Policy@Manchester Articles

Health Reforms in Central and Eastern Europe: Options, obstacles, limited outcomes

By Anna Raphael Filed Under: All posts Posted: October 24, 2013

Health Reforms in Central and Eastern Europe: Options, obstacles, limited outcomes, James Warner Björkman and Juraj Nemec (editors). Eleven International Publishing. June 2013. This title offers timely insight into the emerging patterns in health reforms in Central and Eastern European countries since the fall of the Berlin Wall, writes Anna Raphael. Authors present conclusions that […]

Don’t miss this chance to tackle domestic violence for a generation

By David Gadd Filed Under: Featured Posted: October 24, 2013

The government is set to use the forthcoming International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women to announce new measures to tackle domestic violence. This is a prime opportunity to tackle this issue for an entire generation that must not be missed, argues Professor David Gadd. Genuine engagement with young people needs to start […]

White heat at 50: Harold Wilson and scientific collaboration with Europe

By Stuart Butler Filed Under: Featured, Science and Technology Posted: October 23, 2013

The beginning of the month marked the 50th anniversary of Harold Wilson’s iconic ‘white heat’ speech. Stuart Butler asks what we can learn about participation in European scientific and technological collaboration from decisions made by Wilson’s government. This post originally appeared on the Guardian’s Political Science Blog At the beginning of this year George Osborne […]

Scrutinising the cost of party policies; a good idea in principle but…

By Robert Chote Filed Under: Westminster Watch, Whitehall Watch Posted: October 22, 2013

Recently in Manchester three key national figures discussed how to improve the scrutiny of how British government spends its money: Margaret Hodge MP (Lab), chair of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC), Bernard Jenkin MP (Con), chair of the Public Administration Select Committee (PASC); and Robert Chote, chair of the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR). The session […]

Hangover from US shutdown will last for months

By Perri 6 Filed Under: Featured Posted: October 18, 2013

With a deal having been struck to end the 16-day shutdown in the US, the wheels of government administration are starting to turn once again. But, writes Prof Perri 6, restarting is not a simple case of ‘picking up where we left off’ and the legacy challenges for those involved in public management are significant. […]

What do policymakers want from academics?

By Paul Avey and Michael Desch Filed Under: All posts Posted: October 17, 2013

What is it that the most senior national security policymakers want from international relations scholars? An answer to this question matters, write Paul Avey and Michael Desch, because there has been recurrent interest among policymakers in drawing upon academic social science expertise in support of more effective national security policymaking. Despite this high-level interest, there has […]

Open policy making: don’t tsars count?

By Ruth Levitt and Bill Solesbury Filed Under: Whitehall Watch Posted: October 17, 2013

The idea of ‘tsars’ in Whitehall is a recent name for an old practice; bringing in outside actors to advise, and sometimes to act, on a specific issue. Although not all tsars hit the headlines, Dr Ruth Levitt and Bill Solesbury argue that these appointments are a bigger phenomenon than is often supposed and incumbents […]

Why it’s time for us to spend big on science

By Brian Cox Filed Under: Science and Technology Posted: October 16, 2013

In his recent party conference speech, Science Minister David Willetts said he was ‘up for’ making Britain the best place in the world to do science. But in order to do that – and reap the economic rewards – politicians need to be prepared to spend big, argues Professor Brian Cox. This blog post is […]

Revisiting debates about the UCAS personal statement

By Steven Jones Filed Under: Featured Posted: October 14, 2013

With the first UCAS deadline of the academic year looming, thousands of University hopefuls are putting the finishing touches to their personal statements. But growing evidence points towards the current process favouring some applicants more than others – and it may be time for a radical overhaul, according to Dr Steve Jones. “The UCAS personal […]

A ‘National’ Health Service? It would be a good idea

By Julian Simpson Filed Under: Science and Technology Posted: October 8, 2013

The NHS is seen as a fundamentally British institution and even a symbol of national identity. But, writes Dr Julian Simpson, it might make more sense to call it an ‘International’ Health Service. And while ‘health tourism’ and migrant doctors’ language skills make headlines, the real issue is whether it should remain dependent on an […]