"Enterprise and Employment: The role of social enterprises in the experience of 
unemployment and worklessness " 

A fully funded ESRC 1+3 CASE studentship is available to work with Dr. Clare 
Bambra, Dr. Sarah Atkinson and Professor Sarah Curtis (Department of 
Geography) in partnership with Acumen Social Enterprise. 

Unemployment and other forms of worklessness (e.g., lone parenthood or 
incapacity benefit receipt) are increasingly important social and economic 
issues and have significant negative effects on individuals and communities. 
Various mainstream publicly funded schemes exist which are intended to help 
improve the health and wellbeing of unemployed and workless people and also 
to help them obtain work. Some of these programmes are delivered by the 
state sector, whilst others are run by the voluntary sector. Increasingly, 
however, Social Enterprises are being used to provide welfare to work 
interventions, general training and education programmes, as well as 
psychological support to workless people, especially those living in deprived 
areas. Acumen is one such social enterprise based in the NE England. 
Historically the NE has experienced above average levels of unemployment and 
worklessness. 

Working in partnership with Acumen (http://www.acumentrust.org.uk/) this 
PhD project will focus on the experiences of unemployed and workless people 
particularly in relation to their engagement with mainstream and social 
enterprise services. Using primarily qualitative methods (ethnographic and 
narrative techniques), the PhD will explore the following research questions: 
How do people experience unemployment and worklessness? What role does 
the social enterprise play in shaping the experience of unemployment and 
worklessness? How does this compare with experiences of mainstream 
services? Additionally, the PhD project will provide a small mixed methods 
evaluation of Acumen's services. This project will link into 5 other ESRC CASE 
funded PhDs in the Department of Geography, Durham University which are 
examining other aspects of social enterprise, and will also complement a 
number of other research projects in the Department of Geography on 
unemployment, worklessness and health. 

For further details please contact: [log in to unmask]   

Applications 

The deadline for these studentships is 4pm on April 30, 2009. Applications are 
welcome from candidates with a minimum 2.1 undergraduate degree (or 
equivalent) as well as a relevant Masters Degree (for +3 applications) or 
relevant experience. To apply for any of these studentships please complete 
the on-line application form available at : 
https://bannerss.dur.ac.uk/blive_ssb/bwskalog.P_DispLoginNon). A CV and a 
letter outlining any relevant experience and your interests in the topic should 
also be sent separately to Veronica Crooks ([log in to unmask])   
Postgraduate Administrator, Department of Geography.