Laura Robertson
Biographic Data
| ID | 3583548 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Laura Robertson |
| GIVEN NAMES | Laura |
| FAMILY NAME | Robertson |
| SIGNATURE | ROBERTSON L |
| AFFILIATIONS | Imperial College London |
| ORCID | 0000-0001-9690-0799 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 20 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 18 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 20 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2010 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2025 |
| H-INDEX | 3 |
Perceptions of Poverty and Policy Preferences: The Contribution of Q Methodology
The nature, causes and consequences of poverty have been debated for many years and remain controversial. However, some degree of consensus is a pre‐requisite for feasible, sustainable and effective policy responses to poverty. Research methods which can improve understanding of public attitudes towards poverty and identify potential areas of consensus are particularly valuable. Q methodology is a research tool which has the potential to identify…
Digital first Universal Credit and street-level discretion within screen-level implementation: Staff, Claimant and Stakeholder Perspectives
The implementation of social security in rich nations involves a move away from ‘street-level bureaucracy’ towards ‘screen-level’ interfaces. The UK was at the forefront of innovation with the ‘digital first’ delivery of Universal Credit (UC) as the main working age benefit for those in and out of work 2019 JRF-funded research included 29 in-depth interviews with 19 Universal Credit claimants , three focus groups with a total of 23 DWP staff and …
Developing pre-service teachers’ adaptive expertise through STEM-CT integration in professional development and residency placements
This paper focuses on how one innovative teacher education model, that included a unique residency model and the integration of computational thinking and digital teaching and learning in elementary classrooms, supported the development of adaptive expertise in pre-service teacher education programs. The theoretical frame applied in this study is adaptive expertise through the lens of sociocultural theory, and it employs tenets of ethnographic re…
Universal Credit and the invalidation of mental health problems: Claimant and Jobcentre Plus staff experiences
Moving disabled people ‘off benefits and into work’ has been an explicit aim of work-first welfare reform since 2008, increasingly punitively since 2010. The aim of this article is to demonstrate, for the first time, how Universal Credit (UC) fits with and intensifies that strategy. Empirical data from 28 in-depth interviews with 19 claimants (nine were interviewed twice) and three focus groups with 23 Jobcentre staff show how UC full service app…
Black Boys’ and Young Men’s Experiences with Criminal Justice and Desistance in England and Wales: A Literature Review
Black boys and young men are over-represented in the youth and adult justice systems in England and Wales. Despite the Lammy Review (2017) into the treatment of and outcomes for Black, Asian, and minority ethnic individuals (BAME) in the criminal justice system, the disproportionate numbers of Black boys and young men at all stages of the system continue to rise. There has been limited qualitative research of Black boys’ and young men’s experienc…
Spillover HIV prevention effects of a cash transfer trial in East Zimbabwe: Evidence from a cluster-randomised trial and general-population survey
ClinicalTrials.gov , NCT00966849 . Registered August 27, 2009
Youth Justice, Black Children and Young Men in Liverpool: A Story of Rac(ism), Identity and Contested Spaces
This study explores the experiences of the black children and young men that attended a Youth Offending Team (YOT) in Liverpool, a city in the North of England, UK. It focuses on the perspectives of both the YOT practitioners and the black children/young men as they develop working relationships with each other. Through this two-way prism the back children/young men reflect on what is important to them before and after they enter the criminal jus…
Introducing Social Science Evidence in Family Court Decision-Making and Adjudication: Evidence from England and Wales
This article examines the use of social science research in case level decision-making and adjudication in public and private family law proceedings from the perspectives of judges and lawyers in England and Wales. To provide a context for our analysis, we first review a limited, but nevertheless important, body of international literature concerned with the place of social science in the family courts. We then turn to our empirical material, dra…
Education, substance use, and HIV risk among orphaned adolescents in Eastern Zimbabwe
There is a growing interest in education as a means to reduce HIV infection in vulnerable children in sub-Saharan Africa; however, the mechanisms by which education reduces HIV infection remain uncertain. Substance use has been associated with high-risk sexual behaviour and could lie on the causal pathway between education and HIV risk. Therefore, we used multivariable regression to measure associations between: (i) orphanhood and substance use (…
Reconstructing restorative justice philosophy
The key aim of this edited book is, as its title suggests, to reconstruct restorative justice (RJ) philosophy. There is a strong philosophical underpinning throughout. Whilst the majority of litera...
