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This page contains a full list of my presentations - click here to go back to the main publications page.

Major invited presentations

  1. INVITED LECTURE: The rise and fall of anti-welfare attitudes: what it means for welfare reform in 2024 and beyond, online, 24/1/2024. 'Election 24: Ideas for change based on social science evidence' event, organised by the Campaign for Social Science and the National Centre for Social Research (NatCen).
  2. INVITED KEYNOTE: How to directly assess work capacity, and the challenges that remain. Invited keynote to the biannual conference of the European Union for Medicine in Assurance and Social Security (EUMASS), Basel/online, 16/9/2021.
  3. INVITED LECTURE: Why evidential pluralism is needed to avoid wishful thinking: An example from social policy. Invited plenary lecture within the online conference, Evidential Pluralism and the Social Sciences, University of Kent, 16/7/2020. You can watch a recording of the talk here.
  4. INVITED LECTURE: The legitimacy of social security disability assessments: The practical meets the political. Invited lecture within the workshop 'The challenges of fair assessments in the sickness insurance system - international and Swedish perspectives' (alongside Sara Stendahl), to the Social Medicine and Epidemiology Department, Gothenburg University, 2/10/2017.
  5. INVITED LECTURE: What's the Point of Social Science? Invited public presentation for the Queens' Anniversary Prize Lecture at the Social Policy Research Unit (SPRU), University of York, 18/3/2014.
  6. INVITED LECTURE: Statistical Catfights and The Spirit Level (Baumberg & de Vries). Invited debate alongside Richard Wilkinson & Kate Pickett to the Radical Statistics conference, 23/2/2013, York. Video and slides of the debate are available from Radstats or YouTube.

Normal presentations

Aside from the presentations below, I have also co-organised an early career event in 2012 on disability research and welfare reform. The event was co-organised with Ruth Patrick, supported by the Social Policy Association, and had a great keynote by Prof Paul Gregg.

