Expert insight, analysis and comment on key public policy issues
By Stephanie Snow Filed Under: Featured, Science and Technology Posted:
A new report in the British Medical Journal on centralising acute stroke services in Greater Manchester and London reveals the revolution in stroke care and treatment over the last twenty years – and it contains vital lessons for patients and policymakers, explains Dr Stephanie Snow. Around 152,000 of us will suffer from stroke in the […]
By Sarah Mander Filed Under: Featured, Science and Technology Posted:
Shipping contributes about 3 per cent of global carbon emissions. The lack of a single regulatory environment makes it difficult to bring this down, explains Dr Sarah Mander. Shipping sits at the heart of international trade and has been the primary means by which globalisation has been facilitated. So it is not surprising that carbon […]
By Tomas Maltby Filed Under: Featured, Science and Technology Posted:
There are few issues more important to EU governments than energy security. Promises of EU solidarity may mean less than they seem, explains Tomas Maltby. The crisis in Ukraine has caused the European Union to urgently revise its policy on energy and energy security. In February the European Council agreed that existing efforts to reduce […]
By Michael Pryce Filed Under: Featured, Science and Technology Posted:
Technology policy and defence acquisition can present striking contrasts, writes Dr Michael Pryce. Government policy is supportive of innovation – and often the more disruptive the better. But the highest spender in government on ‘high technology’ – defence – often has an old-fashioned look to it. Looking closely at examples of current military projects, we […]
By Camilla Lewis Filed Under: Featured, Science and Technology, Whitehall Watch Posted:
‘Big Data’ will change many aspects of our lives and our public services – right down to waste management, explains Camilla Lewis. Big Data has the potential to transform much of our everyday lives and the way in which public services are delivered. This transformation is linked to the vast increase in computing power and […]
By Anita Greenhill Filed Under: Featured, Science and Technology, Whitehall Watch Posted:
The ‘darknet’ is being used by criminals and political dissidents to avoid surveillance. Anita Greenhill suggests ways that governments can tackle it. While most people use the internet’s legitimate channels to shop, search for items, or communicate with friends and family, there are some who hide in the internet’s cracks and shadows. These less known […]
By Joanne Swaffield Filed Under: Featured, Science and Technology Posted:
With millions of people facing food poverty, retailers are being criticised for choosing anaerobic digestion over redistribution. We should be thinking about the broader picture, argues Joanne Swaffield. One third of all food produced for consumption gets wasted – that is 1.3 billion tonnes annually. This waste occurs at all stages of the supply chain. […]
By Andrew Welfle Filed Under: Featured, Science and Technology Posted:
The UK could generate almost half its energy needs by 2050 from UK biomass sources, including household rubbish, agricultural residues and home-grown biofuels. Unless we plan and invest for this, we will waste a great opportunity, argues Andrew Welfle. As much as 44% of our total energy requirement could be met by the potential abundance of […]
By Steve Furber Filed Under: Featured, Science and Technology Posted:
The development of driverless cars offers a wonderful opportunity to stem the number of road deaths and injuries, explains Professor Steve Furber. The announcement by Google that it is to manufacture driverless cars could herald the greatest improvement in road safety since the car was invented. After all, it takes out of the equation the biggest […]
By David Schultz and Vladimir Janković Filed Under: Featured, Science and Technology Posted:
Policymakers at home and abroad need to stop conflating climate change and climate resiliency, and start doing more to ensure our infrastructure can cope with extreme weather, say Prof David Schultz and Dr Vladimir Janković, High-impact weather events, such as the UK floods earlier this year, are often accompanied by discussion of whether the events were associated with or enhanced by climate change. This view […]
