Jay Wiggan
BA (UCLAN) MA (University of Leeds) PhD (University of Nottingham) PGCHET (Queen's University Belfast)
Lecturer in Social Policy
Room 2.08, 3 College Park East
Ext 5159; Email: j.wiggan@qub.ac.uk
My main research interest is on public employment services and social security administration. I am particularly interested in reforms of welfare to work and the relationship between policy formulation, implementation and effectiveness. My interest in employment and social security policy feeds into the second strand of my research, which is concerned with understanding the evolving re-regulation of the welfare state in the light of changes in contemporary capitalism and the emergence of a neo-liberal paternalist model of welfare in anglosphere liberal welfare regimes.
My doctoral research explored the employment and budgeting decisions of low-income working families in receipt of tax credits. Through longitudinal qualitative research it examined policy assumptions concerning employment decision making and how people engaged with the labour market and in-work benefits system. More recent research has examined the tensions in welfare reform between choice and conditionality and the extent to which devolution is facilitating divergence in active labour market and social security policy between constituent countries of the UK.
I have previously held research positions at the University of Manchester and the University of Nottingham. These posts involved work on a range of policy projects funded by organisations including the National Audit Office; the National Association of Welfare Rights Advisors; Jobcentre Plus; the Department for Work and Pensions and Salford City Council.
Teaching
Module convenor
SPY1001 Finding Out about Social Policy. SPY2007 Citizenship, Tax and Benefits. SOC9017 Storage, Managment and Analysis of Qualitative Data.
Contributing lecturer
SPY1002 Digital Society. SPY2004 Gender and Social Policy. SPY3014 Disability & Society.
Research Interests
Active labour market and social security policy; devolution and the governance of welfare; comparative political economy of welfare states.
Journal articles
Rafferty, A. & Wiggan, J. (2011) ‘Choice and welfare reform: lone parents’ decision making around paid work and family life’, pp 275-293, Journal of Social Policy, Vol. 40, No. 2.
Wiggan, J. (2010) 'Managing time: the integration of caring and paid work by low income families and the role of the Uk's tax credit system', pp 631-645, Policy Studies, Vol. 31, No. 6.
Talbot, C. & Wiggan, J. (2010) ‘Public Value of the National Audit Office’, International Journal of Public Sector Management, Vol. 23, Issue 1.
Wiggan, J. (2009) ‘Mapping the governance reform of welfare to work in Britain under New Labour , International Journal of Public Administration, pp 1-21, Vol. 32, Issue 12.
Brookes, S. & Wiggan, J. (2009) ‘Reflecting the Public Value of Sport: A game of two halves’, Public Management Review, pp 401-420, Vol. 11, Issue 4.
Wiggan, J. (2007) ‘Reforming the United Kingdom’s public employment and social security agencies’, International Review of Administrative Sciences, pp 409-424, No. 3, Vol. 73, September.
Wiggan, J. (2007) ‘Administering economic reform: labour and the governance of social security’, Policy & Politics, No. 4, Vol. 35, October.
Wiggan, J. & Talbot, C. (2006) 'The benefits of welfare rights advice', Benefits – The Journal of Poverty and Social Justice, pp, 235-239,Vol. 14, No. 3, October.
Chapters
Wiggan, J. (2011) 'Something old and blue or red, bold and new? Welfare reform under the Coalition Government' in Holden, C. Kilkey, M and Ramia, G (eds) Social Policy Review 23, The Policy Press.
Wiggan, J. (2007) ‘Department for Work & Pensions’, pp 110-117 in Talbot, C. & Baker, M. (eds.) The Alternative Comprehensive Spending Review, Manchester University Press.
Wiggan, J. & Talbot, C. (2006) ‘Take-up of Entitlements and Pensioner Poverty: A Review of the Literature’, Chapter 6, pp 47-58, Progress in Tackling Pensioner Poverty: Encouraging Take-up of entitlements – Technical Report, Comptroller and Auditor General, HC1178-11, Session 2005-2006, TSO, London.
Reports
Rafferty, A. & Wiggan, J. (2008) Lone Parents and the reform of UK Public Employment Services: Examining the role of private recruitment agencies, Recruitment and Employment Confederation/ Adecco Institute, December, http://www.rec.uk.com/home
Talbot, C. & Wiggan, J. with Hendey, N. Rafferty, A. Calcraft, R. Freestone, M. & Wyatt, B. (2005) Jobcentre Plus customer service performance and delivery: A qualitative review, Research Report No. 276, Department for Work and Pensions, Corporate Document Services, Leeds.
