Dr Caroline Barrett
Chair of the Exceptional Circumstances Committee Lecturer

Profile

Biography

Dr Caroline Barrett joined the School for Business and Society in September 2021 as lecturer in Work, Management and Organisation.  Previously, she worked as a lawyer and legal educator, most recently as a tutor at the University of Law.  Caroline has previously worked with the Bridge Group (a Social Mobility charity), contributing to research focused on issues of access and progression in the banking, finance and real estate sectors.

Caroline’s research focuses on social mobility, social and institutional stratification, and access to the legal profession in England.  Her research draws on a range of theories, concepts and approaches, including rational action theories, habitus, capitals and capabilities, to explore the influence of social background on choice, decision-making and wellbeing in pathways to work. Her research has notably been published in Work, Employment and Society; Sociology; the British Educational Research Journal; and Studies in Higher Education.

Caroline is keen to supervise doctoral students interested in professional occupations, sociology of work, alternative pathways to decent work, wellbeing, including qualitative studies of management and organisation.

Departmental roles

Undergraduate Personal Supervisor

Chair of the Exceptional Circumstances Committee

PhD Progression Panel Member

Subject Group

Work, Management and Organisation

Research

Overview

Caroline's research draws on a range of theories, concepts and approaches, including rational action theories, habitus, capitals and capabilities, to explore the influence of social background on choice, decision-making and wellbeing in pathways to work.

Research group(s)

Equality, Justice and Ethics

Publications

Selected publications

Peer-reviewed Journal Articles

Casey, C., Mountford-Zimdars, A. and Hancock, S. (2024). Player, Purist, Pragmatist: a comparison of employability strategies in access to the solicitors’ profession via alternative degree pathways. Studies in Higher Education, pp.1-12.

Casey, C. and Mountford‐Zimdars, A. (2024). Legal apprenticeships: Enhancing capabilities, wellbeing, and diversity in the profession?. British Educational Research Journal.

Casey, C., 2023. Managing Uncertainty and Risk in Access to the Solicitors’ Profession in England: Classed Pathways?. Sociology, p.00380385231196101.

Casey, C. & Wakeling, P. (2020). University or Degree Apprenticeship? Stratification and Uncertainty in Routes to the Solicitors’ Profession. Work, Employment and Society, p.0950017020977001.

Conferences

BSA Happiness Study Group event 2023: Happiness in Turbulent Times: Latest, Developments in Wellbeing Research, Paper presentation: Adopting a Capabilities Approach to explore and compare the wellbeing of legal apprentices and law students

BSA Annual Conference 2023: Sociological Voices in Public Discourse, April 2023, Paper presentation: ‘Player, Purist or Pragmatist? Strategising for future Employability in the legal profession’

BSA Annual Conference 2022: Building Equality and Justice Now, April 2022, Paper presentation: ‘Same game, new rules - social mobility and degree apprenticeship Pathways into professional occupations’

Society for Research into Higher Education Annual Conference “Degree apprenticeship pathways to professional occupations in England - a game changer?”, December 2019

WRDTP 8th Annual Post-graduate Conference, Leeds ,“Sustainable pathways to decent work in the UK”, June 2019

Society for the Advancement of Management Studies, University of York, Inequalities Masterclass, “Access and capabilities: theorising the role of degree apprenticeship and university pathways in would-be solicitors’ wellbeing, flourishing and success”, September 2019

York Talks, University of York, “University of degree apprenticeship – a moral choice?”,January 2019

Society of Research into Higher Education Annual conference, “Transitions into the Solicitors’ profession: higher education and degree apprenticeships”, December 2018

Finnish Institute for Education Research Summer School, University of Jyvaskyla, Finland, “Transitions into the Solicitors’ profession: higher education and degree apprenticeships”, August 2018

Teaching

Undergraduate

Behaviour in Organisations I

Behaviour in Organisations II

Managing and Leading Change

Globalisation, Politics and Culture

Postgraduate

MBA (Online) Consultancy Portfolio

Managing People

Leading and Managing People

Research Methods

Contemporary Issues in Management (MAN00078M)

Other teaching

Dissertation Supervisor

Personal Tutor