ReWAGE is fortunate in having some of the UK’s foremost thinkers on its Expert Group, drawn from leading universities and research organisations from across the UK. Between them they have a huge breadth of knowledge, covering such subjects as the labour market, job quality, employment relations and the changing nature of work. This week, we’re focusing on Professor Catherine Barnard who is our expert on European Union Law, employment law, and the effects of Brexit.

Background:

Catherine has been Professor of European Union and Employment Law at the University of Cambridge since 2008. She was appointed Reader in European Union Law in the Faculty of Law, University of Cambridge in 2004.She has been a Fellow of Trinity College, Cambridge since 1996, and also serves as the college's senior tutor. She has been very active in the Brexit debate since 2016, in particular through her role with the UK in a Changing Europe, a non-partisan think tank.

Area of expertise:

Catherine is a British legal scholar, who specialises in European Union law and employment law.

Why Catherine became a ReWAGE expert:

Catherine has particular expertise in employment law (she is one of the co-authors of Deakin and Morris on Labour Law, the major text in the field). She is also interested in immigration law and am currently doing a project on EU migrant workers in Great Yarmouth, looking at their experiences living and working in and around the town. Many work in food processing and their working conditions are not good. Catherine's interest is in how they can – and should – enforce their rights, which is where her interests fit in with the ReWAGE network. She is interested in both the migration and working conditions strands, and the particular issue of enforcement in the absence of a labour inspectorate.

Recent achievements:

Catherine was recently elected a Fellow of the British Academy (FBA) and she is also Deputy Director of UK in a Changing Europe (UKICE). UKICE has played a significant role in highlighting the issues arising from Brexit and showcasing social science research which aids our understanding of Brexit. UKICE has also shown it is possible to interest and engage the public in a wide range of social science research which is accessible and engaging. ReWAGE is following this model.

What achievement makes Catherine feel most proud?

In her time as an academic the numbers of women and black and ethnic minorities coming to study in some of the best universities in the UK has increased significantly. This is as a result of a concerted effort by many people and many institutions over the last couple of decades. Catherine hopes to see a similar transformation in terms of attracting those from more socio-economically deprived towns, towns like Great Yarmouth.

Recent publications:

· The Substantive Law of the EU: The Four Freedoms (OUP, 2021) 7th Edition

· European Union Law (ed, with Peers) (OUP, 2020) 3rd Edition

· EU Employment Law (OUP, 2012) 4th Edition

· What about Law? The Right Reasons for Studying Law at University (with Janet O'Sullivan and Graham Virgo) (Hart Publishing, 2021) 3rd Edition

· A Constitutional Order of States? Essays in EU Law in Honour of Alan Dashwood (with Anthony Arnull, Michael Dougan and Eleanor Spaventa) (eds) (Hart Publishing, 2011)

Other interests:

Good food, Spanish art and buildings

ReWAGE’s Expert Group is uniquely placed to offer the government informed practical advice and policy recommendations to support its strategic response to the recovery and renewal of work and employment in the UK as it tackles the impact of Covid-19.