  1. Activism in the academe: 'Radical Politics and Sociological Research' revisited. Invited presentation to the Ruth First in the North: Understanding activist research conference, University of Durham (organised by Katherine Furman and Nancy Cartwright), 11/10/2021.
  2. RCTs, mixed methods, and the trustworthiness of social science. Invited presentation to the Evidence Amalgamation Workshop, University of Cork (organised by Katherine Furman with the Knowledge for Use project, 10/5/2019.
  3. A manifesto for a trustworthy (yet value-laden) social science. Presentation to the Methodshub, Department of Social Policy and Intervention, University of Oxford, 31/5/2018.
  4. Is there such a thing as a 'bad impact' of social science?. Presentation to Erasmus Institute for Philosophy and Economics (EIPE), Erasmus University Rotterdam, 15/1/2018.
  5. The 'disability benefits paradox': Do generous disability benefits really reduce employment among disabled people?. Presentation to the European Social Policy Network (ESPAnet) conference, Lisbon, 15/9/2017.
  6. When qualitative and quantitative methods collide: How stigmatised are benefit claims in Britain?. Invited presentation to the Centre for Humanities Engaging Science and Society (CHESS), Durham, 7/6/2017.
  7. When qualitative and quantitative methods collide: How stigmatised are benefit claims in Britain?. Invited presentation to the Erasmus Institute for Philosophy and Economics (EIPE) workshop on qualitative and quantitative research, Erasmus University, 16/12/2016.
  8. The flaws of existing measures of the disability employment gap - and how to correct them. Invited presentation to the Closing Disability Gaps at Work Conference, London, 13/12/2016.
  9. Principles of disability assessment for social security benefits: Examples of failure and success from Europe. Presentation within the workshop, 'Converging pressures on social security disability programs: Interactive policy learning of Australia, the UK and US to inform benefit decision-making' with Diane Brandt, Ashley McAllister, Christine McDonough and Leighton Chan, at EUPHA conference (European Public Health Association), Vienna, 11/11/2016.
  10. Conditionality for disabled people: Raising employment rates or social policy disaster?. Presentation to the Social Policy Association conference, Belfast, 5/7/2016.
  11. Conditionality for disabled people: Raising employment rates or operational failure?. Presentation to the FISS (Foundation for International Studies on Social Security) conference, Sigtuna, Sweden, 19/6/2016.
  12. Assessing work disability: beyond the functional limitations approach. Presentation to the FISS (Foundation for International Studies on Social Security) conference, Sigtuna, Sweden, 19/6/2016.
  13. The surprising truth about trends in working-age disability in Britain. Presentation to NOVA, HIOA, Oslo, 14/6/2016.
  14. Measuring disability employment gaps:How bad measures make bad policies, and how to improve on them . Presentation to the Institutt for Sosialfag, HIOA, Oslo, 12/5/2016.
  15. What is 'incapacity'? An international review of incapacity assessment in the benefits system. Presentation to workshop on 'Worklessness and Health Inequalities: Research, policy and practice perspectives', Durham, within the ESRC Seminar Series Revitalising the Health Equity Agenda (ESRC ES/M003027/1), 25/6/2015.
  16. The disability employment penalty: towards an estimate we can (possibly) trust. Presentation to the Nordic Network on Disability Research conference, Bergen, 7/5/2015.
  17. What is 'incapacity'? An international review of incapacity assessment in the benefits system. Presentation to the Nordic Network on Disability Research conference, Bergen, 7/5/2015.
  18. Disability, long term conditions and poverty. Invited presentation (with Declan Gaffney, presenting findings from MacInnes et al 2014, above) to Disability Rights UK (DRUK)/Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF) conference, 'Affordable: An economy that includes disabled people', 15/12/2014.
  19. What is 'incapacity'? The policy implications of bad theory. Invited presentation to 'Work, Health and Wellbeing workshop' sponsored by Public Health England, Manchester 10/11/2014.
  20. Research at the edge of politics: Blogging about Inequalities. Presentation to the Social Policy Research Unit (SPRU), University of York, 5/11/2013.
  21. 'You know people who do it': How the media and interpersonal contact influence perceptions of benefit fraud. Presentation to the ESPAnet (European Social Policy network) confernece, Poznan 5-7/9/2013. The full conference paper is available on request.
  22. How much social security do we want?. Presentation to a CPAG (Child Poverty Action Group) seminar, LSE, 11/7/2013.
  23. Stigma, disability benefits & austerity in Britain. Presentation to the Social Policy Association conference, Sheffield, 9/7/2013, within a symposium I organised alongside Elaine Chase and Dan Heap.
  24. How far can Corporate Social Responsibility reduce alcohol-related harm?. Presentation to the Kettil Bruun Society international alcohol conference, Kampala, Uganda 6/6/2013. The full conference paper is available on request.
  25. Does alcohol policy make us unhappy? An empirical study of valuing alcohol-related happiness for cost-benefit analysis . Presentation to the Kettil Bruun Society international alcohol conference, Kampala, Uganda 6/6/2013. The full conference paper is available on request.
  26. Negotiating Conflict of Interest: Discourses of CSR in the addictive industries in Europe, and their implications for public health (Baumberg & Cuzzocrea). Presentation to the Global Public Health Unit, University of Edinburgh, 17/5/2013.
  27. Benefits, politicians & the media: escaping the vicious circle. Presentation to a Demos seminar, 17/4/2013.
  28. Benefits stigma in Britain (Baumberg, Bell & Gaffney). Presentation in the Centre for Analysis of Social Exclusion (CASE), LSE seminar series, 13/3/2013.
  29. From Impairment to Incapacity: A qualitative study of the link between working conditions, employer behaviour and incapacity benefit claims. Presentation to the Is work fit for disabled people? A CeDR symposium, Lancaster 10-11/7/2012
  30. Later Working and the Changing Nature of Work. Presentation to the Rethinking Retirement ESRC Seminar Series, Manchester, 4/11/2011. A video of me waving my hands around while talking about the presentation is available via the same link.
  31. Fit-for-work, or work fit for disabled people? Changing working conditions and incapacity in Britain. Invited presentation at White Rose seminar, York, 30/3/2012.
  32. Bad jobs and Incapacity Benefits. Presentation to the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP), London, 20/11/2011.
  33. From bad jobs to incapacity benefits: the role of working conditions and employability. Presentation to the Social Policy Association (SPA) conference, Lincoln 5/7/2011.
  34. Is declining fitness-for-work in Britain due to deteriorating job demands and control? Presentation to the American Psychological Association's Work, Stress, and Health Conference, Orlando, Florida, 22/5/2011..
  35. The need for an overarching 'theory of inequalities' in Sociology and Social Policy. Presentation to the British Sociological Association Postgraduate Symposium on Inequality, Milton Keynes, 6/5/2011.
  36. Deteriorating working conditions and rising incapacity benefits: is there a connection? Presentation to the British Sociological Association (BSA) conference, London, 8/4/2011.
  37. Why has reported fitness-for-work deteriorated since the 1980s? Presentation to the Social Policy Research Unit (SPRU), University of York, 25/1/2011.
  38. Co-producing welfare-to-work? Separating good from bad co-production in services for the unemployed/disabled. Presentation to Coprodnet conference, Manchester, 3/11/10.
  39. Do high-strain jobs increase the chances of health-related job loss? Paper presented at the Social Policy Association conference, Lincoln, 6/7/2010
  40. Fitness-for-work and incapacity benefit receipt: the role of job strain. Presentation to Dame Carol Black (National Director for Health and Work), London, 8/7/2010.
  41. Fitness-to-work, job strain, and retirement. Paper presented at 'Understanding Ageing' (organised by the CEntre for Longitudinal Studies), , Oxford, 15/4/2010
  42. Work, retirement, incapacity: Working conditions, and the later working agenda. Presentation to the TAEN (Third Age Employment Network) / LSE seminar on older workers, London, 1/2/2010.
  43. The economic harm caused by alcohol. Presentation at the EU Presidency 'Expert Conference on Alcohol and Health', Stockholm, 22/9/2009.
  44. Should researchers make policy recommendations at all? Paper presented at the Social Policy Association conference, Edinburgh, 30/6/2009
  45. Should researchers make policy recommendations at all? Paper presented at 'Informing Public Policy: New Agendas for Social Research' (organised by NatCen-LSE), London 23/4/2009
  46. Against evidence-based policy: over-claiming social research and undermining effective policy. Paper presented at the Social Policy Association conference, Edinburgh, 25/6/2008
  47. Evidence for alcohol policy: What it can offer, and what it shows. Presentation to the 3rd European Association of Addiction Therapy conference, Vienna 10/9/2007
  48. Cutting through the costs: The real cost of binge-drinking in the UK. Presentation to the 'Promoting Responsible Drinking: Reducing the Harm Caused by Alcohol' conference organised by Neil Stewart Associates, London, 31/1/2007
  49. Alcohol policies and the economy of Europe. Presentation to the Eurocare 'Bridging the Gap' conference, Helsinki, 20/11/2006
  50. Inequalities, young people and alcohol in Europe - an overview. Presentation to the Alcohol Policy Development Group of the European Presidency at the Presidency 'Tackling Health Inequalities' summit, London 17/10/2005