Researchers from the Institute for Social and Economic Research at the University of Essex were among the leading academic advisors to the Cabinet Office during the Government’s Race Disparity Audit, published today.
The Race Disparity Audit brings together published and unpublished government data to shed light on ethnic disparities, in areas such as education, employment, health, housing and criminal justice.
Shamit Saggar, Professor of Political Science and Public Policy at ISER, who advised the government alongside colleagues Dr Alita Nandi, Dr Renee Luthra and Dr Malcolm Brynin, said:
“This is important because ISER has great strength in collating the right types of official government data to ensure the success of the Race Disparity Audit, not least in knowing how to interrogate the very many data sources and in interpreting astutely the story that these data are telling us.
“ISER researchers are skilled and recognised in analysing social change in Britain based on high quality empirical evidence. Indeed, how different parts of government are performing in tackling racial disparities, regardless of where these exist, is the logical policy challenge of the substantial ethnic change Britain has experienced over several decades.”
Recent ISER work on inequalities and ethnicity has included studies on pay gaps published by the Equality and Human Rights Commission. Researchers Dr Malcolm Brynin and Dr Simonetta Longhi found considerable differences in pay for ethnic minority men born abroad than for those born in the UK. Among Pakistani men- those born abroad experience a 30.9 per cent pay gap while those born in the UK experience 18.7 per cent pay gap between equivalent White British men. Among Bangladeshi men this rises to 47.8 per cent for those born abroad compared with 25.7 per cent for those born in the UK. For black Caribbeans the pay gaps are 17.4 per cent and 6.9 per cent respectively. Pay gaps for ethnic minority men were found to be much higher than those for ethnic minority women.
Recent ISER research by Dr Wouter Zwysen and Dr Simonetta Longhi found British ethnic minority graduates were between 5 and 15 per cent less likely to be employed than their white British peers six months after graduation.
ISER also contributed to the Women and Equalities Select Committee inquiry into employment opportunities for Muslims in the UK.
New research on the impact of racial harassment on the health of ethnic minorities will be published soon.
Next week ISER will present new research from the ESRC Research Centre on Micro-Social Change on ethnic minority voting and engagement in democracy.
Last week, ISER hosted a workshop on emerging questions in migration research, which presented new studies on issues of ethnic inequality in school, work and political participation.