Social research in the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP)
The Adelphi
Aims and objectives of DWP
The Department for Work and Pensions was created in June 2001 to deliver the Government's welfare reform agenda through a radical and far-reaching programme of change. The Department's aim is to promote opportunity and independence for all, specifically to:
- Ensure the best start for all children and end child poverty in 20 years.
- Promote work as the best form of welfare for people of working age, while protecting the position of those in the greatest need.
- Combat poverty and promote security and independence in retirement for today's and tomorrow's pensioners.
- Improve rights and opportunities for disabled people in a fair and inclusive society.
- Modernise welfare delivery so as to improve the accessibility, accuracy and value for money of services to customers, including employers.
The Department's Public Service Agreement targets are based on these objectives. It has developed a delivery strategy for each of these targets.
DWP employs over 100,000 staff across Britain to deliver its benefits and services and has an expenditure of over £100 billion - making it one of the largest Government Department's and one of the biggest employers in Britain.
How is research organised in DWP?
From 2005/06 departmental research has been subdivided into three programmes, Work, Welfare and Equality (WWEG), Pensions and, additionally, Cross-Cutting research, to align better the relationship between research, the relevant evidence bases and the policy and delivery strategy for the key areas of the department's business and delivery targets. Jobcentre Plus also commissions its own programme of research and the other delivery businesses commission mainly customer satisfaction surveys.
The sub-programmes that form the overarching strategic research programme are:
- Work, Welfare and Equality Strategy covering: unemployed people; deprived areas and worklessness; disadvantaged groups; skills; lone parents, families and childcare; partners of benefit claimants and couple households; health and disability; disability rights; child poverty and financial support; minority ethnic groups; labour market issues and Jobcentre plus; extending working lives; contestability; European Social Fund Evaluation. (PSA 1, 2, 4 and 5)
- Pensions strategy including: increasing provision for retirement; improving saving through the workplace; extending working lives; facilitating informed choice; alleviating pensioner poverty (PSA 3)
- A Cross-DWP programme that covers cross-departmental surveys such as Families and Children Study run by the Department but with contributions from and collaboration with OGDs. The British Social Attitudes Survey, General Household Survey, and the Millennium cohort run externally but to which the Department contributes. (All PSAs)
Responsibility for developing these programmes, apart from strategic and cross-cutting research, rests with analysts in respective client directorates. There are mixed divisions of analysts, economists, statisticians/statistical officers, social researchers and policymakers in the Work, Welfare and Equality Group. Analysts in this group are headed by a Chief Economist. In the Pensions Group there is a discrete multi-disciplinary unit of analysts - economists, social researchers and statisticians similarly headed by an Economist. Additionally, in the central strategic analytical unit, (also headed by an economist) there is a Strategic Research Unit that deals with cross cutting and strategic research. The integration of research programme development in these divisions and units within policy directorates has provided more coherence between the various parts of the analytical enterprise and a closer alignment with policy strategy and delivery. The central research unit budget ensures that strategic, long term and cross cutting issues are addressed
What is the role of social research in DWP?
All the research which is carried out flows directly from the policy agenda; Social Science Research is a key element, alongside other analytical activities, in providing the evidence base needed to inform departmental strategy, policymaking and delivery. The overall analytical activity which feeds into policy is provided by:
- Administrative statistics provided by the Information Centre , in particular the Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study
- Regular surveys, usually undertaken by the Office for National Statistics, including the Family Resources Survey and the Labour Force Survey
- Economic and statistical analysis, modelling and forecasting undertaken by in-house analysts
- Operational research focussed on business systems and operations;
- Economic and Social research projects that are commissioned from external organisations, and those undertaken by in house analysts.
The distinctive feature of this research is that it collects and interprets systematic data on the "outside world", for example on the knowledge, behaviour, views and perceptions of customers (actual and potential) and partner organisations. Social research is focused on specific issues, client / partner perspectives and policy problems and complements the administrative statistics and regular surveys that are undertaken. It also provides key data to the economic modelling that is undertaken.
Research combines in-house expertise with commissioned external research to meet departmental needs. Ministers and directors are agreed that both commissioned research and in-house research support can be divided into the following seven elements:
- Policy development research and briefing based on research to support the Department's strategy work - including both day-to-day enquiries, major in-house demands and development of new policies and the way they are delivered
- Monitoring and analysis of policy progress and also policy - relevant developments in the wider economy and society
- Strategic and cross-cutting research which underpins a variety of analytical uses across the department. For example, our Families and Children Longitudinal Study not only covers working age families with children but also saving, which will have implications for income in later life. English Longitudinal Study of Ageing will provide data on the implications of labour market history for health and financial circumstances in later life. DWP contributes to the long running British Social Attitudes Survey that monitors changes In societal views over time.
- Policy and Programme Evaluations For example the range of New Deals, Employment Zones, evaluation of changes to maternity rights provisions. European Social Fund Evaluation work is also partly funded from the research budget;
- Expert advice can be provided in-house by departmental staff or by national experts funded by the research budget.
- Reviews of evidence - These are important to synthesise evidence on particular topics. "Systematic" reviews (that use robust review methods) are an area of growing interest
- Good practice guidance - One useful product from some research projects is good practice guidance for staff in our businesses and for our partners (LAs).
Where can I find out about DWP’s research publications?
The Department publishes reports of all the research it commissions, and produced research summaries. Reports and summaries can accessed for free via the DWP website.
back to top
