EASP SPA 2025 Conference Official Account

You can still share your reflections on this years conference #york25 with us and follow @socialpolicyuk.bsky.social for updates on 2026 at Liverpool Hope!

As a huge Doctor Who fan, I hate missing this session!

Also, it was great listening to a thought-provoking plenary by Megan Challis; and to welcome the new members of our Executive Committee.
... see you all in Liverpool in 2026!

Unfortunately, this year I could only attend the last day of the @socialpolicyuk.bsky.social Annu Conference - impeccably hosted by the University of York. But I still thoroughly enjoyed it; managing to catch up with many friends from all over the world (quite a few from East Asia, this year!).

Rabbits at University of York

Thanks for the past three days! #York2025

@haylesben.bsky.social identifies four key roles / ways of potentially understanding the roles local and devolved welfare play & notes they are not mutually exclusive - compensating, complementing, contesting, challenging (or inspiring)

@haylesben.bsky.social is arguing that there is value in trying to develop a new conceptual framework to understand what is happening in the uk around the changing role of local and devolved welfare

Steph Morris also reinforces how the fear and the possibility of conditionality and sanctions and mandated work reality activities creates anxiety for people, already struggling with their mental health < @easp-spa-2025.bsky.social >

@annieirvine.bsky.social and Cindy Leung point to problems with an over medicalisation of approach within the work capability assessment

Chris Grollman and his team wonder what else might have caused the increase in abortions observed, given that the arrival of the two-child limit wasn’t the cause? Brexit perhaps, they suggest < @easp-spa-2025.bsky.social >

Danni Konstantinidou shares the key takeaway from her analysis of social transfers looming across diverse countries

Last day at @easp-spa-2025.bsky.social & hearing from @annieirvine.bsky.social & Cindy Leung on what’s wrong with the Work Capability Assessment

<A Friday conference 🧵>

Honoured to receive the best paper award of @jicsp.bsky.social together with Sanni Välimäki, @jlammit.bsky.social and Johanna Närvi. Thank you🙏🏻

And thank you for an inspiring conference in York @easp-spa-2025.bsky.social !

@flux-consortium.bsky.social

spongebob squarepants is standing next to patrick star on a wooden floor and saying phew . ALT: spongebob squarepants is standing next to patrick star on a wooden floor and saying phew .

Wrapping up the @easp-spa-2025.bsky.social at the @socialpolicyuk.bsky.social exec meeting. A busy but lovely few days of great research, networking, & a lot of important intellectual questions. Well done to York @enricoreuter.bsky.social , Liz Bailey, @johnhudson.bsky.social #York2025

SPA Policy Groups - Social Policy Association The SPA exists to advance the teaching, research, and dissemination of knowledge in the field of social policy, and to represent the interests of our [...]

The end of another great @socialpolicyuk.bsky.social conference ( @easp-spa-2025.bsky.social )was jam packed with papers on employment & social security research. You can join us: social-policy.org.uk/news/spa-pol... @sionedps.bsky.social & @ceridwenhughes.bsky.social or Levana Magnus. #York2025

Lovely few days at @easp-spa-2025.bsky.social, so good that my only pics are some bunnies playing in the sun. Ending with a great session presenting some of my PhD research on work in deindustrialised communities (thank you @sionedps.bsky.social for chairing!)

This is the prize winning Blue Sky #York2025 post! Collect your prize Yukwan!

I’ｍ looking forward to presenting
"The Expansion Mechanism of Services for People with Intellectual Disabilities in Postwar Japan : A Life Course Perspective from Childhood to Adulthood"
on 4 July.

"Social Policy in Japan"
10:45-12:15
003

#York2025

Last morning of @easp-spa-2025.bsky.social conference and what a few days it’s been! Returning to Glasgow feeling grateful for fantastic colleagues and the important work they are doing #york2025

Lovely that last paper at this year's @easp-spa-2025.bsky.social for me is from one of University of York's doctoral researchers, Danni Konstantinidou looking at short-term and lagged effects of social transfers on poverty & deprivation

Great final plenary from Megan Challis from @wellcometrust.bsky.social. #york2025

Critical thinking, assessment design, AI, and… ? 🛸

When academia meets imagination — and serious insight. Yes, we discuss it all at…critically #York2025.

Who says academic conferences can’t be a little fancy ? 👽📚✨

@easp-spa-2025.bsky.social

Having a fab time at the @easp-spa-2025.bsky.social conference in York and had a wonderful reception to our research on digital tech use in VCSOs for adults with learning disabilities and/or autism. Click below to watch our fab video explaining the research:

www.leedsbeckett.ac.uk/blogs/school...

Glasgow and Edinburgh uni folks seeing the sights at the @easp-spa-2025.bsky.social #york

At @easp-spa-2025.bsky.social and interested in the intersection between tax and social policy?

Come along to our sessions:

3pm Thursday (SLB/102): Symposium on poverty, inequality and the role of taxes in social policy

9am Friday (SLB/118): Roundtable on tax & Labour's first year in power

Are you presenting a paper at the @easp-spa-2025.bsky.social Conference?

Does your paper take a comparative perspective or have an international dimension to its argument?

Then why not consider submitting it to @jicsp.bsky.social

@socialpolicyuk.bsky.social
@universitypress.cambridge.org

@drcmacrae.bsky.social presenting the State of Poverty project @easp-spa-2025.bsky.social 😄

Fascinating presentation by @hlrandolph.bsky.social on the modelling The Scottish Child Payment @easp-spa-2025.bsky.social

From illustrated slides to quotes on T-shirts, #York2025 has brought some creative presentation styles!

Over the past two days, I’ve seen some amazing ways to communicate complex ideas 🎨🧥

What’s the most memorable presentation format you’ve come across so far?

@easp-spa-2025.bsky.social

🏆

Congratulations to the winners of the @universitypress.cambridge.org best article price for @jicsp.bsky.social at the @easp-spa-2025.bsky.social Conference at #York2025:

Sanni Välimäki
@jlammit.bsky.social
@merita.bsky.social
Johanna Närvi

See the paper here: tinyurl.com/d3u5ny4t