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Sioned Pearce

Dr Sioned Pearce

(she/her)

cymraeg
Welsh speaking
Comment
Media commentator
Users
Available for postgraduate supervision

Teams and roles for Sioned Pearce

Overview

I'm Dr Sioned Pearce, a Lecturer in Social Policy at the School of Social Sciences, Cardiff University. My research focuses on how devolution and devolved social policies are reshaping work and welfare across the UK. I explore areas such as social security, employment programmes, transport, and spatial inequalities—particularly how these changes affect marginalised groups.

Recently, I published a paper examining how devolved employment programmes interact with reserved social security systems on the ground, with a focus on the implications for young people. I'm also part of the Safety Nets team, a project funded by the Nuffield Foundation, which investigates how devolved social security systems are influencing the lives of families in Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, and England.

In addition, I lead a WISERD project under the People, Places and Public Sphere theme, which looks at the impact of devolution on welfare and advocacy for refugees and asylum seekers across Scotland, England, and Wales. Both projects use qualitative methods to understand how devolved social policy shapes key aspects of people’s lives.

Through my work, I aim to highlight the complexity of devolved change. I argue that it's not possible to fully compare the four nations of the UK in isolation, as devolved and reserved powers are deeply interconnected—especially at the street level where policies are implemented.

I'd welcome an email for more details and discussion: pearces11@cardiff.ac.uk

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Fi yw Dr Sioned Pearce, Darlithydd mewn Polisi Cymdeithasol yn Ysgol y Gwyddorau Cymdeithasol, Prifysgol Caerdydd. Mae fy ymchwil yn canolbwyntio ar sut mae datganoli a pholisïau cymdeithasol datganoledig yn ail-lunio gwaith a lles ledled y DU. Rwy'n archwilio meysydd fel nawdd cymdeithasol, rhaglenni cyflogaeth, trafnidiaeth, ac anghydraddoldebau gofodol—yn enwedig sut mae'r newidiadau hyn yn effeithio ar grwpiau sydd wedi'u hymylu.
 
Yn ddiweddar, cyhoeddais bapur yn archwilio sut mae rhaglenni cyflogaeth datganoledig yn rhyngweithio â systemau nawdd cymdeithasol neilltuedig ar lawr gwlad, gyda ffocws ar y goblygiadau i bobl ifanc. Rwyf hefyd yn rhan o'r tîm Safety Nets, prosiect a ariennir gan Sefydliad Nuffield, sy'n ymchwilio i sut mae systemau nawdd cymdeithasol datganoledig yn dylanwadu ar fywydau teuluoedd yn yr Alban, Cymru, Gogledd Iwerddon, a Lloegr.
 
Yn ogystal, rwy'n arwain prosiect WISERD o dan y thema Pobl, Lleoedd a'r Sffêr Gyhoeddus, sy'n edrych ar effaith datganoli ar les ac eiriolaeth dros ffoaduriaid a cheiswyr lloches ledled yr Alban, Lloegr, a Chymru. Mae'r ddau brosiect yn defnyddio dulliau ansoddol i ddeall sut mae polisi cymdeithasol datganoledig yn llunio agweddau allweddol ar fywydau pobl.
 
Drwy fy ngwaith, fy nod yw tynnu sylw at gymhlethdod newid datganoledig. Rwy'n dadlau nad yw'n bosibl cymharu pedair gwlad y DU ar eu pen eu hunain yn llawn, gan fod pwerau datganoledig a phwerau a gedwir yn ôl wedi'u cysylltu'n ddwfn â'i gilydd—yn enwedig ar lefel y stryd lle mae polisïau'n cael eu gweithredu.
 
Byddwn yn croesawu e-bost am fwy o fanylion a thrafodaeth: pearces11@cardiff.ac.uk 

Publication

2025

2022

2021

2020

2019

2018

2017

2016

2015

2013

2009

2008

Articles

Book sections

Monographs

Research

My research to date examines the complexities in sub-state social policy relating to youth unemployment and work and critiques the privileging of methodological nationalism in the study and categorisation of welfare regimes. My findings have shed light on the nuances in devolved employment policy and the way they can impact young people’s support networks in both unemployment and work insecurity (Pearce and Lagana 2023). More specifically youth employment programmes from Scotland and, to a lesser extent, Wales straddling devolved (education, skills and training) and non-devolved (welfare and work) policy areas, are providing a policy shield for young people against the onslaught of a damaging work first approach emanating from Westminster.  

Building on these findings I plan to publish a monograph levelling a critique at the methodological nationalism dominating studies of welfare states, with a focus on youth unemployment. This has been contracted with Bristol Policy Press. Based on the framework presented in the book, over the next three to five years, I hope to develop and deepen my argument for the advantages of sub-state analysis in the field of welfare focusing on youth unemployment and work insecurity in two directions: (1) UK-level analysis to understand the impact of devolution on social policy, welfare and work (2) International analysis of decentralisation patterns to better understand the wider impact of sub-state analysis on international social policy, welfare and work.   

 

Teaching

Sioned teaches social and public policy - as an introduction, from international and comparative perspectives, in principle and practice through the medium of English and Welsh.

Biography

I began my research career in the Centre for Regional, Economic and Social Research at Sheffield Hallam University in 2007 working on a government commissioned evaluation of Housing Market Renewal in deprived areas of England.

I went on to complete my PhD on the impact of devolution and constitutional change upon anti-poverty strategy using Communities First in Wales as a case study, at CRESR - submitted in 2011. Findings from the PhD included the paradoxical nature of state-led community development and complex dialectical duality emerging through a purposed closer interface between state and society with the advent of devolution.

From 2011 I worked as researcher in the third sector in Wales investigating, analysing and demystifying policies affecting social change, welfare and social justice in planning and health. Specifically I worked at Planning Aid Wales providing research support for a team of planners who aimed to make the system more accessible to non-planners and Tenovus, a Wales-based cancer charity, providing research support, carrying out evaluations to improve service delivery for those affected by cancer and particulalry those affected by deprivation and running/evaluating creative writing support groups also for people affected by cancer.

From 2015 to 2019 I worked as a Research Associate at the Wales Institute for Social and Economic Research Data and Methods (WISERD) within Cardiff University's School of Social Sciences - before going on to become PI for my own project and a Lecturer in Social Policy.

Supervisions

Isupervise students in social policy and human geography, interdiciplinary, mixed methods approaches particularly in the areas of:

work

welfare

social security

employment policy 

devolution

civil society 

 

Current supervision

Azra Sadiq

Azra Sadiq

Kayleigh Sweet

Kayleigh Sweet

Contact Details

Email PearceS11@cardiff.ac.uk
Telephone +44 29208 79192
Campuses Glamorgan Building, Floor Ground, Room 0.70, King Edward VII Avenue, Cardiff, CF10 3WA
Healing Brexit generational divide

Healing Brexit generational divide

22 May 2017

Brexit’s effect on Wales

Brexit’s effect on Wales

25 July 2016