Policy@Manchester Articles

Will new enforcement tool help the Serious Fraud Office secure its reputation and ‘justice’?

By Nicholas Lord Filed Under: All posts Posted: February 25, 2014

It’s been a difficult few years for the UK’s beleaguered Serious Fraud Office (SFO), writes Dr Nicholas Lord. As the authority responsible for the investigation and prosecution of corporate corruption in international business, it’s been blighted by a lack of prosecutions, collapsed cases, failed investigations and data loss. But while the introduction of Deferred Prosecution […]

Care.data project tarnished by liberties and assumptions

By Jonathan Hammond Filed Under: Featured, Science and Technology Posted: February 21, 2014

The potential for Care.data to improve the health of the nation is hard to argue with, writes Jonathan Hammond. But he argues that a lack of patient control, security concerns and a lamentable communications strategy have tarnished the laudable aims of the whole scheme. Let’s start with some facts about Care.data. It is a programme […]

Reality check-up: Care.data is good for our health

By David Springate Filed Under: Science and Technology Posted: February 20, 2014

Amid the furore over the delayed Care.data scheme, the reality is that the storage of pseudoanonymised patient data is already common practice, writes Dr David Springate. He argues that a national primary care database will bring big benefits – and says the risk of individuals’ data being de-anonymised by big pharma companies or criminals is remote. […]

Don’t let early warnings on innovation arrive too late

By Hilary Sutcliffe Filed Under: Science and Technology Posted: February 19, 2014

A new approach to seeking out and responding positively to early warnings on technological innovations is needed, argues Hilary Sutcliffe, who warns we need to welcome them and be prepared to act if necessary. A must read for anyone involved in innovation is the latest volume of the European Environment Agency’s ‘Late Lessons from Early Warnings […]

How and when will the Coalition end?

By Colin Talbot Filed Under: Featured, Whitehall Watch Posted: February 17, 2014

As our Coalition Government moves inexorably towards its end, what are the factors and events that will determine how and when the formal dissolution takes place? Speculation is starting to build, says Prof Colin Talbot, not least because of obvious ‘distancing’ tactics being adopted by both the partners to the Coalition. We have 15 months […]

Pickles-Paterson floods spat highlights true top-down nature of UK policymaking

By Danny Fitzpatrick Filed Under: Science and Technology Posted: February 13, 2014

A top-down centralised decision-making process and government functions working in silos are not new features of UK politics, writes Dr Daniel Fitzpatrick. But as communities across the UK experience misery due to flooding, it seems these deeply entrenched pathologies of policymaking are increasingly out of step with the ‘wicked’ issues that society is facing. The […]

Gender perspective should not be forgotten amid Bosnia and Herzegovina unrest

By Laura McLeod Filed Under: All posts Posted: February 12, 2014

The protests in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) have not taken any observers of the country by surprise, writes Dr Laura McLeod. But, she argues, amid all the early analyses and demands, it’s vital to make sure a gender perspective is included. Resentment about ongoing corruption encouraged and perpetuated by many politicians and political parties has […]

Polling Observatory 33: public opinion steady through the storms

By Rob Ford, Will Jennings and Mark Pickup Filed Under: Featured, Polling Observatory Posted: February 12, 2014

This is the thirty-second in a series of posts that report on the state of the parties as measured by opinion polls. By pooling together all the available polling evidence we can reduce the impact of the random variation each individual survey inevitably produces. Most of the short term advances and setbacks in party polling fortunes are […]

Fast Water versus Slow Water: Fragmentation in adaptation and resilience to flooding and water scarcity

By Alison Browne Filed Under: Featured Posted: February 4, 2014

It’s been a tough few years for the residents, citizens, farmers and nature areas of Somerset, UK. The past few months represents the second time in two years that the Somerset region has had to deal with catastrophic levels of flooding, writes Dr. Alison Browne. Data from the MET office show that this is the […]

The prospects for a dramatically more representative Parliament post 2015 are bleak

By Catherine Durose, Francesca Gains, Liz Richardson, Ryan Combs and Christina Eason Filed Under: Westminster Watch Posted: January 31, 2014

The next election is an unknown quantity, with pundits and pollsters both divided on the likely outcome. However one thing is becoming increasingly clear: there is unlikely to be a large-scale move towards a realignment in the House of Commons, with party selectorates continuing to exert influence which amounts to a continuation of a white, […]