Effects of cash transfers on Children’s health and social protection in Sub-Saharan Africa: Differences in outcomes based on orphan status and household assets
Orphaned children are at higher risk for poor social protection outcomes even when cared for in family-based settings. UCT and CCT each produced direct effects on children's social protection which are not moderated by other child- and household-level risk factors, but orphans are less likely to attend school or obtain birth registration. The effects of UCT and CCT are not moderated by asset-holding, but greater household assets predict greater s…
Migration as a risk factor for school dropout amongst children made vulnerable by HIV/Aids: A prospective study in eastern Zimbabwe
Orphans and other children made vulnerable by HIV in sub-Saharan Africa are at increased risk of moving household and of dropping out of school. However, the relationship between child migration and school enrolment has not been established. Multivariable regression models and prospective data from a cohort of children in Manicaland, Zimbabwe, were used to investigate the effect of migration on school enrolment. Children who had moved household w…
The impact of HIV on children's education in eastern Zimbabwe
Little is known about how HIV impacts directly and indirectly on receiving, or particularly succeeding in, education in sub-Saharan Africa. To address this gap, we used multivariable logistic regression to determine the correlation between education outcomes in youth (aged 15-24) (being in the correct grade-for-age, primary school completion and having at least five "O" level passes) and being HIV-positive; having an HIV-positive parent; being a …
Acceptability of conditions in a community-led cash transfer programme for orphaned and vulnerable children in Zimbabwe
Evidence suggests that a regular and reliable transfer of cash to households with orphaned and vulnerable children has a strong and positive effect on child outcomes. However, conditional cash transfers are considered by some as particularly intrusive and the question on whether or not to apply conditions to cash transfers is an issue of controversy. Contributing to policy debates on the appropriateness of conditions, this article sets out to inv…
Effects of unconditional and conditional cash transfers on child health and development in Zimbabwe: A cluster-randomised trial
InterVA-4 as a public health tool for measuring HIV/Aids mortality: A validation study from five African countries
BACKGROUND: Reliable population-based data on HIV infection and AIDS mortality in sub-Saharan Africa are scanty, even though that is the region where most of the world's AIDS deaths occur. There is therefore a great need for reliable and valid public health tools for assessing AIDS mortality. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this article is to validate the InterVA-4 verbal autopsy (VA) interpretative model within African populations where HIV sero-status is…
Asset ownership among households caring for orphans and vulnerable children in rural Zimbabwe: The influence of ownership on children's health and social vulnerabilities
The high prevalence of human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immune deficiency syndrome in sub-Saharan Africa has resulted in a dramatic increase in orphans and vulnerable children (OVC) over the past decade. These children typically rely on extended family networks for support, but the magnitude of the crisis has resulted in traditional familial networks becoming overwhelmed and more economically and socially vulnerable. Previous research consis…
Involving Communities in the Targeting of Cash Transfer Programs for Vulnerable Children: Opportunities and Challenges
We used baseline data, collected in July-September 2009, from a randomized controlled trial of a cash transfer program for vulnerable children in eastern Zimbabwe to investigate the effectiveness, coverage, and efficiency of census- and community-based targeting methods for reaching vulnerable children. Focus group discussions and in-depth interviews with beneficiaries and other stakeholders were used to explore community perspectives on targetin…
Household-based cash transfer targeting strategies in Zimbabwe: Are we reaching the most vulnerable children
Sexual risk among orphaned adolescents: Is country-level HIV prevalence an important factor
Previous studies from sub-Saharan Africa have found that orphans experience increased sexual risk compared to non-orphans. We developed a theoretical framework for the investigation of determinants of HIV risk and used it to generate specific hypotheses regarding the effect of country-level HIV prevalence on the sexual risk experience of orphans. We expected that countries with high HIV prevalence would experience a higher prevalence of orphanhoo…
Universal Credit and the invalidation of mental health problems: Claimant and Jobcentre Plus staff experiences
Moving disabled people ‘off benefits and into work’ has been an explicit aim of work-first welfare reform since 2008, increasingly punitively since 2010. The aim of this article is to demonstrate, for the first time, how Universal Credit (UC) fits with and intensifies that strategy. Empirical data from 28 in-depth interviews with 19 claimants (nine were interviewed twice) and three focus groups with 23 Jobcentre staff show how UC full service app…
Household-based cash transfer targeting strategies in Zimbabwe: Are we reaching the most vulnerable children
Involving Communities in the Targeting of Cash Transfer Programs for Vulnerable Children: Opportunities and Challenges
We used baseline data, collected in July-September 2009, from a randomized controlled trial of a cash transfer program for vulnerable children in eastern Zimbabwe to investigate the effectiveness, coverage, and efficiency of census- and community-based targeting methods for reaching vulnerable children. Focus group discussions and in-depth interviews with beneficiaries and other stakeholders were used to explore community perspectives on targetin…
Acceptability of conditions in a community-led cash transfer programme for orphaned and vulnerable children in Zimbabwe
Evidence suggests that a regular and reliable transfer of cash to households with orphaned and vulnerable children has a strong and positive effect on child outcomes. However, conditional cash transfers are considered by some as particularly intrusive and the question on whether or not to apply conditions to cash transfers is an issue of controversy. Contributing to policy debates on the appropriateness of conditions, this article sets out to inv…
