Kent Law School Senior Lecturer Dr Ruth Cain appeared before the Economics Affairs Committee this week to give expert evidence on the economics of Universal Credit.
The Lords Select Committee, one of five permanent investigative committees in the House of Lords, is charged with considering economic affairs. It held its first evidence session on ‘the economics of Universal Credit’ on Tuesday. The Committee is investigating whether Universal Credit is meeting its original objectives, whether the policy assumptions reflected in its design are appropriate for different groups of claimants and the extent to which Universal Credit meets the needs of claimants in today’s labour market and changing world of work.
Dr Cain gave evidence in a panel together with John Hills, Professor of Social Policy at the London School of Economics and Giles Elliot, Advice Service Manager for Mind. She has also made a written submission to the committee.
You can watch the session again on Parliament Live TV.
Earlier this year, Dr Cain was interviewed by The Canary for a film called ‘Universal DisCredit‘, exploring ongoing controversies with Universal Credit.
Dr Cain is an interdisciplinary legal scholar working primarily in family and mental health law, law and political economy and law and cultural studies. She also regularly speaks and blogs about mental health policy and economics, and the politics of parenting. She teaches Mental Health Law and Law and Literature to undergraduate students at Kent Law School.