Karen Christensen is Professor of Sociology at the Department of Sociology, University of Bergen, Norway. Her research and publications focus on welfare sociology based on her interests in social care, work, gender and migration. She has led or collaborated on a range of research projects, nationally and internationally, within areas such as elderly care, welfare and disability, comparative social policy, and the lives of migrant care workers.

Doria Pilling is a sociologist and Honorary senior research fellow at the School of Health Sciences at City, University of London, UK. She has researched and published on a range of areas, including social disadvantage, case management, disability and employment, disability and technology, evaluation of service quality and comparative social policy.