A Matter of Trust: Records as the foundation for building integrity and accountability into data and statistics to support the UN Sustainable Development Goals Concepts, issues and potential strategies

This report emerges from a UK Arts and Humanities Networking Grant, ‘Digital Records as Evidence to Underpin Global Development Goals’ (AH/P006205/1) based at the Institute of Commonwealth Studies (ICwS). Th

Do early life cognitive ability and self-regulation skills explain socio-economic inequalities in academic achievement? An effect decomposition analysis in UK and Australian cohorts

SSocio-economic inequalities in academic achievement emerge early in life and are observed across the globe. Cognitive ability and “non-cognitive” attributes (such as self-regulation) are the focus of many early years’ interventions. Despite this, little research has compared the contributions of early cognitive and self-regulation abilities as separate pathways to inequalities in academic achievement. We examined this in two nationally representative cohorts in the UK (Millennium Cohort Study, n = 11,168; 61% original cohort) and Australia (LSAC, n = 3028; 59% original cohort). An effect decomposition method was used to examine the pathways from socio-economic disadvantage (in infancy) to two academic outcomes: ‘low’ maths and literacy scores (based on bottom quintile) at age 7–9 years. Risk ratios (RRs, and bootstrap 95% confidence intervals) were estimated with binary regression for each pathway of interest: the ‘direct effect’ of socio-economic disadvantage on academic achievement (not acting through self-regulation and cognitive ability in early childhood), and the ‘indirect effects’ of socio-economic disadvantage acting via self-regulation and cognitive ability (separately). Analyses were adjusted for baseline and intermediate confounding. Children from less advantaged families were up to twice as likely to be in the lowest quintile of maths and literacy scores. Around two-thirds of this elevated risk was ‘direct’ and the majority of the remainder was mediated by early cognitive ability and not self-regulation. For example in LSAC: the RR for the direct pathway from socio-economic disadvantage to poor maths scores was 1.46 (95% CI: 1.17–1.79). The indirect effect of socio-economic disadvantage through cognitive ability (RR = 1.13 [1.06–1.22]) was larger than the indirect effect through self-regulation (1.05 [1.01–1.11]). Similar patterns were observed for both outcomes and in both cohorts. Policies to alleviate social inequality (e.g. child poverty reduction) remain important for closing the academic achievement gap. Early interventions to improve cognitive ability (rather than self-regulation) also hold potential for reducing inequalities in children's academic outcomes.Anna Pearce, Alyssa C.P. Sawyer, Catherine R. Chittleborough Murthy N. Mittinty Catherine Law, John W. Lync

‘Cruel and unusual punishment’: an inter-jurisdictional study of the criminalisation of young people with complex support needs

Although several criminologists and social scientists have drawn attention to the high rates of mental and cognitive disability amongst populations of young people embroiled in youth justice systems, less attention has been paid to the ways in which young people with disability are disproportionately exposed to processes of criminalisation and how the same processes serve to further disable them. In this paper, we aim to make a contribution towards filling this gap by drawing upon qualitative findings from the Comparative Youth Penality Project - an empirical inter-jurisdictional study of youth justice and penality in England and Wales and in four Australian states. We build on, integrate and extend theoretical perspectives from critical disability studies and from critical criminology to examine the presence of, and responses to, socio-economically disadvantaged young people with multiple disabilities (complex support needs) in youth justice systems in our selected jurisdictions. Four key findings emerge from our research pertaining to: (i) the criminalisation of disability and disadvantage; (ii) the management of children and young people with disabilities by youth justice agencies; (iii) the significance of early and holistic responses for children and young people with complex support needs; and (iv) the inadequate nature of community based support

Annual Report 2005-06

The 2005-06 annual report of the Institute for the Study of the Americas

Theses in progress in Commonwealth studies 2005-9

Theses in progress is an annual listing of research for higher degrees (MPhil and PhD) in UK universities on Commonwealth topics. This is defined as topics relating to the Commonwealth of Nations, its member countries, and the former British Empire (excluding Britain and US). Subject coverage is primarily in the fields of history, politics, sociology, anthropology, economics, geography, literature, language and religion. The subjects of education, medicine, law, science and technology are included on a selective basis. The list is organised by geographical region and then by country. A more recent version is available

Theses in Progress in Commonwealth Studies 2011

Theses in Progress is an annual listing of research for higher degrees (MPhil and PhD) in UK universities on Commonwealth topics. This is defined as topics relating to the Commonwealth of Nations, its member countries, and the former British Empire (excluding Britain and US). Subject coverage is primarily in the fields of history, politics, sociology, anthropology, economics, geography, literature, language and religion. The subjects of education, medicine, law, science and technology are included on a selective basis

Register of research in Commonwealth countries (May 2008)

