Contacting staff

Prof David Taylor BSc (Hons), MA (Econ), FRSA

Dean/Prof of Social Theory & Social Pol.

contact:
Health and Social Science Faculty Office
Falmer
Brighton
BN1 9PH

Telephone: +44 (0)1273 643477

Email: D.Taylor@brighton.ac.uk

Research interests

• Social policy and social identity
• Social citizenship
• Critical evaluation theory
• Psychosocial approaches to social policy
• Wellbeing and welfare

My research work focuses on elaborating the theoretical dimensions of social policy. It includes analysis of the normative assumptions of much social policy and the articulation of a critically informed value-base for welfare provision. Recent work includes a relational theory of wellbeing and welfare and, with Paul Stenner and Marian Barnes from the School of Applied Social Science, the development of a general psychosocial approach to social and public policy. My current work is focused around the relationship between welfare, well-being (including in old age) and developing a clearer understanding of the nature and role of ‘human agency’ in social theory and social policy. I have also written and researched on the role of values and subjectivity in critical evaluation theory and on social identity.

Profile

I worked for many years at the Polytechnic and then University of North London before joining the University of Brighton in 1998 as the inaugural Head of the School of Applied Social Science. In 2007 I was appointed inaugural Dean of the re-designated Faculty of Health and Social Science. I have held visiting positions in sociology at City College, City University of New York and in social policy at the University of Sydney, Australia. I was a co-founder of the radical magazine The Leveller in 1977, and joined the editorial collective of Critical Social Policy in 1982. With colleagues in London I pioneered the development of access to education courses in the late 1970s and early 1980s and have written widely on citizenship, identity and social policy and evaluation. I am a regular reviewer for publishers including Sage and Policy Press and for a range of journals across the social sciences. I have undertaken a range of governance roles in the voluntary sector in Brighton and Hove.

Recent publications

Peer-reviewed journal articles

Taylor, D. (2011 forthcoming), 'Wellbeing and Welfare: a psychosocial analysis of being well and doing well enough' to be published in Journal of Social Policy, Issue 40 (4) October 2011

Stenner, Paul and Taylor, David (2008) 'Psychosocial welfare: reflections on an emerging field', in Critical Social Policy, Vol 28 Part 4, pp 415-317

Taylor, David (2006) 'Critical policy evaluation and the question of values: a psychosocial approach', Critical Social Policy, 26 (1). pp. 243-267. ISSN 1461-703x

Taylor, David (2005) 'Governing through evidence: participation and power in policy evaluation', Journal of Social Policy, 34 (4). pp. 601-608. ISSN 1469-7823

Presentations

Barnes, M, Taylor, D and Ward, L. (2011) 'Being well enough in old age' to be presented to the 60th Annual Conference of the British Sociological Association, London, 7 April 2011

Taylor, D. (2010) 'Towards a Psychosocial study of welfare' paper presented to the Annual Social Policy Association Conference, University of Lincoln, July 2010

Taylor, D. (2010) 'Wellbeing and agency: being well and doing well enough' paper presented to an invited symposium 'Theory and Method in Public and Social Policy Research', College of Social Sciences, University of Birmingham, April 2010

Books

Taylor, David and Balloch, Susan, ed. (2005) The politics of evaluation: participation and policy implementation. The Policy Press, Bristol, UK. ISBN 1861346050

Taylor, David, ed. (2001) Breaking down barriers: reviewing partnership practice. University of Brighton, Health & Social Policy Research Centre. ISBN 1901177378

Taylor, David, ed. (1996) Critical Social Policy - A Reader: social policy and social relations, London, Sage