Policy Hub
GCSRO Evaluation Seminars Winter 2004: Small Area Indicators
Government social research is increasingly involved in work that requires valid and reliable data at a local level. They may be at area, ward or even street level. The seminar series addressed some of the methodological issues and tools used to undertake small area analysis.
Local Authority Accessibility Planning - Michael Baxter, Department of Transport
The Social Exclusion Unit has produced a report on transport and social exclusion. Arising from this, local transport authorities must conduct accessibility audits as part of their 2005 transport plans. The talk described how such audits should be conducted.
The Health Poverty Index A new measurement approach to health inequalities - Chris Dibben, University of Oxford
The talk looked at the work on the 'Health Poverty Index' and on research into the changes in the health of individuals in deprived neighbourhoods.
Neighbourhood effects in urban crime - Steve Gibbons, London School of Economics
Crime appears highly concentrated in particular places - more so than we would expect given the underlying pattern of demographic and economic characteristics. Common explanations are based on a 'crime-begets crime' story: outbreaks of crime in one place lead to higher crime rates in neighbouring places through spatial spill-over effects; or a high density of crimes makes police detection more difficult and encourages criminal activity. The presentation discussed research which critically examined these and other stories by analysing the spatial patterns of property crime and their persistence over time, using geographically detailed data from the London area.