January 2010 sees the publication of the result of the National Centre for Social Research's 26th British Social Attitudes study. As a bit of teaser for the main report, NatCen has released a snapshot of this year's findings which makes for very interesting reading - or should that be depressing reading, if you happen to be a social conservative.

Steven Pinker mounts a spirited defence of the internet and social media in the New York Times, knocking down the common (but surely obviously ridiculous) idea that it somehow bad for the brain. In the process he makes this valuable...

Gordon Brown has promised reforms in the social care system to stop the financial worry of old age.

Oscar Wilde said “Nothing makes one so vain as being told one is a sinner. Conscience makes egotists of us all” which seems unusually apt for this which I came across via Darrell. The following list was agreed upon at the Evangelical Alliance's "Godblogs" event in September. It is intended to help "bloggers... consider the social impact of their blogging."; 1. You shall not put your blog befor...

This is brazen. So, social mobility is rising it is claimed. Riiiiight. The evidence offered? More poor pupils are getting five good GCSEs, thereby outdoing their parents. Seriously, that’s the only actual evidential claim she makes. So, the dumbing down of exams is used as evidence that social mobility is increasing? Please, can we at least try to be

In a new paper published in Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society, Sir Partha Dasgupta makes the point that the problem with gross domestic product is the gross bit. There are no deductions involved: all economic activity is accounted as if it were of positive value. Social harm is added to, not subtracted from, social

Alex makes some points on definition: I especially like the distinction between a “social enterprise” – a Blairite upsexing of what used to be called a charity and then became an NGO – and a “social purpose” company, which appears...

What makes me think that Ed Balls is not going to succeed in "transforming" social services? Or, at least, not in bringing about the sort of transformation that most people would like to see: which is to say, one that would ensure that far fewer children are mistreated, neglected or abused. I have no doubt that ...

Is it really such a bad thing that there aren’t “enough” social workers? After all, as Parkinson’s Law of Social Work states that social problems increase to occupy the total number of social workers available to deal with them Yes, that was me being facetious, but the point remains that we don’t need huge numbers of social

Do James Purnell and Kitty Ussher read consultation documents before they get sent out? I ask because of Labour’s proposals to start charging interest rates of up to 27% on loans from the Social Fund, which currently makes interest-free loans to individuals on benefits who urgently need money to buy large items such as cookers