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Dr Matt Barnes

Senior Lecturer in Sociology

School of Policy & Global Affairs Department of Sociology and Criminology

Contact details

About

Overview

Dr Matt Barnes is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Sociology and Criminology at City St George's, University London. He is Co-Director of the Centre for Poverty and Innovation. His research focuses on poverty, disadvantage and social exclusion. He supervises Ph.D. students who want to study issues of social and economic inequality using statistical analysis of social survey data, such as the Family Resources Survey, the Labour Force Survey, and the Understanding Society Survey.

Matt is Director of the City Q-Step Centre, which promotes quantitative methods and data skills to undergraduate sociology and criminology students. He teaches modules on data analysis and poverty measurement. He also runs a work placement module for the Q-Step students.

Current Ph.D. students:

• Merili Pullerits, The measurement and understanding of domestic violence and abuse reported to the Crime Survey for England and Wales, the implications of varying the conceptualisation of domestic violence for its profile and quantity, using the Crime Survey for England and Wales

• James Wright, Rethinking Housing Deprivation: A Multidimensional Analysis of the UK and Europe, focusing on measuring and comparing patterns of housing deprivation in Europe using cross-sectional survey data

• Emily Jane Gray, Practice in Academia: A Critical Realist Case Study of Music Performance Degrees, explring the rationales behind music performance degree provision and uptake

Matt previously worked at NatCen Social Research, and has also worked in government and academia:

• Research Director, NatCen Social Research, London

• Analyst (part-time secondment), Social Exclusion Task Force, Cabinet Office, London

• Senior Researcher, NatCen Social Research, London

• Research Officer/Part-time lecturer, Department of Social & Policy Sciences, University of Bath

• Research Assistant, Centre for Research in Social Policy, Loughborough University

Qualifications

  • PhD in Social and Policy Sciences, University of Bath, United Kingdom
  • MSc in Social Statistics, University of Southampton, United Kingdom
  • BSc (Hons) Mathematics with Sociology, Plymouth University, United Kingdom

Research

Research interests

Matt's research focuses on poverty, disadvantage and social exclusion in the UK. He is also interested in working patterns and work-life balance issues.

Current research grants

£4,943, City University of London, Understanding family life in the school holidays: Preliminary analysis
£34,440, Independent Age, Pictures of life in older age, analysis of Understanding Society survey
£15,000, Department for Education, Child wellbeing and disadvantage: analysis of Understanding Society survey linked to the National Pupil Database
£9,000, Independent Age, Poverty amongst the oldest old: analysis of the Family Resources Survey
£10,000, British Academy, The trouble with troubled families: analysis of a range of survey datasets including the Crime Survey for England and Wales, Understanding Society, and the Families and Children Survey
£5,000, City University of London, Holiday hunger: analysis of the Living Costs and Food Survey
£25,000, Scottish Government, Poverty typologies for Scotland: Analysis of the Scottish Household Survey

Datasets

Matt has analysed a wide range of social survey datasets in his research, including:

- Understanding Society
- British Household Panel Survey
- Family Resources Survey
- Wealth and Assets Survey
- Labour Force Survey
- European Community Household Panel survey
- Families and Children Study
- British Social Attitudes survey
- UK Time Use Survey
- English Longitudinal Study of Ageing
- Longitudinal Study of Young People in England
- English Housing Survey
- Health Survey for England
- Scottish Household Survey
- Growing Up in Scotland Survey

PhD supervision

Dr Barnes would be interested in supervising PhDs in any of his specialist areas and welcomes informal enquiries from potential doctoral students. He is particularly interested in students who wish to undertake statistical analysis of existing large-scale social surveys.

Research students

1stsupervisor

Publications

Publications by category

Books (2)

  • Barnes, M. (2005). Social exclusion in Great Britain: An empirical investigation and comparison with other European Union member states. Aldershot: Ashgate Publishing Ltd. ISBN 9781849203876.
  • Barnes, M., Heady, C., Millar, J., Middleton, S., Tsakloglou, P. and Room, G. (2002). Poverty and Social Exclusion in Europe. Cheltenham: Edward Elgar Pub. ISBN 9781840643756.

Chapters (2)

  • Barnes, M. and Tomaszewski, W. (2010). Do we expect lone parents to look after themselves? British Social Attitudes 26th Report London: Sage Publications Ltd.
  • Barnes, M., Millar, J. and Middleton, S. (2003). Analysing poverty and social exclusion. In Millar, J. and Aspori, A. (Eds.), The dynamics of social exclusion in Europe: comparing Austria, Germany, Greece, Portugal and the UK Cheltenham: Edward Elgar. ISBN 9781840648935.

