An article used intersectionality as an analytical tool to explore struggles for 'institutional space' in policy processes in the United Kingdom and France. Institutional actors severely curtailed the space available to minority-ethnic groups to make complex and intersectional social justice claims. Even though France and the UK were often portrayed as opposites with regard to constructions of citizenship, these seemingly differing traditions of citizenship ended up having a similar effect of 'misrecognizing' the experiences and demands of minority-ethnic women and men.
Source: Leah Bassel and Akwugo Emejulu, 'Struggles for institutional space in France and the United Kingdom: intersectionality and the politics of policy', Politics and Gender, Volume 6 Issue 4
Links: Abstract
Date: 2010-Dec
A report set out areas of action that policymakers could take, working in partnership with black and minority-ethnic voluntary and community organizations, to improve outcomes for BME communities.
Source: A Shared Vision for the Future of the BME Voluntary & Community Sector, Voice4Change England
Links: Report | V4C press release
Date: 2010-Oct
An article examined the debate on the wearing of the veil. Many garments and practices surrounding veiling were reduced in the media to a threatening set of symbols of difference and otherness. Detaching gender issues and Islam from their wider social context led to regressive, intolerant, and overtly racist assumptions.
Source: Milly Williamson and Gholam Khiabany, 'UK: the veil and the politics of racism', Race and Class, Volume 52 Number 2
Links: Abstract
Date: 2010-Oct
A report examined pensioner poverty and access to pensions among black and minority-ethnic communities. Minority-ethnic groups were up to three times as likely as white people to experience poverty in retirement. The report highlighted the ways in which self-employment – common among Bangladeshi people – posed particular barriers to having a good pension.
Source: Phil Mawhinney, Ready for Retirement? Pensions and Bangladeshi self-employment, Runnymede Trust
Links: Report | Runnymede Trust press release
Date: 2010-Oct
A report examined the feasibility of constructing a 'race equality index', designed to help understand in detail how active businesses were in promoting race equality in recruitment and promotion. The authors concluded that it would be possible to construct an index based on three outcome measures from the Labour Force Survey.
Source: Anthony Heath and Yaojun Li, The Feasibility of Constructing a Race Equality Index, Research Report 695, Department for Work and Pensions
Links: Report | Summary | DWP press release
Date: 2010-Oct
A report said that Bangladeshi, Caribbean, and Chinese people were less likely than the white population to engage with formal or mainstream financial institutions, often because they lacked trust in banks and were reluctant to get into debt. Informal community savings schemes were becoming a popular alternative for some ethnic groups.
Source: Omar Khan, Saving Beyond the High Street, Runnymede Trust
Links: Report | Runnymede Trust press release
Date: 2010-Sep
A report set out an outline exploration of how local authorities in Scotland fulfilled their race equality duty. It examined areas of good practice, gaps in support, and venues where voluntary sector race equality groups could co-operate with local authorities.
Source: Local Authorities and Race Equality: Research outline report, Black & Ethnic Minorities Infrastructure in Scotland
Links: Report
Date: 2010-Jun
An article examined the adoption of European Union directives derived from article 13 of the 1997 Treaty of Amsterdam, relating to racial and religious anti-discrimination. It assessed the broader political implications of these directives.
Source: Nasar Meer, 'The implications of EC race equality and employment directives for British anti-discrimination legislation', Policy & Politics, Volume 38 Number 2
Links: Abstract
Date: 2010-Apr
An article examined differences in risks of worklessness over time, among ethnic groups within a single cohort of children who were observed at two time points, 10 years apart.
Source: Lucinda Platt, 'Ten year transitions in children's experience of living in a workless household: variations by ethnic group', Population Trends 139, Spring 2010, Office for National Statistics
Links: Article
Date: 2010-Mar
A new book said that racial prejudice in the United Kingdom and America had been declining over 50 years, and that the UK had the necessary preconditions for the emergence of a black prime minister.
