Dr Trude Sundberg recently presented the findings of her British Academy funded research to UNICEF China and the UN’s poverty reduction group.
China is currently going through big changes both in terms of policy as well as general trends along social, cultural, political and economic dimensions. These changes are related to and creates a wide ranging set of challenges in terms of poverty, education, health, wellbeing and economic growth amongst others. Together these changes and challenges bring about a need to understand how to create positive and sustainable solutions to some (and hopefully most) of the social problems found in this vast country.
The presentations were a wonderful opportunity for current research to be presented to key organisations involved in providing support and identifying solutions in the region. Dr Sundberg focused on some of the findings of this project and explored the relationships between attitudes and values found amongst the public and the sustainability and potential success/failure of social policies created to address social needs in China. She further elaborated on and suggested new ways and methods which could be used to enhance understanding of the social and cultural dynamics in order to improve upon the success of intervention and support programmes in China.
Dr Trude Sundberg has been researching attitudes in relation to vulnerable groups and the legtimacy of welfare systems in Europe, North America and Australia, and is currently researching attitudes, perceptions and values towards social policies and their judgement of the deservingess of needy groups in China as part of a British Academy funded research project. For more information about Dr Sundberg’s research, please visit her profile.