Journal articles (3)

Reports (37)

  • Barnes, M. (2022). Longer-term pensioner poverty and poverty transitions. London: City, University of London.
  • Barnes, M., Ndebele, N. and Harrison, E.K. (2020). Pictures of life in older age: a quantitative analysis of the lived experience of ageing using the Understanding Society survey. London: City, University of London.
  • Barnes, M. and Harrison, E.K. The wellbeing of secondary school pupils with special educaitonal needs. UK: Department for Education. ISBN 9781781057896.
  • Barnes, M., Stares, S., Wood, C., Vibert, S. and Lord, C. (2017). Poverty in Perspective: A typology of poverty in Scotland. Edinburgh: The Scottish Government. ISBN 9781786528735.
  • Barnes, M., Lord, C. and Chanfreau, J. (2015). Child poverty transitions: exploring the routes into and out of poverty 2009 to 2012. UK: Department for Work and Pensions. ISBN 9781910219751.
  • Barnes, M. and McKnight, A. (2014). Understanding the behaviours of households in fuel poverty: A review of research evidence. UK: Department of Energy and Climate Change.
  • Barnes, M. and Lord, C. (2014). Child Poverty Transitions – early findings report. London, UK: Department for Work and Pensions.
  • Barnes, M. and Lord, C. (2013). Poverty, economic status and skills: What are the links? UK: Joseph Rowntree Foundation.
  • Barnes, M., Cullinane, C., Scott, S. and Silvester, S. (2013). People living in bad housing: Numbers and health impacts. UK: Shelter.
  • Lord, C., Lloyd, J. and Barnes, M. (2013). Understanding Landlords: A study of private landlords in the UK using the Wealth and Assets Survey. London, UK: Strategic Society Centre.
  • Wood, C., Salter, J., Morrell, G., Barnes, M., Paget, A. and O’Leary, D. (2012). Poverty in Perspective. London.
  • Barnes, M., Brown, V., Parsons, S., Ross, A., Schoon, I. and Vignoles, A. (2012). Intergenerational transmission of worklessness: Evidence from the Millennium Cohort and the Longitudinal Study of Young People In England. London.
  • Barnes, M. (2012). Poverty in Later Life. London.
  • Barnes, M. and Lord, C. (2012). Multiple disadvantage in Scotland. London.
  • Barnes, M., Bazalgette, L. and Lord, C. (2012). A Wider Lens. UK: Demos.
  • Lord, C., Barnes, M. and Toomse, M. (2012). Exploring the dynamics of tax credits renewal behaviour. London.
  • Barnes, M., Green, R. and Ross, A. (2011). Understanding vulnerable young people: Analysis from the Longitudinal Study of Young People in England. London.
  • Chanfreau, J., Barnes, M., Tomaszewski, W., Philo, D., Hall, J. and Tipping, S. (2011). Growing up in Scotland: Changes in early childhood and the impact of significant events. Edinburgh.
  • Tomaszewski, W., Chanfreau, J. and Barnes, M. (2010). Lone parents and employment: an exploration of findings from the Families and Children Study 2006-08. Leeds.
  • Barnes, M., Chanfreau, J. and Tomaszewski, W. (2010). The circumstances of persistently poor Scottish children. Edinburgh.
  • Barnes, M., Tomaszewski, W., Mansour, A. and Oroyemi, P. (2009). The social impacts of recession..
  • Oroyemi, P., Crosier, T., Damioli, G. and Barnes, M. (2009). Understanding multidimensional disadvantage among families with children..
  • Barnes, M. and Tomaszewski, W. (2008). Investigating the dynamics of social detachment in older age. London.
  • Barnes, M., Butt, S. and Tomaszewski, W. (2008). The Dynamics of Bad Housing and Impacts for Children. London.
  • Barnes, M., Lyon, N. and Millar, J. (2008). Employment transitions and the changes in economic circumstances of families with children: Evidence from the Families and Children Study (FACS). Leeds: Corporate Document Services.
  • Barnes, M., Connoly, A. and Tomaszewski, W. (2008). The circumstances of persistently poor families with children: Evidence from the Families and Children Study (FACS). Leeds: Corporate Document Services.
  • Barnes, M., Blom, A., Cox, K., Lessof, C. and Walker, A. (2006). The Social Exclusion of Older People: Evidence from the first wave of the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ELSA). London.
  • Walker, A., Barnes, M., Blom, A., Cox, K. and Lessof, C. (2006). Social Exclusion of Older People: Future Trends and Policies. London.
  • Barnes, M., Bryson, C. and Smith, R. (2006). Family life and atypical work: Evidence from the 2000 UK Time Use Survey. London.
  • Lyon, N., Barnes, M. and Swiery, D. (2006). Family Life in Britain: Findings from the 2004 Families and Children Study (FACS). Corporate Document Services.
  • Barnes, M. (2005). Use of childcare amongst families with children who have Special Educational Needs. London.
  • Bell, A., Bryson, C., Barnes, M. and O’Shea, R. (2005). Use of childcare among ethnic minority groups. London.
  • Barnes, M., Lyon, N., Morris, S., Robinson, V. and Yau, Y. (2005). Family Life in Britain: Findings from the 2003 Families and Children Study (FACS). Leeds: Corporate Document Services.
  • Barnes, M. and Bryson, C. (2004). Keep time for children: The incidence of weekend working. London.
  • Humphrey, A., Costigan, P., Pickering, K., Stratford, N. and Barnes, M. (2003). Factors affecting the labour market participation of older workers. Huddersfield: The Charlesworth Group.
  • Hales, J., Lessof, C., Roth, W., Gloyer, M., Shaw, A., Millar, J.... Green, A. (2000). Evaluation of the New Deal for Lone Parents: Early lessons from the phase one prototype - Synthesis Report. Huddersfield: The Charlesworth Group.
  • Barnes, M., Jivraj, S. and Nazroo, J. Change in social detachment in older age in England. London.

