The School of Applied Social Sciences at Durham University welcomes SPA Conferences in 2017 and 2018.

The theme for 2017: at a time when income inequality is rising in most countries, and differences between countries remain huge, the social significance of these inequalities is of fundamental importance to societies and therefore research. Following the referendum results, debates on inequalities in the UK and Europe will have implications for a wide range of theoretical debates such as citizenship, migration, social cohesion, gender, ethnicity and equality of opportunity to name a few, while inequalities also cut across all policy areas from housing to health and education to crime.

What is the role for policy? How can it be used to reduce, or at least limit, the effects of inequalities? Is this even a desirable strategy given the very real inequities that exist within and between nations within a seemingly increasingly fragile status quo? How inequalities are viewed tells us a lot about different political, ideological and critical standpoints. We look forward to unpacking these issues in Durham in 2017 with you.