Call for contributions – Beyond 2015: shaping the future of
equality, human rights and social justice
The Equality and Diversity Forum (EDF) and EDF Research Network are calling for
contributions to ‘Beyond 2015’ – a cross-sector and multidisciplinary project about
equality, human rights and social justice in the UK supported by the British Academy
and the Nuffield Foundation.
The project consists of a two-day conference in London in February 2015, an edited
publication that will be available in printed and electronic formats, and online
resources – see appendix below for full project outline
The project
2015 will be a significant year for the UK, with opportunities but also risks for anyone
passionate about equality, human rights and social justice. Across the four nations,
there is a feeling of change in the air and a greater appetite for debate about
constitutional and policy renewal. This project takes advantage of that momentum but
looks beyond immediate election and referendum results to think about how to promote
equality and rights more effectively in the years ahead. It seeks to bridge sectors,
disciplines and communities and address the disconnections between different areas of
what can broadly be called social justice policy in order to:
 stimulate debate and critically assess the frameworks we use to think about
equality, human rights and social justice;
 inform and influence the UK’s policy agendas over the next decade;
 extend knowledge exchange and impact agendas to the areas of equality, human
rights and social justice.
Themes for contributions
The project is about what has been achieved and where the future opportunities lie
on the equality, human rights and broader social justice spectrum across the UK.
The focus is on the connections between experiences, problems and solutions,
rather than on particular fields of discrimination.
We welcome contributions in particular (but not exclusively) on the following themes:
 Equality and human rights policies, outcomes and experiences
 Social cohesion and integration
 Access to justice
 The cumulative impact of reforms and austerity measures
 Gaps in protection against discrimination and disadvantage
 Discourses and frameworks for researching, discussing and implementing
equality and human rights
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Connecting evidence, policy and practice – particularly in times of austerity
Working across sectors, disciplines and communities to promote social justice
Comparative approaches to promoting equality and human rights in different
countries, regions and localities of the UK
Types of contribution
We are looking for a variety of contributions, including but not limited to substantive
papers for the publication.
1) Papers for the ‘Beyond 2015’ publication
Papers for the publication should focus on improving equality, human rights and
social justice in the UK over the next decade through new interventions, policies,
and/or ways of working across and within different sectors and communities, learning
from experience of what has and hasn’t proved effective. They should be previously
unpublished but do not need to be based on new or unpublished research.
Contributors are asked to submit an abstract of 200-300 words before 24 October
2014. Notification of acceptance will be before 30 November. Full papers should be
between 3,000 and 6,000 words (including references) and should be submitted fully
proofed and edited before 28 February 2015.
2) Papers for the ‘Beyond 2015’ conference
A limited number of papers will presented at the February conference in shortened
format (and circulated beforehand). Contributors are asked to submit an abstract as
above and indicate that they would like their contribution to be considered as a
conference paper as well as for the publication. If accepted, the full conference
paper will need to be submitted by 23 January 2015.
3) Other contributions
We welcome other kinds of contribution for the publication and the accompanying
online resources – before 28 February 2015. There are no specific requirements for
these contributions, which may include blogs, comments, personal accounts, case
studies, cartoons, examples of good practice, film clips or other material.
4) Academic journal
A special issue of the Journal of Poverty and Social Justice is under consideration
and a separate call for papers for the journal is likely to be issued in due course.
Contributors are asked to state whether they would like their paper to be considered
for inclusion in a possible special issue of the Journal in the Autumn of 2015.
How to submit a contribution
We welcome contributions from academic or non-academic researchers and from
anyone working on or writing about equality, human rights and social justice. We are
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keen to include contributions from a broad range of sectors, disciplines, individuals
and communities.
Contributions should be submitted by email to info@edf.org.uk with ‘Beyond 2015’
as subject before the specified deadlines and confirming the type of submission (eg
‘paper for publication’, ‘contribution to online resources’ etc). Contributions should be
fully proofed and referenced, and be written or presented to be accessible to a wide
range of audiences and readers. They should comply with the spirit and the letter of
equality and human rights legislation. Contributors are responsible for obtaining
written permission for use of copyright material where necessary. All contributors are
asked to provide a short biographical note of up to 70 words.
Contributions will be assessed by EDF and EDF Research Network staff and
members of the project advisory group (details below) using the following criteria:
 Fit with the project themes listed above
 Contribution to knowledge exchange in the areas of equality, human rights and
social justice
 Originality of contribution
 Accessibility of contribution
 Quality of work
All contributors will receive a response confirming whether the contribution has been
accepted or not, however we do not have the capacity to provide feedback on
individual submissions. Editorial decisions are at the discretion of EDF and the EDF
Research Network and we reserve the right to edit contributions. All contributions
used will be fully acknowledged.
Timetable:
Submission of abstract for full written papers
Confirmation of acceptance of full paper by EDF and the EDF
Research Network
Submission of full paper for conference
Submission of full paper for publication
Submission of other contributions
Publication and dissemination
24 October 2014
30 November 2014
23 January 2015
28 February 2015
28 February 2015
April 2015
Further information
The project conference in February is an invitation-only event with a limited capacity.
However, most of the conference material will be made freely available afterwards
through the project’s online resources and publication.
Please contact Moira Dustin or Electra Babouri at info@edf.org.uk for further
information.
