Where Lesser Angels Might Have Feared to Tread: The Social Science Research Council and Transmitted Deprivation

Abstract

The histories of the relationship between government policy and the direction of social science research, and of the Social Science Research Council (SSRC) and Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC), have begun to attract attention in recent years. In this work, the SSRC's research programme on transmitted deprivation (1974–82) has generally had a minor role. Most often, it has been argued that it was the disappointment of Sir Keith Joseph with the research programme that fuelled his contempt for social science and his attempt, as Secretary of State for Education and Science, to abolish the Research Council. However, while the programme has recently been investigated in relation to other themes, the significance of the SSRC's involvement has neither been fully drawn out, nor integrated with the broader secondary literature on the history of social science research. The argument of this paper is that there is very little hard evidence that it was Joseph's dissatisfaction with the research programme that led to his attack on the SSRC. More interesting is the way the episode provides insights into the SSRC and the outlook of a generation of social scientists. The Research Council took the programme on for political reasons, it remained embarrassed about its ideological origins and it faced difficulties in promoting multidisciplinary research. Thus, this study shows the problems that can emerge when social scientists engage in research commissioned by their political masters.

Keywords:

• Deprivation
• ESRC
• Keith Joseph
• Social Science
• SSRC
• Transmitted

Acknowledgements

I would like to thank all those who agreed to be interviewed for this project; Pauline Connor at the Department of Health Record Store in Nelson, Lancashire; and Claire Donovan.

Notes

 [1] Bell, ‘The SSRC’, 14–31; Cherns, ‘Policy Research Under Scrutiny’, 185–98; Flather, ‘“Pulling through”’, 353–72; King, ‘Creating a Funding Regime’, 1–26; Donovan, ‘Government Policy and the Direction of Social Science Research’; Halsey, A History of Sociology, 137–41; ESRC, SSRC/ESRC.

 [2] Edwards, ‘Running in Families?’, 16.

 [3] Berthoud, ‘Transmitted Deprivation’, 155; Timmins, The Five Giants, 289; Denham and Garnett, Keith Joseph, 379; Donovan, ‘Government Policy’, 179–93.

 [4] Welshman, ‘Ideology, Social Science’; Welshman, From Transmitted Deprivation.

 [5] The National Archives (NA), Kew, London, MH 152/72: A. Shonfield to K. Joseph, 23 July 1971. On Shonfield see Shonfield, British Economic Policy; and Shonfield, The Attack on World Poverty.

 [6] Shonfield, ‘Politics and Policy’, 7; Times, 21 November 1975, 6; Times, 19 December 1975, 15.

 [7] SSRC, Research on Poverty, 10.

 [8] King, ‘Creating a Funding Regime’; A Framework, 1, 9, paras. 4, 22, Table 3.

 [9] Times Educational Supplement, 10 May 1974, 1; SSRC Newsletter 14 (1972), 2–6.

[10] Young, ‘The First Years’, 5; Shonfield, ‘Politics and Policy’, 6; Robinson, ‘Looking Forward’, 11.

[11] Adrian Sinfield papers, Edinburgh, J. Mitchell to A. B. Atkinson, 25 February 1972; interview between the author and Michael Rutter, London, 4 July 2006. These Sinfield papers are currently in the possession of the author.

[12] On Willmott, Atkinson, and Rutter see Young and Willmott, Family and Kinship in East London; Willmott, Adolescent Boys of East London; Atkinson, Poverty in Britain; Atkinson, Unequal Shares; and Rutter, Maternal Deprivation Reassessed.

[13] Sinfield papers, ‘The Deprivation Cycle’ (nd); NA MH 152/72: R. R. G. Watts to G. Otton, ‘Cycle of Deprivation Research’, 30 March 1972.

[14] Sinfield papers, ‘The Deprivation Cycle’ (nd). On Freedman and Parker, see Freedman, Lineage Organization; Freedman, Chinese Lineage and Society; and Parker, The Rents of Council Houses.

[15] Interview between the author and Robin Matthews, Cambridge, 25 May 2006.

[16] NA MH 152/72: N. Jordan-Moss to R. C. O. Matthews, 30 May 1972; Interview between the author and Robin Matthews, Cambridge, 25 May 2006, J. Mitchell to N. Jordan-Moss, 26 June 1972.

[17] Sinfield papers, ‘The Cycle of Deprivation’, 29 June 1972, 20, para. 66. On the speech see Welshman, From Transmitted Deprivation, 25–75.

[18] NA MH 152/72: minutes of the 1st meeting of the Working Party, 19 July 1972.

[19] Berthoud, ‘Transmitted Deprivation’, 155.

[20] NA MH 152/72: S. Yasin, ‘WPTD 5’, 19 July 1972.

