Jay Wiggan is Senior Lecturer in Social Policy at the University of Edinburgh. His research concentrates on labour market policy and the governance of public employment services and social security administration. In this field, he has recently published a book that examines the politics and development of social security and employment services in the UK since the 1970s, and related work includes analysis of the politics of job retention schemes in the UK in the 2020s and 1980s. 

More broadly, Jay has an interest in the analysis of discourse and how attention to political and policy discourse can help us to better understand the nature of social welfare reform and the policy process. Recent work in this field includes examination of social security policy reform discourse in Brazil, and exploration of socio-technical imaginaries in the construction of benefit reform policy in the UK.

Prior to moving to Edinburgh, Jay held a lectureship in social policy at Queen’s University, Belfast and has held research positions at the University of Manchester and the University of Nottingham. 

Biographical details correct as of 11.03.25