The Register of Commonwealth Research is a list of higher degree theses conducted at UK Universities and relating to the Commonwealth of Nations, its member countries, and the former British Empire. The Register has been maintained since 1949 and its retrospective coverage extends back to the 1920s. Commonwealth studies has been defined as study of the Commonwealth of Nations; the former British Empire; and their member countries together with countries formerly under British protection. The exceptions are Britain and the United States. Subject coverage is primarily in the fields of history, politics, sociology, anthropology, economics, geography, literature, language and religion. The subjects of education, medicine, law, science and technology are included on a selective basis. Data for the register are obtained from a variety of sources, including the Aslib Index to theses, Universities' lists of graduate students, correspondence conducted with academic registrars and supervisors, annual reports, departmental websites, and a wide variety of other sources. Information on theses in progress is provided in a separate listing, derived from the register, and updated annually. These files contain information on theses completed, and are correct as of May 2008. These will also be updated annually. The compilation of this register has relied on the co-operation of many persons but it is recognised that it may contain errors, inaccuracies and omissions. Notification of these would be most welcome. You can contact the editor by email at: [email protected] full Register contains (as of May 2008) more than 16000 records and is continually growing. For ease of use, the regsiter has been divided into the following files: Commonwealth general (including Human Rights and Development issues); Africa and Atlantic Ocean islands; Canada; Caribbean; South Asia; Southeast Asia; Europe; and Oceania. The files are provided in excel format

Register of research in Commonwealth countries (Dec 2006)

The Register of Commonwealth Research is a list of higher degree theses conducted at UK Universities and relating to the Commonwealth of Nations, its member countries, and the former British Empire. The Register has been maintained since 1949 and its retrospective coverage extends back to the 1920s. Commonwealth studies has been defined as study of the Commonwealth of Nations; the former British Empire; and their member countries together with countries formerly under British protection. The exceptions are Britain and the United States. Subject coverage is primarily in the fields of history, politics, sociology, anthropology, economics, geography, literature, language and religion. The subjects of education, medicine, law, science and technology are included on a selective basis. Data for the register are obtained from a variety of sources, including the Aslib Index to theses, Universities' lists of graduate students, correspondence conducted with academic registrars and supervisors, annual reports, departmental websites, and a wide variety of other sources. Information on theses in progress is provided in a separate listing, derived from the register, and updated annually. These files contain information on theses completed, and are correct as of October 2006. These will also be updated annually. The compilation of this register has relied on the co-operation of many persons but it is recognised that it may contain errors, inaccuracies and omissions. Notification of these would be most welcome. You can contact the editor by email at: [email protected]. The full Register contains (as of December 2006) more than 15,000 records and is continually growing. For ease of use, the register has been divided into the following files: Commonwealth general (including Human Rights and Development issues); Africa and Atlantic Ocean islands; Canada; Caribbean; South Asia; Southeast Asia; Europe; and Oceania. The files are provided in excel and xml format

Register of research in Commonwealth countries (May 2009)

The Register of Commonwealth Research is a list of higher degree theses conducted at UK Universities and relating to the Commonwealth of Nations, its member countries, and the former British Empire. The Register has been maintained since 1949 and its retrospective coverage extends back to the 1920s. Commonwealth studies has been defined as study of the Commonwealth of Nations; the former British Empire; and their member countries together with countries formerly under British protection. The exceptions are Britain and the United States. Subject coverage is primarily in the fields of history, politics, sociology, anthropology, economics, geography, literature, language and religion. The subjects of education, medicine, law, science and technology are included on a selective basis. Data for the register are obtained from a variety of sources, including the Aslib Index to theses, Universities' lists of graduate students, correspondence conducted with academic registrars and supervisors, annual reports, departmental websites, and a wide variety of other sources. Information on theses in progress is provided in a separate listing, derived from the register, and updated annually. These files contain information on theses completed, and are correct as of May 2009. These will also be updated annually. The compilation of this register has relied on the co-operation of many persons but it is recognised that it may contain errors, inaccuracies and omissions. Notification of these would be most welcome. You can contact the editor by email at: [email protected] The full Register contains (as of May 2009) more than 17000 records and is continually growing. For ease of use, the register has been divided into the following files: Commonwealth general (including Human Rights and Development issues); Africa and Atlantic Ocean islands; Canada; Caribbean; South Asia; Southeast Asia; Europe; and Oceania. The files are provided in excel format

Theses in Progress in Commonwealth Studies 2012

Theses in Progress is an annual listing of research for higher degrees (MPhil and PhD) in UK universities on Commonwealth topics. This is defined as topics relating to the Commonwealth of Nations, its member countries, and the former British Empire (excluding Britain and US). Subject coverage is primarily in the fields of history, politics, sociology, anthropology, economics, geography, literature, language and religion. The subjects of education, medicine, law, science and technology are included on a selective basis