Introducing Social Science Evidence in Family Court Decision-Making and Adjudication: Evidence from England and Wales
This article examines the use of social science research in case level decision-making and adjudication in public and private family law proceedings from the perspectives of judges and lawyers in England and Wales. To provide a context for our analysis, we first review a limited, but nevertheless important, body of international literature concerned with the place of social science in the family courts. We then turn to our empirical material, dra…
Migration as a risk factor for school dropout amongst children made vulnerable by HIV/Aids: A prospective study in eastern Zimbabwe
Orphans and other children made vulnerable by HIV in sub-Saharan Africa are at increased risk of moving household and of dropping out of school. However, the relationship between child migration and school enrolment has not been established. Multivariable regression models and prospective data from a cohort of children in Manicaland, Zimbabwe, were used to investigate the effect of migration on school enrolment. Children who had moved household w…
Sexual risk among orphaned adolescents: Is country-level HIV prevalence an important factor
Previous studies from sub-Saharan Africa have found that orphans experience increased sexual risk compared to non-orphans. We developed a theoretical framework for the investigation of determinants of HIV risk and used it to generate specific hypotheses regarding the effect of country-level HIV prevalence on the sexual risk experience of orphans. We expected that countries with high HIV prevalence would experience a higher prevalence of orphanhoo…
Household-based cash transfer targeting strategies in Zimbabwe: Are we reaching the most vulnerable children
Effects of unconditional and conditional cash transfers on child health and development in Zimbabwe: A cluster-randomised trial
InterVA-4 as a public health tool for measuring HIV/Aids mortality: A validation study from five African countries
BACKGROUND: Reliable population-based data on HIV infection and AIDS mortality in sub-Saharan Africa are scanty, even though that is the region where most of the world's AIDS deaths occur. There is therefore a great need for reliable and valid public health tools for assessing AIDS mortality. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this article is to validate the InterVA-4 verbal autopsy (VA) interpretative model within African populations where HIV sero-status is…
Asset ownership among households caring for orphans and vulnerable children in rural Zimbabwe: The influence of ownership on children's health and social vulnerabilities
The high prevalence of human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immune deficiency syndrome in sub-Saharan Africa has resulted in a dramatic increase in orphans and vulnerable children (OVC) over the past decade. These children typically rely on extended family networks for support, but the magnitude of the crisis has resulted in traditional familial networks becoming overwhelmed and more economically and socially vulnerable. Previous research consis…
Involving Communities in the Targeting of Cash Transfer Programs for Vulnerable Children: Opportunities and Challenges
We used baseline data, collected in July-September 2009, from a randomized controlled trial of a cash transfer program for vulnerable children in eastern Zimbabwe to investigate the effectiveness, coverage, and efficiency of census- and community-based targeting methods for reaching vulnerable children. Focus group discussions and in-depth interviews with beneficiaries and other stakeholders were used to explore community perspectives on targetin…
The impact of HIV on children's education in eastern Zimbabwe
Little is known about how HIV impacts directly and indirectly on receiving, or particularly succeeding in, education in sub-Saharan Africa. To address this gap, we used multivariable logistic regression to determine the correlation between education outcomes in youth (aged 15-24) (being in the correct grade-for-age, primary school completion and having at least five "O" level passes) and being HIV-positive; having an HIV-positive parent; being a …
Acceptability of conditions in a community-led cash transfer programme for orphaned and vulnerable children in Zimbabwe
Evidence suggests that a regular and reliable transfer of cash to households with orphaned and vulnerable children has a strong and positive effect on child outcomes. However, conditional cash transfers are considered by some as particularly intrusive and the question on whether or not to apply conditions to cash transfers is an issue of controversy. Contributing to policy debates on the appropriateness of conditions, this article sets out to inv…
Effects of cash transfers on Children’s health and social protection in Sub-Saharan Africa: Differences in outcomes based on orphan status and household assets
Orphaned children are at higher risk for poor social protection outcomes even when cared for in family-based settings. UCT and CCT each produced direct effects on children's social protection which are not moderated by other child- and household-level risk factors, but orphans are less likely to attend school or obtain birth registration. The effects of UCT and CCT are not moderated by asset-holding, but greater household assets predict greater s…
Migration as a risk factor for school dropout amongst children made vulnerable by HIV/Aids: A prospective study in eastern Zimbabwe
Orphans and other children made vulnerable by HIV in sub-Saharan Africa are at increased risk of moving household and of dropping out of school. However, the relationship between child migration and school enrolment has not been established. Multivariable regression models and prospective data from a cohort of children in Manicaland, Zimbabwe, were used to investigate the effect of migration on school enrolment. Children who had moved household w…
Reconstructing restorative justice philosophy
The key aim of this edited book is, as its title suggests, to reconstruct restorative justice (RJ) philosophy. There is a strong philosophical underpinning throughout. Whilst the majority of litera...