[21] NA MH 152/72: S. Yasin, ‘WPTD 5’, 19 July 1972., M. Freedman, ‘WPTD 9’, 30 August 1972; ibid., P. Willmott, ‘WPTD 10’, September 1972; ibid., M. Rutter, ‘WPTD 11’, September 1972; ibid., A. B. Atkinson, ‘WPTD 12’, September 1972; ibid., R. A. Parker, ‘WPTD 13’, 26 September 1972.

[22] Interview between the author and Robin Matthews, Cambridge, 25 May 2006; interview between the author and Nicola Madge, London, 3 May 2006; interview between the author and Michael Rutter, London, 4 July 2006.

[23] NA MH 152/72: minutes of the 2nd meeting of the Working Party, 19 October 1972.

[24] NA MH 152/72: minutes of the 2nd meeting of the Working Party, 19 October 1972., SSRC, ‘Approaches to Research on Transmitted Deprivation’, WPTD 21, 12 December 1972, 3–14.

[25] Harriett Wilson papers, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, SSRC, ‘Approaches to Research on Transmitted Deprivation’, ‘WPTD 21 (revised)’ (nd), 6.

[26] Interview between the author and Olive Stevenson, Middleton Cheney, Oxfordshire, 20 July 2006. For a sense of Halsey's interests, including the lessons he drew from the USA, see Halsey, Educational Priority, 3–30.

[27] Harriett Wilson papers, H. Wilson, ‘SSRC–DHSS Conference, LSE, 16 April 1973’; NA MH 152/74: Conference ‘Approaches to Research on Transmitted Deprivation’, 15 April 1973, transcript, 1.10–1.19; interview between the author and Raymond Illsley, Box Hill, Wiltshire, 13 September 2006.

[28] Interview between the author and Raymond Illsley, Box Hill, Wiltshire, 13 September 2006.

[29] Rutter and Madge, Cycles of Disadvantage, 3–6.

[30] Halsey, ‘Equals in Inequality’, 2.

[31] Sinfield papers, ‘WPTD 32’, 21 June 1973.

[32] NA MH 152/77: B. R. Rayner to A. M. Sheridan, 25 July 1973.

[33] SSRC–DHSS, Transmitted Deprivation: First Report.

[34] Castle, ‘The Cycle of Deprivation’, 2.

[35] NA MH 166/1515: J. Locke to M. James, 16 May 1974.

[36] Times Higher Education Supplement, 17 May 1974, 12.

[37] Interview between the author and Raymond Illsley, Box Hill, Wiltshire, 13 September 2006.

[38] Young, ‘The First Years’, 4–5; Matthews, ‘Rothschild and After’, 9.

[39] Letter from Robin Matthews to the author, 3 June 2006.

[40] Berthoud, ‘Transmitted Deprivation’, 156–7, 162.

[41] Deacon, ‘“Levelling the Playing Field”’, 123–37.

[42] SSRC–DHSS, Transmitted Deprivation: First Report, foreword.

[43] Times Educational Supplement, 10 May 1974, 6; Sinfield papers, A. Edmond and M. Brennan, ‘DHSS–SSRC Contract on Research into Transmitted Deprivation’ (nd). On the work of the Clarkes at Hull, see Clarke and Clarke, eds., Mental Deficiency. On the potential role of research officers, see Donovan, ‘Government Policy and the Direction of Social Science Research’, 23, 164.

[44] Interview between the author and Alan Clarke, London, 24 May 2006.

[45] Interview between the author and Michael Rutter, London, 4 July 2006.

[46] SSRC–DHSS, Transmitted Deprivation: Second Report, appendix 1. For more on the commissioning process, see Welshman, From Transmitted Deprivation, 107–38.

[47] NA MH 152/84: A. D. B. Clarke to M. Brennan, 2 February 1976.

[48] NA MH 152/84: A. D. B. Clarke to M. Brennan, 2 February 1976., minutes of the 22nd meeting of the Organising Group, 13 February 1976.

[49] NA MH 152/79: ‘SSRC’, 1 November 1974.

[50] NA MH 152/79: ‘SSRC’, 1 November 1974., SSRC, ‘Balance of Research’, 5 December 1974.

[51] NA MH 152/79: ‘SSRC’, 1 November 1974., papers for the 10th meeting of the Working Party, 1 July 1975, minutes of the 9th meeting of the Working Party, 26 February 1975.

[52] SSRC–DHSS, Transmitted Deprivation: Second Report, 4–6.

[53] NA MH 152/81: House of Commons Standing Committee A, 22 July 1975, 470.

[54] NA MH 152/82: M. G. Lillywhite to G. Hulme, 22 September 1975.

