Expert insight, analysis and comment on key public policy issues
By David Hulme Filed Under: All posts Posted:
Oxfam’s annual inequality report reveals that the richest 1% now have as much wealth as the rest of the world combined. And the wealthiest 62 people on the planet have as much wealth as the poorest half of the global population. Professor David Hulme examines this extreme fiscal inequality and asks what can we do […]
By Jill Stocks Filed Under: All posts Posted:
There is a high prevalence of potentially hazardous prescribing among some GP practices, a new research study published in the British Medical Journal has found. One of the authors, Dr Jill Stocks, explains the findings. Safe prescribing of medication is one of the most essential roles of GPs, yet our team’s research has found both […]
By Jonathan Darling Filed Under: All posts, Urban Posted:
No-one would say it was easy to agree public policy for the thorny issue of housing asylum seekers. But, argues Jonathan Darling, a recent news story shows just how urgent it is that a change of emphasis takes place. Last week, officials from the Home Office visited Middlesbrough to inspect properties used to house asylum […]
By Hollie Ashworth Filed Under: All posts, Featured, Science and Engineering, Science and Technology Posted:
Radioactive waste is a controversial topic. But understanding the difference between historic and new wastes would produce a more informed debate, explains Hollie Ashworth. Whenever there is talk about new-build nuclear power stations, there is also talk about the cost of cleaning-up radioactive waste. People often correctly quote figures for the cost of cleaning-up radioactive […]
By Jonas Amtoft Bruun Filed Under: All posts, Featured, Science and Engineering, Science and Technology Posted:
COP 21 is good news – but only to a point, argues Jonas Amtoft Bruun. “We have an agreement.” Those redeeming words from French foreign minister Laurent Fabius in the evening of Saturday 12 December unleashed a wave of standing ovations from high level UN staff, delegates and observers from business and civil society. Preceding […]
By Sharon Spooner Filed Under: All posts Posted:
Morale in UK general practice has dropped to a low ebb and a shortage of doctors is blamed for an increasing proportion of practices seeking to avoid accepting new patients. Yet week after week around 40,000 NHS GPs continue to work. Researcher and part-time GP Sharon Spooner explores the nature and significance of what motivates […]
By Ingrid Storm Filed Under: All posts Posted:
New research drawing on European survey data finds that religious decline does not equal moral decline. Dr Ingrid Storm explains why involvement in religion makes most difference to morality in the most religious countries, and matters less for moral values now than it did in the 1980s. A recent report by the Commission on Religion […]
By Piers Dawes Filed Under: All posts Posted:
The key to reducing dementia and sensory loss in later years may lie in improving experiences in the earliest years, explains Piers Dawes. Dementia, hearing impairment and vision loss are amongst the most feared, most costly and difficult to treat problems in elderly people. One way of avoiding cognitive and sensory impairment in old age […]
By Anna Coleman Filed Under: All posts, Devo Posted:
There is a wealth of important knowledge to be gained from the devolution of health and social care services across Manchester, says Dr Anna Coleman. Whether national policymakers, other regions interested in pursuing similar devolution arrangements, or those actively involved in Devo Manc itself, there are a lot of people taking a very close interest […]
By Ilias Alami Filed Under: All posts Posted:
Is the world on the verge of a new financial crisis? Ilias Alami looks at the data and finds a precarious situation. While a variety of economic and financial indicators increasingly paint a bleak picture, the upcoming policy choices in developed countries will have far-reaching consequences for global financial stability. In the so-called developed countries, […]