Awareness raising of Male eating disorders in the UK

NHS statistics released this week documented that eating disorders in men have increased by 70% in the UK, finding that these illnesses are rising at the same rate in young men as they are in young women. The media has been inundated with headlines discussing this rise in male eating disorders pointing towards causes such as social media and rise of body image pressures on men and boys within modern society as a way to understand this phenomenon. While there is no doubt that such issues may have an influence on such a sharp rise in men experiencing such illnesses, male eating disorders are not a new phenomenon, simply one that has been “underdiagnosed, undertreated, and misunderstood” (Strother, Lemberg & Tuberville, 2012). A study in 2007 estimated that up to 25% of individuals with eating disorders were male, with underdiagnoses being debated due to the low number of men within services.

Research into the reasons why people develop these illnesses have developed steadily in recent years with evidence suggesting that the similarities outweigh the differences between genders with regards to the core features and psychology of eating disorders. With treatment outcomes reported as equally successful for men as for women, Dr Una Foye asks the question remains why this “sudden” increase?

Short circuit: how brutal retail politics derailed energy policy (& how to get it back on track)

State and Federal Energy Ministers get together a few times a year at the Council of Australian Governments (COAG) Energy Council to decide (or not, as the case may be) on a collaborative approach to national energy policy.

As a consumer representative in the energy policy process, Dean Lombard attends the Stakeholder Roundtables held before each meeting so lobbyists and advocates can ask questions of or make suggestions to the Ministers and bureaucrats.

In this post, he looks at what has short-circuited good energy policy process in Australia and what needs to be done – by social policy researchers and analysts and citizens and voters – to find a way forward.

Power to Persuade31 July 2017

Productivity and pressure: Social services get an unhealthy squeeze

Womens Policy Action TankPower to Persuade31 July 2017productivity commission, gender, employment

Why the new UN nuclear weapons ban is important, including for social, health & environmental policy

Earlier this month, after decades of work, the United Nations adopted a nuclear weapons ban treaty – to little fanfare, particularly in Australia which boycotted the process.

The treaty and how it was delivered intersects with global social, health and environmental policy and advocacy, beyond seeking to address the acute existential threat of nuclear weapons to humanity.

Associate Professor Tilman Ruff, the founding chair of the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN), examines the process and implications of its adoption.

Power to Persuade28 July 2017

Women leaving prison and the impacts of debt

The Women’s Policy Action Tank recently published a special issue of the Good Policy newsletter, exploring three areas of policy with a gender lens: women and the criminal justice system, Indigenous women, and women’s experience of employment. Each topic is explored using a dialectical approach, in which two authors approach a topic from a different angles. We will be publishing the paired articles on our blog over the coming three weeks. This week: Exploring the gendered impacts of incarceration on women. This article is a companion piece to The national tragedy of female incarceration, by Jacki Holland.

On the Justice Solutions international tour in search of better juvenile justice approaches

Delegates from Jesuit Social Services’ Executive team and Board have been on an international research trip to explore innovative and sustainable solutions to youth and adult justice issues.

Throughout June 2017, the Justice Solutions tour investigated justice policy, systems, facilities and advocacy in the UK, Germany, Norway, Spain and the United States. They report here on some of the options they visited.

Power to Persuade26 July 2017

The national tragedy of female incarceration

The Women’s Policy Action Tank recently published a special issue of the Good Policy newsletter, exploring three areas of policy with a gender lens: women and the criminal justice system, Indigenous women, and women’s experience of employment. Each topic is explored using a dialectical approach, in which two authors approach a topic from a different angles. We will be publishing the paired articles on our blog over the coming three weeks. This week: Exploring the gendered impacts of incarceration on women.

Voluntary Action – reflections on Volunteering Victoria’s conference: the ‘Power of Association’.

Social Policy Whisperer Professor Paul Smyth reflects on the recent Volunteering Victoria annual conference and its attempts to reframe volunteering not as a replacement to the welfare state but as central to the workings of a good society - at risk from the encroaching role of for-profit players in historically not-for-profit environments.

Social Policy WhispererProfessor Paul Smyth21 July 2017professor paul smyth

Indigenous women: Rethinking economic security

The Women’s Policy Action Tank recently published a special issue of the Good Policy newsletter, exploring three areas of policy with a gender lens: women and the criminal justice system, Indigenous women, and women’s experience of employment. Each topic is explored using a dialectical approach, in which two authors approach a topic from a different angles. We will be publishing the paired articles on our blog over the coming three weeks. This week: read about the impacts of the welfare system on Indigenous women. This article is a companion piece to Income Management and Indigenous women, by Shelley Bielefeld.

What effect do sanctions & conditionality have on disabled people?

Introducing the new Journal of Poverty and Social Justice special issue, guest editor Ben Baumberg Geiger focuses on disability and conditional social security benefits, drawing out four stylized facts or lessons.

