Events round-up

Economic and Social Research Council's 50th Anniversary
In December 2015 the ESRC held a 'question time' event at the Royal Society to mark the end of their 50th anniversary celebrations. Professor Jane Falkingham was invited to join the panel discussing the value and relevance of social sciences. Speaking to an invited audience, the topics covered ranged from migration, economics, Europe and devolution to cities, education, population change and ageing.

Also on the panel were:
• Paul Johnson, Director of the Institute for Fiscal studies (IFS)
• David Walker, journalist, commentator and Head of Policy at the Academy of Social Sciences
• Professor Charlie Jeffery, Professor of Politics and Senior Vice-Principal, University of Edinburgh
• Professor Michael Keith, Director of the Centre on Migration, Policy and Society (COMPAS) and Director of the University Of Oxford Future Of Cities programme
• Professor Anna Vignoles, Professor of Education, University of Cambridge

A lively and interesting debate was enjoyed by all who attended.

How (not) to predict migration
Dr Jakub Bijak, and an esteemed panel, explored the issue of uncertainty in migration forecasting. They also proposed the ways in which migration predictions can be reported in an honest way and utilised in practice, despite being highly uncertain. The event at the Palace of Westminster in December 2015 critically looked at different methods used for predicting migration, and explored the underlying challenges and practical recommendations in more detail. It focused on the uncertainty related to defining, estimating and forecasting migration, as well as on the potential and limitations of using the uncertain migration predictions as an evidence base for making informed policy decisions.
A full summary of the event, along with videos and digital content can be seen on the event page.

Who Cares? Balancing work and care or parents in mid-life
Professor Jane Falkingham was invited to take part in this Tandem Talk hosted by Population Europe in Brussels. Professor Falkingham spoke alongside Ernest Maragall, MEP for Spain. The Tandem Talk looked at the dynamics of informal care in mid-life, the relationship between care and paid employment, and how the provision of care by adult children to their parents is connected with the flows of support from parents in earlier life. A solid understanding of these trends is crucial to develop suitable policy solutions that help balancing work and care in mid-life.

Europe's migration crisis
How can understanding the varied drivers of migration and migrants experiences help UK and EU decision makers respond appropriately? What are the impacts, good and bad, of increasing migration and how does it affect jobs and services? How can the UK adjust to these increased flows to ensure the best outcomes for all? In March 2016 CPC member Professor Allan Findlay co-organised an event to explore these issues. Aimed at policy makers and practitioners with interest and expertise in the area and chaired by David Walker, renowned journalist and Head of Policy at the Academy of Social Sciences, with academic experts from across the UK this event stimulated evidence-based discussion.

Population Association of America (PAA) Annual Meeting 2016
CPC Members were delighted to have the opportunity to present a range of papers and posters to a large audience, of over 2,000 PAA members including demographers, sociologists, economists and public health professionals, in the United States, and also to take part in sessions as discussants. Details of the sessions involving CPC Members can be seen on the event page.

Child Poverty and Social Mobility: Lessons for Research and Policy Workshop
What are the implications of increasing family diversity on children's life chances? How is family change influencing social inequality? A one day conference, in April 2016 organised by CPC's Professor Ann Berrington and Dr Susan Harkness (University of Bath) explored the issues.

Posted 19/04/2016 11:05