School of Social and Political Science

Research interests

I am a socio-legal researcher. My research explores the ways in which social welfare law interacts with people's understandings and experiences of their rights. My research concerns how social welfare laws and policies affect people in relation to gender, disability, age and other inequalities. I have particular expertise in social security law and in the real world of social care.

My research is mainly qualitative and I use a variety of methods including interviews, focus groups, documents and archives. I have expertise in using archives for social science research and in analysing qualitative data of all kinds.

My award winning research monograph 'Gender, Work and Social Control: a century of disability benefits'  was based on research funded through a Leverhulme Trust Early Career Fellowship. This book won the Social Policy Association Richard Titmuss Book Award 2020.

For more information on this project see my research blog http://www.blogs.hss.ed.ac.uk/constructingincapacity/

I gained my PhD in Social Policy from the University of Edinburgh. This study involved detailed interviews with people who had made complaints about social care services and focus groups with service users of care services. My research questions concerned why people complained, what they hoped to achieve and how complaints mechanisms might be improved.

The key finding from the study points to the need to understand users of social services not just as individuals but as members of wider communities of interest.

Key Publications - please also see 'publications' tab

Books

Gulland, J. (2019) Gender, Work and Social Control: A Century of Disability Benefits, Basingstoke, Palgrave Macmillan.

e-book available at https://link.springer.com/book/10.1057/978-1-137-60564-1

Articles in peer-reviewed journals

Gulland, J. (2024) ‘Age as a condition of entitlement to social security: changing ideas over 30 years’, Journal of Social Security Law, 31(1), pp. 49–63.

Gulland, J., (2023) How does Carer’s Allowance in the UK construct family carers? History and recent developments. International Journal of Care and Caring 1–17. https://doi.org/10.1332/239788221X16716339335353

Gulland, J. (2020) ‘Households, Bubbles and Hugging Grandparents: Caring and Lockdown Rules during COVID-19’. Feminist Legal Studies 28 (3): 329–39. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10691-020-09445-z.

Cree, V., Morrison, F., Mitchell, M. and Gulland, J  (2020). “Navigating the Gendered Academy: Women in Social Work Academia.” Social Work Education, 1–15. https://doi.org/10.1080/02615479.2020.1715934.

Gulland, J., (2019 ) 'Conditionality and social security: lessons from the household duties test' Journal of Social Security Law 26, 60–76.

Open access copy available on Edinburgh Research Explorer

Gulland, J. (2017) 'Working while incapable to work?  Changing concepts of permitted work in the UK disability benefit system' in Disability Studies Quarterly 37, 4 (Open access)

Gulland, J. (2017) 'All under one umbrella? The Family Guide to National Insurance 1948' in Northern Ireland Legal Quarterly 68, 3 (open access)

Gulland, J. (2013) 'Extraordinary Housework: women and claims for sickness benefit in the early 20th century', Women's History Magazine 71, Spring 2013, 23-30.

Open access copy available on Edinburgh Research Explorer

Gulland, J. (2012), "Fitting themselves to become wage-earners": Conditionality and incapacity for work in the early 20th century', Journal of Social Security Law, 119, 2, 51-70. Article available through the Westlaw database

Open access copy available on Edinburgh Research Explorer

Gulland, J. (2011) 'Ticking boxes: understanding decision making in Employment and Support Allowance' in Journal of Social Security Law 18(2) pp69-86.  Article available through the Westlaw database

Open access copy available on Edinburgh Research Explorer

Gulland, J. (2011) 'Taking complaints seriously: the role of informality in complaints about public services' in Social Policy and Society 10 (4), pp483-494.

Open access copy available on Edinburgh Research Explorer

Gulland, J. (2009) 'Independence in complaints procedures: lessons from community care' in Journal of Social Welfare and Family Law 31(3), pp59-72.

Open access copy available on Edinburgh Research Explorer

Gulland, J. (2006) 'Second-tier reviews of complaints in health and social care' in Health and Social Care in the Community 14(3), pp206-214.

Contributions to published books

Gulland, J. (2024) ‘Administrative Justice and austerity: the case of disputes about adult social care’, in S. Cowan and S. Halliday (eds) Socio-Legal Generation: Essays in Honour of Michael Adler. Palgrave MacMillan.

Koslowski, A. et al. (2024) ‘The Role of an Ethics Committee in Co-Produced Research: The Experience of The Disability Research on Independent Living and Learning (Drill) Project’, in Anne Good, Iris Elliott, and Sharon Mallon (eds) Advances in Disability Research Ethics. 1st ed. Bingley : Emerald Publishing,.

Gulland J. (2022) A research agenda for health and social care. In Adler M, editor, A Research Agenda for Social Welfare Law, Policy and Practice. Edward Elgar Publishing Ltd. 

https://www.e-elgar.com/shop/gbp/a-research-agenda-for-social-welfare-law-policy-and-practice-9781800886322.html

Gulland J. (2022) Accountability for welfare. In Alcock P, Haux T, McCall V, May M, editors, Student's Companion to Social Policy. 6 ed. Wiley-Blackwell.

https://www.wiley.com/en-gb/The+Student%27s+Companion+to+Social+Policy%2C+6th+Edition-p-9781119744870

Gulland, J. (2021) ‘Social Justice and Administrative Justice’ in Tomlinson, J.,  Thomas, R., Hertogh, M. and Kirkham, R. (eds)The Oxford Handbook of Administrative Justice

https://www.oxfordhandbooks.com/view/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780190903084.001.0001/oxfordhb-9780190903084-e-14

Gulland, J (2016) 'Accountability for Welfare' in Alcock, P., Haux, T., May, M. and Wright, S. (eds) Student's Companion to Social Policy 5th Edition London: Wiley Blackwell

Gulland J. (2010) 'Complaints Procedures and Ombudsmen: current developments in the UK' in Adler, M. (ed) Administrative Justice in Context, Oxford: Hart Publishing

Topics interested in supervising

I welcome PhD applicants with interests in topics relating to Adult Social Care, Social Security and Disability. I have particular interests in socio-legal approaches to social welfare, history of social welfare, gender and social welfare and in service users' experiences of welfare.

If you are interested in being supervised by Jackie Gulland, please see the links below (opening in new windows) for more information:

• PhD in Social Policy
• PhD in Social Work
• MSc (R) Social Work