Dr Ewan Robertson
Job Title
Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Studying Parliaments and the Role of Knowledge

Research interests
Background
I am a Postdoctoral Research Fellow on the project Studying Parliaments and the Role of Knowledge (Principal Investigator: Dr Marc Geddes). I am responsible for data collection on the Spanish and Catalan parliaments.
My wider research focuses on the comparative politics of social and labour market policy reforms, especially regarding the role of ideas and knowledge. I have a particular interest in policies which aim to 'make work pay' and tackle in-work poverty.
Prior to my current role I was a Teaching Fellow in Comparative Social Policy at the University of Edinburgh, and I hold a PhD in Social Policy from the same institution. I am also the Communications Portfolio Lead for the UK Social Policy Association.
For more information about my academic and professional activities, you can visit my LinkedIn profile.
Publications
Clegg, D., Durazzi, D., Heins, E., & Robertson, E. (2023) Policy, Power and Pandemic: Varieties of Job and Income Protection Responses to Covid-19 in Western Europe. Journal of European Public Policy, DOI: 10.1080/13501763.2023.2242907
Abbas, J. and Robertson, E. (2023) “The Rise of In-Work Benefits: Policy, Politics and Evaluation.” In Handbook of Labour Market Policy in Advanced Democracies, eds. Daniel Clegg and Niccolo Durazzi. Edward Elgar.
Findlay, A. Jackson, M., McInroy, N., Prentice, P., Robertson, E. & Sparks, L. (2018). Putting Towns on the Policy Map: Understanding Scottish Places (USP). Scottish Affairs, 27(3), 294-318.
Conferences and seminars
"Not So Simple? Comparing Policy Efforts to Integrate Means-Tested Benefits in France and the United Kingdom". 5th July 2024, UK Social Policy Association Conference, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow.
"Ideational Power of Political Demand?" Tracing the Logics of In-Work Benefit Reforms in France and the United Kingdom:
- 13th June 2024 , ESPAnet Virtual Workshop (online)
- 26th April 2024, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona
"Encompassing Aspirations, Dualist Delivery? Spain's Social Policy Response to Covid-19. Paper presented at the Spanish Social Policy Network (REPS) Conference, Universitat de les Illes Balears, Palma de Mallorca, 26th October 2023.
"Puzzling over Powering? Explaining In-Work Benefit Trajectories in France and the United Kingdom, 1990s – 2020s". Paper presented at the Social Policy Association Conference, University of Nottingham, 6th July 2023.
"Accounting for In-Work Benefit Reforms in the United Kingdom, 1990s – 2010s". Paper presented at the Council for European Studies Conference 2021 - Symposium on “Work and Welfare: Perspectives on Evolving & Emergent Income Support Policies for Low Income Workers”, 24th July 2021.
Presentation to the Comparative Political Economy Seminar, University of Bergen, 16th November 2020.
'Elites, Interests and Ideas: ‘Make Work Pay’ and the Politics of In-Work Benefit Expansion under New Labour 1997 - 2001'. Presentation for Social Policy Conference Symposium: ‘Pro-work, pro-business or pro-poor? Making sense of in-work benefits’. Durham University, 9th July 2019
'The Politics of Supplementing Wages'. Presentation at the III PROMEBI Summer School, University of Oviedo, 7 September 2018.
‘Accounting for the Implementation of In-Work Benefits’. Presentation at Comparing Apples with Pears early career academic workshop, 19 April 2018, MSSP & KU Leuven, Belgium.
Funding Awards
Erasmus+ Grant (award to support my stay as a Visiting PhD Student at the Centre for European Studies and Comparative Politics, SciencesPo Paris, September 2019 - February 2020).
Grant Award to participate in the III PROMEBI Summer School, University of Oviedo, 3 - 7 September 2018.
Economic and Social Research Council +3 Award (funding award for PhD in Social Policy, University of Edinburgh, 2017 - 2020)
Carnegie-Cameron Taught Postgraduate Bursary (tuition fee bursary for MSc in Policy Studies, University of Edinburgh, 2015 – 2017)
University of Aberdeen College of Arts and Social Sciences Postgraduate Funding Award (tuition fee award for MLitt Latin American Studies, 2009 – 2010)
Academic Prizes
Excellence in Doctoral Research Award, Winner 2024, UK Social Policy Association (awarded for best paper presented by a doctoral student at the previous year’s SPA conference). More information.
MSc Policy Studies Prize for Best Performance (awarded for best academic performance in the MSc Policy Studies, class of 2017, University of Edinburgh)
Caithness Prize in History (awarded for achieving the highest grade in the examinations for history honours, class of 2009, University of Aberdeen).
Education
PhD Social Policy, 2023, University of Edinburgh (passed with no corrections)
MSc Policy Studies, 2017, University of Edinburgh (Distinction)
MLitt Latin American Studies, 2010, University of Aberdeen (Distinction)
MA History & International Relations, 2009, University of Aberdeen (1st Class Honours)
Works within
Publications by user content
Publication | Research Explorer link |
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Clegg D, Durazzi N, Heins E, Robertson E. Policy, power and pandemic: Varieties of job and income protection responses to Covid-19 in Western Europe. Journal of European Public Policy. 2023 Aug 3. Epub 2023 Aug 3. doi: 10.1080/13501763.2023.2242907 |
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