Working papers (2)

Professional activities

Editorial activity

  • Reviewer, ESRC Peer Review College.

Keynote lectures/speeches (26)

  • Poverty and social exclusion: current issues for older people - a UK perspective. Brussels (2013). Launch of AGE Manifesto for the 2014 European elections, European Parliament
  • Poverty in Perspective. Newcastle (2013). Session on Measuring Child Poverty, Royal Statistical Society International Conference, University of Newcastle
  • Poverty in Perspective. Colchester (2013). Understanding Society Research Conference, University of Essex
  • Understanding landlords. London (2013). Understanding Landlords project launch, Strategic Society Centre
  • In work and moving on up: how to support progression in work to combat household poverty. Manchester (2013). Joseph Rowntree Foundation Sponsors Seminar, Welfare to Work UK 2013 Convention
  • Intergenerational transmission of worklessness. London (2013). International Centre for Lifecourse Studies (ICLS) Policy Seminar, UCL
  • Vulnerable young people. Colchester (2012). Understanding Society Research Conference, University of Essex
  • Time use patterns of atypical workers. Oxford (2011). International Association of Time Use Research conference, University of Oxford
  • Understanding families with multiple disadvantages. London (2011). British Sociological Association annual conference
  • Changes in early childhood and the impact of significant events. Glasgow (2011). Growing Up in Scotland sweep 5 launch conference
  • Social impacts of the recession. London (2011). International Centre for Longitudinal Studies policy seminar
  • Developing a multi-dimensional measure of poverty. London (2010). Demos roundtable on poverty measurement
  • Unpacking multidimensional disadvantage among families with children – focus on worklessness. London (2010). Department for Work and Pensions lunchtime seminar
  • The circumstances of persistently poor children in Scotland. Edinburgh (2010). Growing Up in Scotland Seminar, Edinburgh University
  • The circumstances of persistently poor children in Scotland. Edinburgh (2010). Conference to Launch Growing Up in Scotland Sweep 5
  • Understanding the participation time of atypical workers. Glasgow (2010). British Sociological Association annual conference
  • Social exclusion among families with children. London (2010). CASE Social Exclusion Seminar, LSE
  • Using ELSA to measure social exclusion in older age. London (2010). Communities and Local Government research seminar
  • Going beyond questions and answers: Making time use explicit in a study of social exclusion. London (2009). NatCen/LSE annual conference
  • The living standards of children in bad housing. London (2008). Department for Work and Pensions lunchtime seminar
  • Family, work and poverty. London (2008). Working families conference
  • The dynamics of bad housing and impacts for children. London (2007). Shelter seminar
  • Understanding social exclusion in older age. Birmingham (2006). Social Policy Association annual conference
  • Understanding social exclusion in older age. London (2006). Royal Statistical Society seminar
  • Family time and atypical work in the UK. Halifax, Canada (2005). International Association of Time Use Research annual conference
  • Family time and atypical work in the UK. Edinburgh (2004). Work-Life Balance Across the Lifecourse conference, Centre for Research on Families and Relationships

Media appearances (2)

  • Poverty in Perspective. Poverty in Perspective, Understanding Society website
  • Poverty in Perspective methodology. Demos Poverty in Perspective website http://www.demos.co.uk/poverty/methodology

Online articles (8)

Television programme

  • BBC Sunday Morning Live. BBC One (2012). Discussing the derivation of the 120,000 ‘troubled families’ figure