Power to Persuade20 July 2017

Book Review: The Politics of Evidence: From Evidence-Based Policy to the Good Governance of Evidence by Justin Parkhurst

In The Politics of Evidence: From Evidence-Based Policy to the Good Governance of Evidence, Justin Parkhurst provides a detailed synthesis of the debates surrounding evidence-based policy (EBP) as well as a governance framework for managing EBP. This is a comprehensive overview of the advantages and limitations of this approach that offers constructive insight into ensuring the judicious and careful use of evidence, writes Andrew Karvonen.

Income management and Indigenous women

The Women’s Policy Action Tank recently published a special issue of the Good Policy newsletter, exploring three areas of policy with a gender lens: women and the criminal justice system, Indigenous women, and women’s experience of employment. Each topic is explored using a dialectical approach, in which two authors approach a topic from a different angles. We will be publishing the paired articles on our blog over the coming three weeks. This week: read about the impacts of the welfare system on Indigenous women.

The need for human rights informed and victim focused responses to modern slavery in Australia

Globally, as many as 45 million people are subjected to some form of modern slavery or slavery like practices including human trafficking, servitude, forced labour, forced or servile marriage, the sale and exploitation of children, and debt bondage. It is estimated 4300 of those are within Australia’s borders.

As the federal government deliberates whether Australia should adopt a Modern Slavery Act, Jacki Holland from Good Shepherd Australia New Zealand notes that while slavery may not be seen as big an issue in Australia as it is in other countries, it is a problem, and responses to this need to be human rights informed and victim focused.

Power to Persuade14 July 2017Government, policy making, human rights

The value of a home cooked meal: Economic theory and productive and non-productive work

Tanya Corrie of Good Shepherd Australia New Zealand facilitated the recent Good Conversation – Economic Frameworks and Women’s Human Rights. The panel discussion concerned gender equity and the limits of economics in examining public policy and welfare. This is an edited version of Tanya’s introduction to the event.

Finance and economicsTanya Corrie12 July 2017economic policy, gender, Social Welfare

Who’s in and who’s out: Politics, policy and group identity theory

With the rise in authoritarianism comes very real concerns about effective governance. In today’s post, policy whisperer Susan Maury ( @SusanMaury ) of Good Shepherd Australia New Zealand explores how the psychology of group identification is used by government to vilify specific groups of people, thereby limiting public accountability for ensuring robust policy.

How can policy entrepreneurs and problem framing help tackle climate change?

Climate change is a problem that can and should be fought in multiple ways and at many different levels, argue policy researchers Michael Mintrom (ANZSOG) and Joannah Luetjens (Utrecht University) in their recent journal article. Policy entrepreneurs actively work with others in and around policymaking venues to promote policy change. They play – and will continue to play – an important role in efforts to address climate change.

Policy and governancePower to Persuade7 July 2017climate change, policy making, entrepreneurship

Alcohol, drugs and family violence: A question of framing and boundary markers

Can alcohol and drugs be called a ‘cause’ of family violence? What do we even mean when we talk about ‘causes’ of social problems? In this post, ANZSOG Research Fellow Sophie Yates (@MsSophieRae) outlines research she presented last month at the 5th European Conference on Politics and Gender. She explains why problem framing is so important in public policy, and explores the framing of policy actors talking about alcohol and drugs in Victoria’s Royal Commission into Family Violence.

Policy and governanceSophie Yates5 July 2017violence against women, policy making, gender

Anne's story: Collaboration to support excellence in disability research

In today's post, originally published on the NDIS website, Peter Hanlon explores the University of Melbourne's Prof Anne Kavanagh's (@AKavanagh_melb) journey from doctor to epidemiologist to disability research and advocate - spurred by personal experience with how society influences the health of people living with disability. Now she has established the Centre of Research Excellence in Disability and Health (launched last week) and feels the passion of the staff she’s assembled there will surely bring about change.

Power to Persuade3 July 2017

An innovative approach to policy reform to improve the health of people with disabilities

As the first of its kind internationally, the Centre of Research Excellence in Disability and Health (CRE-DH) is Australia's new national research centre to improve the health of people with disabilities. The CRE-DH, in collaboration with key stakeholders, will gather the evidence needed to guide social and health policy reform. How will the organisation work? CRE-DH's Celia Green and Zoe Aitken explain.

Increased openness from the field is needed to continually adapt

UN Gender Training is a policy that aims to reduce harmful behaviours in peacekeepers and unintended negative effects of peacekeeping missions; but does this well-intentioned, academically based, and centrally designed policy actually work in real life? In this article, Lisa Carson of UNSW Canberra's Public Service Research Group discusses the need for openness and knowledge transfer to strengthen policy design and implementation.

Policy and governancePower to Persuade29 June 2017policy making, implementation

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