Groundbreaking research of politics lecturer praised

17 Mar 2011

The work of a Senior Lecturer in Politics from The University of Manchester has been recognised by the UK‘s leading professional body in political science.

Dr Claire Annesley, from the School of Social Sciences, was given the 2011 Richard Rose Prize by the Political Studies Association.

The award is given to younger scholars who have  made a distinctive contribution to the study of British Politics.

Claire’s research, funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC), set out to establish how and why welfare reform promoting gender equality comes about.

The awarding committee said the research, “opens up a new stage in gender studies” by differentiating between obvious gender issues, such as maternal leave, and mainstream welfare state policies which can also impact on men and women.

When conducting her fieldwork in 2007 and 2008, she interviewed key New Labour ministers, special advisors, civil servants and lobby groups.

She said: “My work finds that policy change arises from allied female and male politicians, who are aware of and support feminist positions.

“But change depends on not only how many women are MPs, but also on the presence of strategic actors and gate openers sympathetic to feminist policies who hold important positions in the core executive.

"It is an honour to be awarded this prestigious prize".