Source: Robert Putnam, Tom Clark and Ed Fieldhouse, The Age of Obama: The changing place of minorities in British and American societies, Manchester University Press
Links: Summary | Manchester University press release
Date: 2010-Mar
The government published a report summarizing responses to a discussion document on tackling race inequalities (published in February 2009). Respondents felt that the government should provide strong leadership in tackling racism and race inequality, and this would require clear definitions on race and ethnicity. Institutional racism still existed within the public sector, and the organizations concerned should acknowledge this.
Source: Tackling Race Inequality: Summary of Responses, Department for Communities and Local Government
Links: Report | Discussion document | Inside Housing report
Date: 2010-Mar
A report examined where black and minority-ethnic people went for money advice, as well as the factors that encouraged or discouraged them from doing so. It made recommendations to ensure that BME people were able to make full use of the government's money guidance service (designed to provide free and impartial advice on a range of money issues).
Source: Phil Mawhinney, Seeking Sound Advice: Financial inclusion and ethnicity, Runnymede Trust
Links: Runnymede Trust press release | Charity Times report
Date: 2010-Mar
An article examined the particular experiences of racism negotiated by lone white mothers of mixed-parentage children. Racism and racial injustice became more visible to the mothers in the study through their parenting. As well as experiencing racism directed at their children in a range of contexts (including the extended family, school, and the local area), the mothers frequently faced social disapproval themselves. Their experiences could challenge and complicate dominant conceptualizations of white privilege.
Source: Vicki Harman, 'Experiences of racism and the changing nature of white privilege among lone white mothers of mixed-parentage children in the UK', Ethnic and Racial Studies, Volume 33 Number 2
Links: Abstract
Date: 2010-Feb
Two reports examined low satisfaction rates among minority-ethnic customers of the Disability and Carers Service. Minority-ethnic customers appeared to be less aware and knowledgeable about the benefits available to them, and took a long time to find out about the help available – increasing the risk of their claim being rejected.
Source: Meghann Jones and India Tracy, Ethnic Minority Customers' Experiences of Claiming Disability Benefits, Research Report 609, Department for Work and Pensions | Richard Stockley, Sinead Lawless and Zoe Slade, Summary Report on the Potential Causes of Lower Overall Satisfaction from Non-White Customers and Customers with a Longterm Illness or Disability, Research Report 568, Department for Work and Pensions
Links: Report 609 | Summary | Report 568
Date: 2010-Feb
A report examined wealth holdings for different ethnic groups. Up to 60 per cent of black and Asian people had no savings at all. Tough policy decisions would have to be made to ensure that all people, regardless of ethnicity, had the assets to fulfil their potential.
Source: Omar Khan, Why Do Assets Matter? Assets, equality and ethnicity – Building towards financial inclusion, Runnymede Trust
Links: Report | Runnymede Trust press release
Date: 2010-Jan
An article examined the chances of leaving means-tested benefit for a set of lone mothers in a single town, exploring whether there was variation by ethnic group. After controlling for basic demographic characteristics, there was little evidence to suggest that ethnicity affected the chances of benefit exit, even between groups where rates of lone parenthood were very different.
Source: Christina Mokhtar and Lucinda Platt, 'Lone mothers, ethnicity and welfare dynamics', Journal of Social Policy, Volume 39 Issue 1
Links: Abstract
Date: 2010-Jan
The government set out its strategy for tackling race inequalities, and how this fitted in with the wider agendas on equalities and fairness. In an accompanying speech, the minister responsible said that substantial progress had been made in reducing racial inequality, and highlighted the importance of class in explaining the failure of some black and minority-ethnic communities to progress further.
Source: Tackling Race Inequality: A statement on race, Department for Communities and Local Government
Links: Report | Speech | Hansard | DCLG press release | EHRC press release | TUC press release | Guardian report | Telegraph report | BBC report
Date: 2010-Jan