how to best support residents in debt. Three findings from our work with one London Borough can be adopted elsewhere.
Data analysis shows 1 in 4 London households will be in poverty by April
UK poverty rates are hard to understand due to outdated estimates. We look at how administrative data can help fill this gap.
What linking children’s social care and benefits data can tell us
Linking children’s social care and benefits data may tell us more about hardship experienced by families referred to children’s social care.
We would love to hear from anyone interested in working with us, or in learning more about our research.
Please contact research@policyinpractice.co.uk.