In most countries, mothers spend more than half the amount of time on childcare than fathers. In the UK, dads spend an average of 24 minutes caring for children for every hour that is done by women. However, most dads agree that they should be as involved in childcare as the mother, and many would […]
Crunch Time – Industrial Strategy and our economic future
The Government’s Industrial Strategy will be the flagship domestic reform programme of Theresa May’s administration. As Brexit realities begin to bite, it could also make the difference between success and failure across entire sectors of the UK economy. On the launch day of our joint independent Industrial Strategy Commission with the University of Sheffield, Policy@Manchester […]
Our system for housing asylum seekers is failing, we must do better
In light of this week’s report into Asylum Accommodation by the Home Affairs Select Committee, Dr Jonathan Darling, who submitted expert evidence to the inquiry, responds to its findings and suggests a way forwards. Asylum accommodation is currently provided through six regional contracts with three private providers There have been reports of substandard and inappropriate […]
Eyes wide open – addressing immigration, to secure immigration
The University of Manchester’s Professor Martin Walker argues that the debate over immigration has suffered obfuscation on all sides – with anti-immigration voices refusing to acknowledge the economic necessity and benefits of immigration to the United Kingdom, and an equal unwillingness on the opposing side to recognise the extent (and skewed distribution) of its economic […]
Plan A + Plan B = Industrial Strategy?
The cornerstone of Theresa May’s economic vision for the country, the government’s Industrial Strategy was launched this week. Policy@manchester Co-Director Professor Andy Westwood assesses the size of the challenge, the scale of the strategy’s commitments, and places the strategy in the historical context of recent government efforts to achieve the same ends. Industrial Strategy […]
Less for your money? Differences in essential living costs for poorer families
The recent Bank of England evidence on the record levels of personal debt that have accumulated since the 2008 economic crash highlight the financial vulnerability of many people across the UK. Research by the University of Manchester into everyday living costs for those with limited financial resources is being launched with the End Child Poverty […]
The Shared Society : wellbeing through participation and the need for research
The Prime Minister recently set out her vision for a new ‘shared society’ alongside her promise to transform mental health care. University of Manchester PHD researcher Susan Oman, questions Theresa May’s commitment to mental health research, how it presents opportunities to understand what a sharing society might be, and how it might support improved wellbeing. […]
British values: an oath without meaning?
Secretary of State for Communities & Local Government, Sajid Javid, recently agreed with Louise Casey’s recommendations of an oath of integration being introduced not just for arriving migrants,but it should also be taken by all those in public office . However, Dr Bridget Byrne questions what exactly is meant by ‘British values’ and argues that […]
A shared Britain – refugee policy for 2017
To start the year, Dr Jonathan Darling, Senior Lecturer in Human Geography specialising in the politics and ethics of forced migration, and Gulwali Passarlay, Afghan refugee, politics graduate and author of ‘The Lightless Sky’, reflect on how government might support asylum seekers and refugees in 2017. Together, they discuss the challenges of the last year […]
The Prevent duty: can teachers be judges?
Prevent is one of the four Ps that make up the government’s post 9/11 counter-terrorism strategy: Prepare for attacks, Protect the public, Pursue the attackers and Prevent their radicalisation in the first place. Bob Hindle looks at how the Prevent duty is applied in schools and colleges and highlights areas of necessary reform. Teacher decision-making […]