Social change and equity

Social inequality is driven by structural disadvantages such as race and gender, economic systems, climate change, and lack of access to basic resources.

Achieving social justice and equality requires long term and sustainable action to close the inequity gap.

Goal:

More just and equitable societies

Our priorities are to:

Understand social change

Our researchers investigate drivers of change in human societies over time and how these have shaped our identity, communities and heritage.

Examine social inclusion

Our researchers investigate the factors that shape or determine equity and social inclusion to redress longstanding inequalities in society.

Optimise social justice

Our researchers apply evidence to increase access and achievement in education, business practices and civic engagement - contributing to greater equality and representation by all members of society.

Our latest research

Dr Judith Bishop awarded the 2024 Tracey Banivanua Mar Fellowship

Dr Judith Bishop has been appointed as the Tracey Banivanua Mar (TBM) Fellow for 2024.

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Ethical dilemmas of preventing the next pandemic

Could protecting one group of people from disease, and exposing another to it, be the best way to prevent as many deaths as possible and reduce the impact of a future pandemic?

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Improving multilingual crisis communication

The Albury-Wodonga region has become a case study for a large multidisciplinary research collaboration to improve the emergency alert system for multilingual communities, with La Trobe University’s regional campus at the heart of the project.

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New partnership to advance smart-city research

A new partnership between La Trobe University and Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) will see TISS join two prestigious Indian universities to advance research into smart city-related projects, as part of the Asian Smart Cities Research Innovation Network (ASCRIN).

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La Trobe academic appointed Oxford Fellowship

Congratulations to Professor Andrea Carson, who will soon be heading over to the UK to undertake a prestigious research fellowship based at the University of Oxford in the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism.

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First student cohort to address workforce shortage

La Trobe University has today welcomed the first cohort of students undertaking the bespoke Master of Social Work (Child and Family Practice) degree, created to help address critical workforce shortages, in sectors supporting the most vulnerable in our community.

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Discover real impact in Social change and equity

Our research and its impact

Meet our Theme Lead

Growing inequality is one of the majors challenges facing our world. I’m passionate about harnessing the power of our research to understand its causes and identify ways to promote and strengthen justice, equity and inclusion across all our communities – local, regional, national and international.

Professor Katie Holmes
Theme Lead for Social change & equity