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Appendix: project outline
Beyond 2015: shaping the future of equality, human rights and social justice
The Equality and Diversity Forum (EDF) and EDF Research Network are starting a
discussion about reducing inequality by working more effectively across sectors and
disciplines. We will begin by mapping the UK’s progress on equality, human rights,
access to justice and integration since 2010, before looking beyond the next election
to identify the possibilities for the decade ahead. The goal is to bring together
decision makers, researchers, service providers and advocates to find new ways of
bringing about change through knowledge-sharing and collaboration.
With the support of the British Academy and the Nuffield Foundation, we are holding a
two-day conference in London in February 2015, accompanied by a publication and
online resources.
Setting the scene
2015 will be a significant year for the UK, with opportunities but also risks for anyone
passionate about equality, human rights and social justice.
Opportunities – and risks – to consider are:
 Whatever the outcome of the general election on 7 May, we will have new
programmes and policies with significant equality and human rights implications.
 The Government will carry out a post-implementation review of the Equality Act
2010, including of the public sector equality duty.
 The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) will publish its quinquennial
review on the state of equality and human rights in Britain.
 The outcome of the Scottish referendum on independence will affect the equality
and human rights infrastructure in what is now the United Kingdom. (Scotland’s
National Action Plan for Human Rights is a ‘roadmap’ for realising human rights,
regardless of whether Scotland remains part of the UK).
 The 2013 consultation on the future of the European Convention and Court of
Human Rights and the UK Balance of Competences Review programme may
have implications for European human rights mechanisms.
 And finally 2015 is the 800th anniversary of Magna Carta – a symbolic landmark
in the development of democracy and a good time to explore where we want to
go and what we need to know to get there.
As a first step in addressing these phenomena and thinking about the connections
between them, the Equality and Diversity Forum and EDF Research Network are
bringing together partners from across the UK to ask what we know about changing
outcomes for individuals and communities since 2010. There have been legislative
and policy gains in some areas but regression elsewhere. We will analyse what this
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has meant for people on the receiving end of reform and how we can use what we
know to shape the post-2015 policy agenda. How can the equality and human rights
research, policy and NGO sectors work together more effectively in 2015 and after?
The project’s focus is UK-wide. While recognising that detailed analysis of equality
and human rights agendas in each of the four nations is beyond its scope, the
project will make comparisons in key areas, for example, differences in
implementation of the public sector equality duty in England, Scotland and Wales
and Section 75 of the Northern Ireland Equality Act, and approaches to embedding
human rights in law, policy and practice. Participants from Scotland, Wales, and
Northern Ireland have joined the project advisory group.
Objectives
The project’s focus is on the impact and knowledge transfer to be achieved by
bringing together academic and non-academic researchers, policymakers and
representatives of civil society organisations. It seeks to bridge agendas, sectors and
disciplines and address the disconnections between different areas of what can
broadly be called social justice policy and legislation.
The project has both immediate and longer term objectives. In the short term, it will
stimulate debate and critically assess the frameworks we use to think about equality
and human rights. The conference will bring together individuals from different
sectors and fields, people with different perspectives and areas of expertise but a
shared interest in making the UK a better, fairer society.
The conversations at the conference and in the subsequent publication will inform
and influence the UK and European equality and human rights agendas, specifically:
 the work of officials responsible for equality, human rights and integration policy –
in particular, those leading on the EHRC’s quinquennial review and the
Government Equalities Office’s review of the Equality Act 2010;
 the research agendas of academics and other researchers working on equality,
human rights and integration (in addition to the project publication, this discussion
is likely to be a catalyst for academic publications by project participants);
 the work of a wide range of civil society organisations promoting equality, human
rights and social justice in the UK, from front-line service providers to second-tier
organisations seeking to influence policy and legislation;
 debates at European level about frameworks and structures for integrating
equality and human rights;
 EDF’s equality and human rights strategies and related activities;
 EDF and EDF Research Network members and partners;
 wider public debate between people with a shared interest in social justice but
whose paths rarely intersect.
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The project is also a first step and initial consultation in extending knowledge
exchange and impact agendas to the areas of equality and human rights, learning
from recent government and higher education initiatives including the ‘What Works’
centres in social policy. The project will help to position EDF and the EDF Research
Network as a knowledge hub in the equality and human rights world, making a wide
range of research accessible to policy, legal and NGO communities and civil society.
Project support
The project is co-ordinated by Dr Moira Dustin, Coordinator of the EDF Research
Network, and Electra Babouri, EDF Coordinator (contact them at info@edf.org.uk),
with the support of a cross-sector advisory group whose members are: Asif Afridi,
brap/EDF; Professor Lizzie Barmes, Queen Mary University of London/co-chair of
the EDF Research Network; Kate Bennett, Equality and Human Rights Commission;
Jonathan Breckon, Alliance for Useful Evidence; Dr Tania Burchardt, London School
of Economics/co-chair of the EDF Research Network; Evelyn Collins, Equality
Commission for Northern Ireland/Equinet; Gary Grubb, Arts & Humanities Research
Council; Emma Hutton, Scottish Human Rights Commission; Jamiesha Majevadia,
British Academy; Gay Moon, EDF Special Legal Advisor; Dr Glen Noble, Economic
and Social Research Council; Colm O’Cinneide, UCL/EDF Research Network
Steering group; Flora Williams, Law Centres Network.
We thank the Nuffield Foundation and the British Academy for supporting the project.
Timetable
February 2015 – conference
February 2015 (and ongoing) – online portal of project resources
April 2015 – project publication
Autumn 2015 – Special issue of Journal of Poverty and Social Justice (tbc)
Please contact Moira Dustin or Electra Babouri at info@edf.org.uk for further
information.
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