A research project on participation carried out in a northern city (Bradford) found that statutory agencies did not adequately hear minority voices within groups such as the South Asian community.
Source: Heather Blakey, Jenny Pearce and Graeme Chesters, Minorities within Minorities: Beneath the surface of South Asian participation, York Publishing Services for Joseph Rowntree Foundation, available from York Publishing Services Ltd (01904 430033)
Links: Report | JRF Findings
Date: 2006-Dec
A report examined the expectations and priorities of ethnic minority pensioners and people of working age with regard to work, retirement and pensions. The labour market experiences of ethnic minority groups, including over-representation in self-employment, concentration in certain sectors of the labour market, and higher risks of unemployment and economic inactivity, created particular issues in terms of retirement planning and pension entitlement.
Source: Helen Barnes and Rebecca Taylor, Work, Saving and Retirement among Ethnic Minorities: A qualitative study, Research Report 396, Department for Work and Pensions (0113 399 4040)
Date: 2006-Oct
A research report examined the ways in which three jurisdictions - Northern Ireland, Republic of Ireland, and Scotland - provided services to minority ethnic groups; and how each could improve its services by learning from its nearest neighbours. As ethnic diversity continued to grow, the challenge would be to ensure that migrants and existing minority ethnic groups were fully included in key services, such as health, employment, education, policing, and housing.
Source: Philip Watt and Fiona McGaughey (eds.), Improving Government Service Delivery to Minority Ethnic Groups, National Consultative Committee on Racism and Interculturalism (+353 01 858 8000)
Links: Report | NIE press release
Date: 2006-Oct
An article examined the understandings and expectations of 'advocacy held by black and minority ethnic service providers and potential service users. Service providers believed that they were offering advocacy, and did so in the context of a marginalized position for their services. BME community members supported the development of advocacy services: but their own marginalization was in many ways reinforced by services they were already using.
Source: Alison Bowes and Duncan Sim, 'Advocacy for black and minority ethnic communities: understandings and expectations', British Journal of Social Work, Volume 36 Number 7
Links: Abstract
Date: 2006-Oct
A paper examined the potential impact of the government's proposed pension reforms on the amount of state pension income received by individuals with characteristics similar to those seen in many black and ethnic minority households. Only people reaching state pension age after 2010 would initially see a gain from the White Paper proposals. All of the case studies analyzed could have a higher state pension at some point in retirement, even if not at state pension age. Some of the case studies had a state pension of below the guarantee credit level, even after the reforms: this meant that they were unlikely to see gains from the White Paper proposals, unless they had income other than their state pensions.
Source: Case Studies for the Runnymede Trust, Pensions Policy Institute (020 7848 3744)
Links: Paper
Date: 2006-Sep
The race equality watchdog published its annual report for 2005.
Source: 2005 Annual Report, Commission for Racial Equality (020 7939 0000)
Links: Report | CRE press release
Date: 2006-Jul
An article examined the progress of national sports organizations toward creating equality of outcomes. It questioned whether the new, generic equality standard was capable of addressing racial diversity and promoting equality of outcomes.
Source: Karl Spracklen, Kevin Hylton and Jonathan Long, 'Managing and monitoring equality and diversity in UK sport', Journal of Sport and Social Issues, Volume 30 Number 3
Links: Abstract
Date: 2006-Jul
A report highlighted the problem of discrimination on the basis of caste within the Indian community.
Source: Gina Borbas, David Haslam and Balram Sampla, No Escape: Caste discrimination in the UK, Dalit Solidarity Network UK (020 7501 8323)
Links: Report | IRR summary
Date: 2006-Jul
A new book examined issues of ethnicity, identity, and "racialized exclusion" in rural Britain.
Source: Sarah Neal and Julian Agyeman (eds.), The New Countryside?: Ethnicity, nation and exclusion in contemporary rural Britain, Policy Press, available from Marston Book Services (01235 465500)
Links: Summary
Date: 2006-Mar
A think-tank report examined the complex links between social and geographical mobility (or lack of mobility). It sought to ascertain the role and impact of both place and ethnicity in individuals life chances, and the degree to which these created, or removed, barriers to social mobility. It also examined some of the numerous policies that had sought to tackle deprivation and/or unequal life chances, through targeting specific communities - defined either by their geographical location, their ethnicity, or both.
Source: Simone Delorenzi (ed.), Going Places: Neighbourhood, ethnicity and social mobility, Institute for Public Policy Research, available from Central Books (0845 458 9911)
Links: Summary | Platt paper | Lupton paper
Date: 2006-Mar
The race equality watchdog said that central government departments were "perilously close" to being subjected to enforcement action for failure to deliver on their legal duties to assess new policies and legislation for their impact on race equality.
Source: :Press release 19 February 2006, Commission for Racial Equality (020 7939 0000)
Links: CRE press release
Date: 2006-Feb
The report of an official taskforce examined ways of encouraging and inspiring more women from a minority-ethnic background to get involved in public life.
Source: Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic Women Councillors' Taskforce Report, Government Equalities Office (020 7944 0601)
Links: Report | GEO press release
Date: 2006-Jan
An article examined the relationship between age at first birth and poverty among ethnic minorities in Britain. While the disadvantaged outcomes of teenage motherhood within the white community appeared to be associated with the young women's departure from the dominant social norm, when early fertility was the norm in a minority community, it did not lead to any further disadvantage beyond that experienced by the ethnic group as a whole.
Source: Karen Robson and Richard Berthoud, 'Age at first birth and disadvantage among ethnic groups in Britain', Ethnic and Racial Studies, Volume Number
Links: Abstract
Date: 2006-Jan