Education, substance use, and HIV risk among orphaned adolescents in Eastern Zimbabwe
There is a growing interest in education as a means to reduce HIV infection in vulnerable children in sub-Saharan Africa; however, the mechanisms by which education reduces HIV infection remain uncertain. Substance use has been associated with high-risk sexual behaviour and could lie on the causal pathway between education and HIV risk. Therefore, we used multivariable regression to measure associations between: (i) orphanhood and substance use (…
Introducing Social Science Evidence in Family Court Decision-Making and Adjudication: Evidence from England and Wales
This article examines the use of social science research in case level decision-making and adjudication in public and private family law proceedings from the perspectives of judges and lawyers in England and Wales. To provide a context for our analysis, we first review a limited, but nevertheless important, body of international literature concerned with the place of social science in the family courts. We then turn to our empirical material, dra…
Black Boys’ and Young Men’s Experiences with Criminal Justice and Desistance in England and Wales: A Literature Review
Black boys and young men are over-represented in the youth and adult justice systems in England and Wales. Despite the Lammy Review (2017) into the treatment of and outcomes for Black, Asian, and minority ethnic individuals (BAME) in the criminal justice system, the disproportionate numbers of Black boys and young men at all stages of the system continue to rise. There has been limited qualitative research of Black boys’ and young men’s experienc…
Spillover HIV prevention effects of a cash transfer trial in East Zimbabwe: Evidence from a cluster-randomised trial and general-population survey
ClinicalTrials.gov , NCT00966849 . Registered August 27, 2009
Youth Justice, Black Children and Young Men in Liverpool: A Story of Rac(ism), Identity and Contested Spaces
This study explores the experiences of the black children and young men that attended a Youth Offending Team (YOT) in Liverpool, a city in the North of England, UK. It focuses on the perspectives of both the YOT practitioners and the black children/young men as they develop working relationships with each other. Through this two-way prism the back children/young men reflect on what is important to them before and after they enter the criminal jus…
Universal Credit and the invalidation of mental health problems: Claimant and Jobcentre Plus staff experiences
Moving disabled people ‘off benefits and into work’ has been an explicit aim of work-first welfare reform since 2008, increasingly punitively since 2010. The aim of this article is to demonstrate, for the first time, how Universal Credit (UC) fits with and intensifies that strategy. Empirical data from 28 in-depth interviews with 19 claimants (nine were interviewed twice) and three focus groups with 23 Jobcentre staff show how UC full service app…
Developing pre-service teachers’ adaptive expertise through STEM-CT integration in professional development and residency placements
This paper focuses on how one innovative teacher education model, that included a unique residency model and the integration of computational thinking and digital teaching and learning in elementary classrooms, supported the development of adaptive expertise in pre-service teacher education programs. The theoretical frame applied in this study is adaptive expertise through the lens of sociocultural theory, and it employs tenets of ethnographic re…
Perceptions of Poverty and Policy Preferences: The Contribution of Q Methodology
The nature, causes and consequences of poverty have been debated for many years and remain controversial. However, some degree of consensus is a pre‐requisite for feasible, sustainable and effective policy responses to poverty. Research methods which can improve understanding of public attitudes towards poverty and identify potential areas of consensus are particularly valuable. Q methodology is a research tool which has the potential to identify…
Digital first Universal Credit and street-level discretion within screen-level implementation: Staff, Claimant and Stakeholder Perspectives
The implementation of social security in rich nations involves a move away from ‘street-level bureaucracy’ towards ‘screen-level’ interfaces. The UK was at the forefront of innovation with the ‘digital first’ delivery of Universal Credit (UC) as the main working age benefit for those in and out of work 2019 JRF-funded research included 29 in-depth interviews with 19 Universal Credit claimants , three focus groups with a total of 23 DWP staff and …
Medicine (11 works) · Poverty, Education, and Child Welfare (11 works) · Environmental health (10 works) · Child Nutrition and Water Access (8 works) · Political science (8 works) · Demography (7 works) · Population (7 works) · Sociology (7 works) · Business (6 works) · Economics (6 works)