Expert insight, analysis and comment on key public policy issues
By Andrew Smith Filed Under: Ethnicity, Featured Posted:
Should we see fantasy novels as just that – fantasies? Andrew Smith suggests they can contain insidious racism. Last month saw the DVD release of the final film in Peter Jackson’s Hobbit franchise, the hugely successful follow-up to the same director’s film adaptations of J.R.R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings. If you want to know what […]
By Andy Westwood Filed Under: Devo, Featured, Westminster Watch Posted:
What does the Conservative election victory mean for the North of England and higher education? Professor Andy Westwood interprets the signals. Just in case you didn’t know, the Northern Powerhouse is ‘GO’ and was confirmed in today’s Queens Speech. George Osborne reaffirmed his commitment to the idea almost immediately after he and the Conservatives won […]
By Dave Richards and Martin Smith Filed Under: Featured, Westminster Watch Posted:
Professor Dave Richards and Professor Martin Smith analyse what the general election result means for the British political system. The 2015 general election was supposed to produce one type of policy earthquake, but may have produced another. The assumption by nearly everyone until 10.01 pm on May 7 was that we would see the further […]
By Yaron Matras Filed Under: Ethnicity, Featured Posted:
Roma are one of Europe’s most marginalised and deprived communities. Addressing their problems is made more difficult by lack of transparency in the methods used to collect data on them, argues Professor Yaron Matras, as a new project is launched to tackle the problem. Europe’s Roma population suffers extreme poverty and social marginalisation. European institutions have […]
By Tarlok Teji Filed Under: Featured, Westminster Watch Posted:
Creating a coherent digital policy that addresses both opportunities and threats is likely to prove a challenge for the new Government, argues Tarlok Teji. One of the major policy challenges facing the new Government is defining our relationship to the hyper-connected digital world. While that world brings fantastic opportunities, it also creates risks of global […]
By Dr Joanne Tippett Filed Under: All posts, Featured Posted:
The recent general election has seen calls for parity of mental health within the health care system, and this will require innovative approaches to involving people with mental health issues and their carers in service delivery says Joanne Tippett, as part of Mental Health Awareness Week. A participant with dementia in a recent event hosted […]
By Kitty Lymperopoulou Filed Under: Ethnicity, Featured Posted:
Despite the educational attainment gap between ethnic minority groups and the White British group narrowing, some ethnic minority groups continue to experience inequalities in education, explains Dr Kitty Lymperopoulou, who has contributed to a book on Ethnic identity and inequalities in Britain which has just been published. Education policy under successive governments in the UK has been […]
The election is over and David Cameron’s new government is poised to pursue its legislative programme. Here Ken Clark explores the economic challenges facing the new Government, and in particular falling productivity. The economy was undoubtedly a crucial part of the election campaign and the eventual outcome. While the Conservatives emphasised the renewed growth, expanding […]
By Liam Harte Filed Under: Ethnicity, Featured Posted:
Liam Harte explains how his research into the Irish in Britain became the basis for a new play, which has just opened. The Irish Government published in March the country’s first official policy on diaspora issues. Global Irish: Ireland’s Diaspora Policy runs to 57 pages and is informed by over 130 submissions provided by organisations […]
By Simon Lovell and David Robertson Filed Under: All posts, Featured, Science and Technology Posted:
The Ebola outbreak has loosened its grip on West Africa, as shown by Liberia being declared free of the disease a couple of days ago. This is cause for relief, but not complacency, explain Simon Lovell and David Robertson. The 2014 outbreak of the Ebola virus arose from a single case in Guinea, probably transmitted […]
