Expert insight, analysis and comment on key public policy issues
By Francesca Gains Filed Under: Featured Posted:
How do Governments arrive at policy decisions in the United Kingdom? There has been a great deal of commentary on the apparent disconnect between Westminster and voters, with priorities not necessarily shared between the two. This book by Peter John, Anthony Bertelli, Will Jennings and Shaun Bevan, will help illuminate the reader on how these policy agendas are shaped, […]
The Coalition has decided to drop the privatisation of polygraph, or ‘lie-detector’ tests for sex offenders. But Dr Andrew Balmer believes that the continued use of this flawed technology within the probation service is misguided and the whole programme should be scrapped. Since the Offender Management Act was changed in 2007 to allow for the […]
By Rob Ford Filed Under: Featured, Westminster Watch Posted:
Immigration is seldom out of the news, but the past month has seen attention spike to new highs as the removal of transitional controls on migration from Romania and Bulgaria has sparked furious debate, writes Rob Ford. Many headlines suggest the British public is implacably opposed to migration, and demand radical action from the government to bring […]
By Juanjo Medina Filed Under: Featured Posted:
Most police forces don’t understand how to use their powers of stop and search, writes Dr Juan Medina-Ariza. Black people are seven times as likely to be stopped and searched than whites in modern, multi-ethnic Britain – and this risks undermining the public’s faith in the police. The publication of HMIC’s report on the use […]
By Clive Bates Filed Under: Featured, Science and Technology Posted:
In seeking a ‘new settlement’ with the European Union (EU), the UK government is ignoring the existing rules and procedures that should already govern law making, argues Clive Bates. Here he focuses on a current example, the regulation of e-cigarettes, highlights the broader faults in the current process and offers some solutions. Otto Von Bismark […]
By Hannah Quirk Filed Under: Featured Posted:
Throughout Northern Ireland’s many efforts to deal with its turbulent past Dr Hannah Quirk believes that one group has been overlooked – the victims of conflict-related miscarriages of justice. For her, the Attorney General’s recent suggestion that there should be no more prosecutions for conflict-related crimes highlights the need for a bespoke solution for these […]
By Kieron Flanagan Filed Under: Featured, Science and Technology Posted:
The UK science base must be protected from poorly thought out and badly implemented English higher education reforms, writes Dr Kieron Flanagan. The UK science community has reacted with dismay to the news, leaked to the Guardian, that the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (which makes science policy for the UK and provides funds for the UK wide […]
By Jill Rubery Filed Under: Featured Posted:
During Manchester Policy Week 2013, Professor Jill Rubery joined IPPR North and members of the public to discuss the increasing use of zero hours contracts. In this article she explores some of the issues that arose from that event, and argues the key policy issue is how to get employers to accept more responsibility for […]
By Jonathan Portes Filed Under: Featured Posted:
While there is there is little evidence to suggest that “benefit tourism” is a significant issue, writes Jonathan Portes, new data obtained from HMRC has shed some additional light on the matter. One useful thing that has come out of the recent spate of stories about so-called “benefit tourism” is that no-one any longer seriously […]
By Ian Crowther Filed Under: Featured Posted:
The Federal US Central Bank began to taper Quantitative Easing (QE) last Wednesday, signaling the beginning of the end for cheap Government funding – and that economic recovery is underway, writes Ian Crowther. And although the UK and the Bank of England appear to be some way off making such announcements, inflationary pressure is beginning […]