Amanda Hill-Dixon is a Senior Research Fellow and Programme Director at the Wales Centre for Public Policy (WCPP). Amanda leads WCPP’s inequalities priority area, our work with public services more broadly, and WCPP’s work on socio-economic inequalities as part of the International Public Policy Observatory. Her role involves developing and leading research and knowledge mobilisation to generate useful and impactful evidence for Welsh policy makers and public service leaders.
Key projects which Amanda has led since joining WCPP have included:
- A series of rapid evidence reviews to inform the Anti-racist Wales action plan
- A programme of work exploring poverty and social exclusion to inform the Welsh Government’s new child poverty strategy
- Ongoing research to support public services to understand and address poverty-related stigma
- An ESRC Innovation Fellowship designed to enhance the capability, knowledge and skills of knowledge mobilisers, policy researchers and policy makers, in relation to involving people with lived experience
Amanda has a background in developing social research to improve, change or disrupt practice and policy. Prior to joining the Centre, Amanda worked at The Young Foundation and Cordis Bright where she developed and led a range of national and international social policy research and evaluation projects related to, for example: community wellbeing, basic income, healthy places, education, children and youth services, social care, and tackling violence against women and girls. Her clients have included the Department for Education, the Big Lottery Fund, Refuge, Women’s Aid and Barcelona City Council.
Amanda has an MSc in Social Policy Research from the London School of Economics, a PGCE in secondary (history) education from University College London Institute of Education, and a BA (Hons) in History from the University of Cambridge.