Professor Victoria Wass
Emerita Professor
- Media commentator
Overview
My research interests span labour economics, sociology of work and HRM and include studies of disability at work, formal and informal care and gender pay gaps.
Engagement and impact on disability and work include expert advice to parliamentary committees and in loss of earnings claims (personal injury, clinical negligence and employment discrimination). I sit on the National Statistics Harmonisation Group Health Disability and Carers Panel and I am a member of the Ogden Working Party.
My research on valuing the impact of disability in personal injury claims formed an Impact Case Study in REF 2014. Ensuring fair compensation for accident victims in court http://impact.ref.ac.uk/CaseStudies/Results.aspx?HEI=188
Committed to providing evidence for policy and practice, my research is available through Disability@Work (www.DisabilityatWork.co.uk). The website hosts Disability Talking a short film illustrating the disability employment gap with individual workplace stories.
I have given evidence as an expert witness in the following trials on the indexation of care costs:
- Thompstone v Tameside & Glossop Acute Health Services Trust [2006] EWHC 2904
- Corbett v South Yorkshire SHA 28th March 2007
- Sarwar v Ali and MIB [2007] EWHC 1255
- RH v United Bristol Healthcare NHS Trust [2007] EWHC 1441
Judges have said the following:
- The evidence of Dr Wass went in to some detail. She is a labour economist from Cardiff Business School and was in my judgment a most compelling witness. She avoided partisan selection of material and gave straight answers even when they did not suit the claimant’s case. MacKay J in RH v United Bristol Healthcare NHS Trust 2007 para 35
- Much of the evidence about the various measures came from Dr Wass. Her evidence was well researched and her answers in oral evidence careful and considered. She was frank and open about the drawbacks of the various measures under discussion. I found her an impressive witness. Swift J Thompstone v Tameside & Glossop Acute Health Services Trust 2006 para 77
Biography
Qualifications
- PhD (Econ) 1992 University of Wales, Cardiff
- MSc (Econ) 1985 London School of Economics
- BSc (Econ) 1984 University of Wales, Cardiff
Professional memberships
- CIPD Academic Fellow
- British Academy of Management
- British Sociological Association
Publications
Grants
- Wass V and Jones M (2016) “Disability@Work” and “Disability Talking”, a short film about disability disadvantage at work, Public Value Innovation Project, Cardiff Business School
- Fevre R, Foster D, Jones M and Wass V. (2016) “Disabled Employment Evidence-based Partnerships (DEEPEN)”. Cardiff University/ESRC Impact Acceleration Account.
- Wass V (2015) “Austerity, overworking and under-recording of Inspectors’ working time: Follow-on evidence from 12 Forces”. Funded by the Police Federation of England and Wales (PFEW) and the Scottish Police Federation.
- Wass V (2015) “Rebalancing long working hours in the Police Service: creating impact through Evidence-based Representation”. Cardiff University/ ESRC Impact Acceleration Account.
- Wass V and Z Butt “Earnings estimations for construction workers 1970-2014 for the Construction Industry Vetting Information Group Litigation (HQ12X01115)”. Funded by construction unions UCATT, UNITE and GMB through Claimants’ Solicitors Steering Group (CSSG).
- Blackaby D, Felstead A, Jones, M. Makepeace, G, Murphy P (PI) and V Wass (2013) "The Labour Market Implications of Changes in the Public Sector: Inequality and Work Quality" Estimating public private sector differentials using an analysis of secondary data. ESRC Research Award for 18 months starting November 2012. ES/K003283/1
- Turnbull T and V Wass (PI) (2013) "Working Time and Wellbeing in the Police Service: Practical Steps to Monitor, Manage and Balance the Working Hours of the Inspecting Ranks" ESRC Knowledge Exchange for 12 months starting February 2013. ES/K005618/1
- Davies, R. and V. Wass 2010-11 "An anatomy of economic inequality in Wales", Equality and Human Rights Commission.
- Turnbull, P. and V. Wass 1992-1993 "Redundancy and re-employment in the docks", ESRC Research Award No. R000233784.
- McNabb, R., V. Wass and R. Lewis 1998-1999 "A comparison of alternative methods for assessing the value of loss of earnings following personal injury" ESRC Research Award No. R000237393.
- Wass, V. 2007-2008 "The pattern and stability of occupational pay 1979-2007" Leverhulme Research Fellowship Research Award No. 0268.
Current Projects
- Disability at work based on analyses of work place Employment Relations Survey 2011
- Working time and wellbeing for Police Inspectors