About the project

We invite applications for a 4-year fully-funded PhD fellowship through the University of Birmingham’s 125^th Anniversary Black British Scholarship program. The position will be based in the International Development Department, School of Government in Birmingham, United Kingdom. 

You will work to develop an exciting new project exploring the role of UK Parliament in tackling health inequities around immunization - nationally and internationally. The project will innovatively build on research into historical development of UK immunization debates and policy at national and international levels, bringing novel focus on the contemporary role parliament plays in identification, explanation and response to immunisation inequities. The project’s significance lies in its focus on health inequities at two levels, reflecting UK domestic practice and its contributions to global vaccination programmes, and considering the under-explored role of legislatures in bringing an equity lens to scrutiny of immunisation policy and practice.

Despite the UK’s long history of successful voluntary immunization with high public compliance, ‘immunization deserts’ persist regionally and by disease type, often mapping onto minority ethnic communities. The West Midlands for example shows a downward trend on MMR immunization (PHE 2021), falling below WHO standards (NHS England, 2023) and low polio vaccination rates (Rains 2022). Evidence shows that historical legacies and patterns of (dis)engagement with the state are critical in determining uptake of services, including immunization (Saville, et al 2022; Ali and Altaf 2021). Put simply, immunization is a highly political project (Ansell and Lindvaal 2021), and uptake depends on public trust in the state. Research into public engagement with parliaments similarly shows that representation and (dis)engagement of minority ethnic communities is heavily-shaped by trust, and that this in turn reflects historical and contemporary encounters with the state (Beswick, 2021; Beswick and Elstub, 2019).

This project is particularly timely considering the ongoing COVID-19 inquiry and discussions around roles and responsibilities of political institutions and actors during the pandemic. Furthermore, despite the UK’s history of engagement with and investment in global public health through the FCDO, Parliament’s Health and Social Care Committee warned in 2023 that the UK is at risk of losing its position as a global leader on vaccination. Bearing this in mind, the project is an opportunity to reflect on the UK’s global development role, and whether international debates and commitments on immunization policy and practice shape national debates and policy on this subject – or vice-versa.

In developing your application, you may wish to consider one or more of the following questions:

• Who makes up the UK policy community on equity and immunisation, and how far does this cut across national/global spaces?
• How have revelations during the Covid-19 inquiry influenced debates on UK immunisation policy and its global role as a public health advocate?
• What specific role does Parliament play in promoting equity in UK immunisation policy and advocacy, globally and nationally?
• Are there indications of joined-up thinking in UK Parliament on health inequities across national and international spaces?

Design and methods:

The project’s focus on UK parliament and on immunisation and equity policy communities across multiple levels necessitates a multi-pronged and multi-level data collection strategy, including analysis of legislative and committee debates, mapping policy communities/networks, and key stakeholder interviews (e.g. current/former ministers, campaigners, private sector.) We also welcome applicants using quantitative methods utilising large scale health datasets (e.g. COVER program, UK Data Service, NHS Digital).

Intended impacts:

The project will produce new knowledge on roles parliament can play in effectively highlighting - and developing options to address - immunisation inequities. In the UK, this includes identifying opportunities for parliament to strengthen its contributions to identifying and tackling ‘immunisation deserts,’ particularly through improving its own participation channels. Given the UK’s role as a critical player in global vaccination programming, it will also provide insights into strategies national legislatures adopt to influence international approaches to tackling immunisation inequities (e.g. low take-up by communities who have low trust in the state).

The project will have significant impact by developing our understanding of the interplay between legislative and policy debates on immunisation inequities at the national and international levels, and establishing how these shape domestic and international provision of equitable health services. This has potential to improve immunization take-up and health outcomes for vulnerable populations both in Britain and globally.

Your supervisory team:

The supervisors for this doctoral research project are Dr Danielle Beswick and Dr Sameen Ali. Danielle brings extensive supervision experience, including working with scholar-practitioners seeking to bring their professional experience working in policy and practice into an academic environment in order to conduct robust, impactful research. Danielle also brings research expertise on UK development policymaking and the development policy community as well as practical experience working with the UK Parliament on public participation and inequities. Sameen brings expertise on impact of political dynamics and institutional and policy design on the health sector, particularly immunization programming. Her research in Pakistan has emphasised how public health services are shaped by citizens’ experience of, and relationship with, the state, and she is part of a current research project exploring minoritised groups’ receptiveness to vaccination messaging in Pakistan.

Research training and support:

The successful candidate will have access to a range of training opportunities in the International Development Department and across the School of Government and beyond. These include taught modules designed to support first-year progression and integration into the School PGR community, and Qualitative and Quantitative methods courses. Advanced training modules are also available to support the development of specific skills required for the project focus on legislative debates and policy communities. This includes modules on discourse analysis, mixed-methods research, and social network analysis. You will be encouraged to participate in research groups and seminars within the School, as well as those held by the University’s Health Services Management Centre and School of Social Policy. The selected candidate will also be encouraged to actively engage with wider scholarly communities on parliaments and on public and global health.