[55] NA MH 152/82: M. G. Lillywhite to G. Hulme, 22 September 1975., B. Abel-Smith to D. Owen, 9 October 1975; ibid., D. Owen to K. Joseph, 16 October 1975; Ibid., B. Abel-Smith to J. Cooper, 17 October 1975.

[56] NA MH 152/82: M. G. Lillywhite to G. Hulme, 22 September 1975., minutes of the 10th meeting of the Joint Working Party, 1 July 1975.

[57] Sinfield papers, A. Edmond and M. Brennan, ‘DHSS/SSRC Contract on Research into Transmitted Deprivation’ (nd).

[58] NA MH 152/82: SSRC, ‘Third Seminar’, 3 October 1975.

[59] NA MH 152/82: SSRC, ‘Third Seminar’, 3 October 1975.., minutes of the 17th meeting of the Organising Group, 9 September 1975, 10. On George, see George, Social Security: Beveridge and After.

[60] NA MH 152/80: S. Reeve to G. Hulme, 12 June 1975.

[61] NA BS 7/656: C. Smith to F. Bayliss, 18 August 1976.

[62] NA BS 7/656: C. Smith to F. Bayliss, 18 August 1976., D. Wedderburn to F. Bayliss, 17 September 1976. On Wedderburn, see Wedderburn, Redundancy and the Railwaymen; Wedderburn and Crompton, Workers' Attitudes and Technology; and Wedderburn, Poverty, Inequality and Class Structure.

[63] RCDIW, Report No 6: Lower Incomes, 126–35.

[64] NA MH 152/87: minutes of the 29th meeting of the Organising Group, 8 October 1976.

[65] NA BS 7/656: SSRC, ‘Contract with DHSS on Transmitted Deprivation: Strategic Review’, December 1976, 1–27.

[66] SSRC–DHSS, Transmitted Deprivation: Third Report, 11–12.

[67] NA MH 166/1516: minutes of the 15th meeting of the Joint Working Party, 3 February 1977, 3–4.

[68] See also King, ‘Creating a Funding Regime’, 23; Donovan, ‘Government Policy’, 47, 133, 145–54.

[69] NA MH 166/1517: ‘Transmitted Deprivation: Experience of Commissioning Research’ (nd); NA MH 152/73: A. R. Y. Turner to E. Shaw, 14 February 1978; SSRC, ‘Experience of Commissioning Research’, 18–20.

[70] NA MH 166/1518: ‘Paper from the Organising Group to the Joint Working Party on the Final Report’ (nd).

[71] NA MH 166/1518: ‘Paper from the Organising Group to the Joint Working Party on the Final Report’ (nd)., ‘Possible Contents’.

[72] NA MH 166/1518: ‘Paper from the Organising Group to the Joint Working Party on the Final Report’ (nd)., R. Berthoud, ‘Summarising the Extent and Continuity of Deprivation’, January 1978.

[73] Interview between the author and Muriel Brown, Bristol, 7 July 2006; interview between the author and Alan Clarke, London, 24 May 2006.

[74] NA MH 152/75: memo from D. Benham, 31 July 1979; NA MH 166/1518: memo by T. R. H. Luce, 15 February 1979.

[75] Interview between the author and Muriel Brown, Bristol, 7 July 2006.

[76] Brown and Madge, Despite the Welfare State, 3.

[77] Halsey, A History of Sociology, 98.

[78] Deacon, Perspectives on Welfare, 24–5.

[79] SSRC, Annual Report 1980/81, 3.

[80] Brown and Madge, Despite the Welfare State, vii. For a sense of Posner's research interests, see Posner, Fuel Policy.

[81] SSRC Newsletter 48 (1983), 13.

[82] An Enquiry into the Social Science Research Council, 12, para 3.12.

[83] Times Higher Education Supplement, 16 July 1982, 5a.

[84] Klein, ‘Pinpointing the Poor’, 1401.

[85] Weir, ‘Sentence of Death’, 11.

[86] Interview between the author and Richard Berthoud, University of Essex, 2 May 2006.

[87] Berthoud, ‘Transmitted Deprivation’, 155. On Berthoud, see also Berthoud, The Disadvantages of Inequality.

[88] Smith, ‘Transmitted Deprivation’, 305, 308, 310, 313–14.

[89] Cherns, ‘Policy Research under Scrutiny’, 191–3.

[90] Weir, ‘Sentence of Death’, 11–12.

[91] Nicola Madge papers, London, K. Joseph to N. Madge, 27 July 1982; interview between the author and Muriel Brown, Bristol, 7 July 2006.

[92] Matthews, ‘Rothschild on the Social Science Research Council’, 1–11.

[93] Interview between the author and Robin Matthews, Cambridge, 25 May 2006. On Matthews, see Matthews, Slower Growth; and Matthews and Sargent, Contemporary Problems.

[94] Joseph, The Importance of Parenting, 5.