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Sonia Sodha

Head of the Progressive Austerity Programme

Sonia2
Telephone
020 7367 4200
Email
sonia.sodha@demos.co.uk

Sonia is Head of the Progressive Austerity Programme. Her inte rests include wellbeing, education, asset-based welfare and wealth inequality.

Sonia is Head of Demos' Progressive Austerity Programme. Her chief areas of expertise include:

  • Children and young people’s emotional wellbeing
  • Education
  • Asset-based welfare
  • Wealth inequality

Prior to joining Demos, Sonia was Research Fellow at ippr. She has also worked for the Home Office, for a US Congressman and for an MP, and completed an internship at the Social Market Foundation.

Sonia studied for an MPhil in Politics at St Antony's College, Oxford, and holds a first class honours degree in Politics, Philosophy and Economics from the University of Oxford.

Sonia's recent publications include:

  • Thursday’s Child with J Margo (2008), ippr.
  • Those Who Can? with J Margo, M Benton and K Withers (2008), ippr.
  • "Get Happy: Children and young people's emotional wellbeing" with J Margo (2007), NCH.
  • "Moving On Up: Progression in the labour market" with N Engel (2007), in Politics for a New Generation  ed N Pearce and J Margo, Palgrave Macmillan and ippr.
  • "Mind the Wealth Gap? The politics of wealth inequality" with J Reed (2007), in Politics for a New Generation  ed N Pearce and J Margo, Palgrave Macmillan and ippr.
  • "State of the Nation: Audit of Britain" with J Margo and R Vance (2007), in Politics for a New Generation  ed N Pearce and J Margo, Palgrave Macmillan and ippr.
  • "State of the Nation 2007: Audit" with J Margo, and "Conclusion" with J Margo and R Vance (2007), in Beyond Liberty: Is the future of liberalism progressive?, ed J Margo, ippr.
  • The Saving Gateway: from principles to practice (2006) ippr
  • An Asset Account for Looked After Children: a proposal to improve educational outcomes for children in care, with Kate Stanley and Dominic Maxwell (2006) ippr
  • Lessons from Across the Atlantic: asset-building in the UK (2006) paper presented to the 2006 Assets Learning Conference, Phoenix, USA
  • Housing Wealth: first timers to old timers, with Dominic Maxwell (2006) ippr
  • Top Tips for Top-Ups: next steps for the Child Trust Fund, with Dominic Maxwell (2005) ippr
  • Housing-Rich, Income-Poor: the potential of housing wealth in old age  (2005) ippr
Stitch_in_time
A Stitch in Time: Tackling educational disengagement
Authors
Sonia Sodha, Silvia Guglielmi
Publication Date
2009-05-18
Publication Type
Report

This interim report that looks at how to prevent children and young people becoming disengaged from learning.

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A Citizens' Charter for Reform
Authors
Celia Hannon, Sonia Sodha
Publication Date
2009-06-08
Publication Type
Report

Demos convened the first Citizens Convention on MPs’ Expenses in association with Ipsos MORI on 4th June 2009, in London. The Convention brought together a representative group of the public for an informed, constructive debate on the key aspects of MPs’ remuneration. Following three hours of debate, discussion, and deliberative voting, the convention produced a Citizens’ Charter – their view on how the system should be changed. This charter represents the views of the people who took part, and we are submitting it to the Committee for Standards in Public as evidence on their behalf.

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Service Nation
Authors
Sonia Sodha, Dan Leighton
Publication Date
2009-12-06
Publication Type
Pamphlet

Civic service comes from the idea that individuals have a duty to their fellow citizens. In this report Sonia Sodha and Dan Leighton set out a clear set of policy proposals for introducing civic service in the UK. It argues for bottom-up civic service that starts at an early age and continues throughout citizen's lives.

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Ex Curricula
Authors
Sonia Sodha, Julia Margo
Publication Date
2010-02-25
Publication Type
Pamphlet

With 1 in 10 five year olds arriving at school without the behavioural skills to become learn in the classroom, this report explores how these children and their parents are being let down and can be supported.

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Ex Curricula

Sonia Sodha

Demos is undertaking a year-long research project focused on children aged 7-16 who are already displaying signs of being at risk of social exclusion and deprivation in later life.

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Missing

When She Was Bad

Sonia Sodha

This project will map how social change over the last few decades has changed the contexts within which young women grow up and are socialised, based on new data analysis of large-scale longitudinal studies.

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Missing

Under the Influence

Sonia Sodha

This project will work with young people, government and drink industry bodies to consider an effective strategy to combat binge drinking.

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It Takes a Village

Sonia Sodha

This project will look at what underpins the willingness of adults to engage with children and young people in their local area and how this creates cultural and behavioural norms to monitor behaviour.

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Youth Civic Service

Sonia Sodha, Dan Leighton

In recent months there have been many proposals to create a youth civic service. But what should such a scheme try to achieve? What should it look like? And what are the views of young people themselves?

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Sonia

Politicians ignore educational experts

Sonia Sodha writes on education and politics in the Guardian.