Stephen Sinclair

Stephen Sinclair is a Professor of Sociology at Glasgow Caledonian University with extensive expertise in child poverty, social innovation, and public policy reform. He serves as Chair of the Poverty and Inequality Commission (2024-2028) and holds external positions as Visiting Professor at the University of Parma and previously as External Examiner at the University of Ulster (2023). His scholarly contributions include over 2000 research outputs with an h-index of 13.

• Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (2014)
• Editorial board member for Journal of Poverty and Social Justice (since 2016)
• Editorial board member for Journal of Social Policy (since 2022)
• Active contributor to UN Sustainable Development Goals related to poverty reduction

Professor Sinclair's research focuses on the intersection of poverty, social innovation, and policy development, with particular emphasis on Scotland and the UK context. His work examines how social innovation can drive policy reform, especially in addressing child poverty through local and national initiatives. Recent publications analyze welfare reform in devolved political systems and explore methodological approaches to understanding public perceptions of poverty.

His scholarly output demonstrates a consistent focus on practical applications of social policy research, with significant contributions to understanding poverty perception, policy preferences, and innovative approaches to social problem-solving. The 2024 Handbook on Social Innovation and Social Policy represents a major contribution to the field as both editor and contributor.

• Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (2014)
• Multiple journal editorial board memberships
• Contributor to UN Sustainable Development Goals framework

Professor Sinclair actively supervises PhD students in social policy areas and has led significant research projects including 'TPLOD: Lessons in Tackling Poverty Locally Online Directory' and 'Providing Analytical Expertise on Local Area Child Poverty Planning on Behalf of the Scottish Government.' His media engagement includes interviews on 'Reporting Scotland' and invited talks on social innovation. Current research examines the strategic state's response to welfare challenges in devolved political systems and evolving approaches to poverty measurement and policy design.