A critical political analysis of wellbeing support for postgraduate researchers in higher education

Turnpenny, John (2025) A critical political analysis of wellbeing support for postgraduate researchers in higher education. Policy & Politics. 689–710. ISSN 0305-5736

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Abstract

While improving wellbeing is a prominent policy goal, political analysis of wellbeing is a vital but to date under-researched sub-field. This article is focused on the politics surrounding concern about the wellbeing of postgraduate researchers (PGRs) at higher education institutions in the UK. There have been several recent policy interventions to support PGR wellbeing within the context of ongoing debate about the status of PGRs, including whether they are students or staff. This article asks how and why PGRs’ status ambiguity affects the policy capacities to support PGR wellbeing. It does this through an analysis of capacities to steer, design and benefit from interventions. It is based on 15 interviews with individuals who had prominent leadership roles in recent ‘flagship’ PGR support projects, analysed using reflexive thematic analysis. It shows that while support for PGR wellbeing features prominently in the UK policy context, there appear to be gaps in the effective design and implementation of that support. Specifically, there is evidence of low political capacity at Individual, Organisational and Systemic levels, which leads to significant gaps in operational capacity. These in turn can amplify low political capacity. The article concludes with some implications for a political analysis of wellbeing, consequent policy implications, and some promising lines for future research.

Item Type:	Article
Faculty \ School:	Faculty of Arts and Humanities > School of Politics, Philosophy and Area Studies University of East Anglia Research Groups/Centres > Theme - ClimateUEA
UEA Research Groups:	Faculty of Social Sciences > Research Centres > Centre for Competition Policy University of East Anglia Schools > Faculty of Science > Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research Faculty of Science > Research Centres > Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research Faculty of Arts and Humanities > Research Groups > Policy & Politics Faculty of Arts and Humanities > Research Groups > Political, Social and International Studies
Depositing User:	LivePure Connector
Date Deposited:	13 Nov 2025 12:30
Last Modified:	13 Nov 2025 12:30
URI:	https://ueaeprints.uea.ac.uk/id/eprint/100962
DOI:	10.1332/03055736Y2024D000000056

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