References

• Ali, S.A.M. & Rais, R.B. (2021). Pakistan’s Health-Care System: A Case of Elite Capture, South Asia: Journal of South Asian Studies, 44:6, 1206-1228.
• Ali, S.A.M. & Altaf, S.W. (2021). Citizen trust, administrative capacity and administrative burden in Pakistan’s immunization program. Journal of Behavioral Public Administration, 4(1).
• Ali, S.A.M. (2021). Pakistan: COVID-19, federalism and the first wave response. In, Rupak Chattopadhyay, Felix Knüpling, Diana Chebenova, Liam Whittington, and Phillip Gonzalez (eds.), Federalism and the Response to COVID-19, pp 170-182. Routledge India.
• Ansell, B. W., & Lindvall, J. (2021). Inward Conquest: The Political Origins of Modern Public Services. Cambridge University Press
• Beswick, D and S Elstub (2019) ‘Between diversity, representation and ‘best evidence’: Rethinking Select Committee evidence-gathering practices’, Parliamentary Affairs 72(4): 945-64.
• Beswick, D., J Fisher and S Hurt (2019) (eds) Britain and Africa: Between Ambition and Pragmatism, Manchester University Press.
• Beswick, D (2021) ‘Understanding and overcoming barriers to public engagement with the UK Parliament’ UK Parliament Select Committee Engagement Team.
• Health and Social Care Committee (2023) ‘UK’s world-leading role on vaccination at risk, warn MPs’, 27 July 2023. https://committees.parliament.uk/committee/81/health-and-social-care-committee/news/196780/uks-worldleading-role-on-vaccination-at-risk-warn-mps/
• NHS England (2023) ‘Midlands - Health leaders urge parents in the West Midlands to protect children from measles as vaccination rates fail to meet WHO’s 95% recommended uptake’ https://www.england.nhs.uk/midlands/2023/04/26/health-leaders-urge-parents-in-the-west-midlands-to-protect-children-from-measles-as-vaccination-rates-fail-to-meet-whos-95-recommended-uptake/
• Public Health England (2021) ‘Health Profile for the West Midlands - 2021’ https://fingertips.phe.org.uk/static-reports/health-profile-for-england/regional-profile-west_midlands.html#vaccines-and-vaccine-preventable-infections
• Rains, Kian (2022) ‘Polio vaccine UK: How the West Midlands child vaccination rates compare with the rest of the UK’ Birmingham World, 27 June 2022 https://www.birminghamworld.uk/news/polio-vaccine-uk-how-the-west-midlands-child-vaccination-rates-compare-with-the-rest-of-the-uk-3744974
• Saville, C et al (2022) ‘Covid-and-the-Coalfield: Vaccine hesitance in Wales and Appalachia, British Academy https://www.thebritishacademy.ac.uk/documents/4087/Covid-and-the-Coalfield_3VKoqjZ.pdf

Entry Requirements

Applicants will be expected to have a good Masters degree awarded by a recognised University in a related discipline. We also welcome applications from candidates with academic and policy or practice backgrounds in relevant sectors. If you have such relevant professional experience or qualifications, these will also be taken into account when considering your application.

What does the scholarship provide?

1. Financial Support: Recipients of these scholarships will receive substantial financial support, including a stipend at UKRI rates, which is set at £18,622 per year. This support covers tuition fees, living expenses, and research-related costs, including bench fees. This support is designed to alleviate the financial burden often associated with pursuing a doctoral degree.
2. Mentorship and Guidance: Scholarship recipients will benefit from mentorship opportunities and guidance from accomplished faculty members who are dedicated to helping them succeed in their academic and research endeavours.
3. Research Opportunities: We are committed to providing an exceptional research environment. Students will have access to state-of-the-art facilities, cutting-edge resources, and a vibrant scholarly community.
4. Community Building: A key component of the scholarship programme is the creation of a supportive community of Black British researchers pursuing PhDs. This network will foster collaboration and peer support among scholars.
5. Research Training Support Grant: In addition to financial support, scholarship recipients will receive a research training support grant. This grant is intended to support conference attendance, fieldwork, and other essential activities that enhance their research and academic growth.
6. Commitment to Inclusivity: We are dedicated to building an inclusive academic environment that values diversity and ensures equitable access to education.

Contact the lead supervisor

Once applicants have familiarised themselves with the above project details, they are encouraged to contact the lead PhD supervisor to discuss the project and the applicant's suitability for the project. This is recommended before you submit an application to the PhD project.

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