Policy@Manchester Articles

Expert insight, analysis and comment on key public policy issues

Policy@Manchester Articles
Expert insight, analysis and comment on key public policy issues

The Child of the North: Building a fairer future after COVID-19

By , and Filed Under: All posts, Cities and Environment, Education, Growth and Inclusion, Health and Care, Health and Social Care, Urban Posted:

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, growing evidence has shown the effects of the disease, and measures to contain it, have not been felt equally across the UK, with the North of England one of the hardest hit regions. Even before the pandemic, the North suffered from higher levels of poverty, poor health, and inequality compared to […]

picture of cars on a congested road

The right tools for the job: Tracing the sources of harmful particulates in the future economy

Nicholas Marsden By Filed Under: All posts, Cities and Environment, Energy and Environment, Science and Technology Posted:

While poor air quality is generally associated with adverse health outcomes, some air pollutants are more harmful than others. In this blog, Dr Nicholas Marsden outlines the need for building air quality monitoring networks to study specific properties of fine particulate matter (PM). Some PM types are more harmful than others; more research on PM […]

woman with microphone and laptop

Homeworking experiences during lockdown

Debra HowcroftPhil Taylor By and Filed Under: All posts, Digital Futures Posted:

Like millions of others, call centre workers were required to work from home at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. In this blog, Professor Debra Howcroft and Professor Phil Taylor examine the experiences of call centre staff and provide recommendations for improvement in the future. Managerial staff often directly and indirectly control call centre workers […]

Employability meets education: Why essays and exams are not enough

Drew Whitworth By Filed Under: All posts, Digital Futures, Education Posted:

In an increasingly digital world, the skills that students require to succeed in employment are changing but assessments within education settings are not. In this blog, Dr Drew Whitworth discusses the potential pitfalls of traditional forms of assessment, such as essays and exams, which focus on information retention instead of application, and highlights how practice-based […]

picture of trees

Polluting the economy: the hidden cost of air pollution

Ron ChanVeronica VienneMartino Pelli By , and Filed Under: All posts, Cities and Environment, Energy and Environment Posted:

Recent empirical evidence demonstrates that air pollution has negative effects on the labour market beyond health-related costs. In this blog, Dr Ron Chan and Ms Veronica Vienne from The University of Manchester and Dr Martino Pelli from Université de Sherbrooke explore the non-health-related impacts of air pollution on the labour force, using the wildfires in Chile […]

liverpool townhall

The north-west’s productivity crisis: Causes, challenges and solutions

Kieron Flanagan By Filed Under: All posts, Growth and Inclusion Posted:

The north-west has a long-term productivity problem, with the productivity gap widening over the past 15 years. But there is much that policymakers can do. In this blog, Professor Kieron Flanagan from the Manchester Institute of Innovation Research reflects on findings from the newly released North-West Productivity Forum Green Paper, on the causes of the […]

women looking at laptop

Bridging the digital divide: Greater Manchester schools creating pathways to success

Paul ArmstrongStephen Rayner By , and Filed Under: All posts, Digital Futures, Education Posted:

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Greater Manchester Combined Authority created the Pathways to Success strategy to support schools to deliver education to vulnerable children during lockdown. In this blog, Dr Paul Armstrong, Dr Stephen Rayner and Emeritus Professor Mel Ainscow reflect on the strategy and explore the opportunities for schools to implement aspects of it […]

picture of man talking at a community forum meeting

Air pollution: a place-based community-centred approach

Sheena Cruickshank By Filed Under: All posts, Cities and Environment, Health and Care, Urban Posted:

There are major disparities in the impacts of air pollution, with low-income communities facing greater health risks due to higher exposure to air pollutants. In this blog, Professor Sheena Cruickshank, an immunologist and Academic Lead for Public Engagement with Research at The University of Manchester, outlines the disproportionate health effects of air pollution on marginalised […]

picture of woman and child at a market

The economic impact of COVID-19 on ethnic minorities in Manchester

Arkadiusz Wiśniowski By Filed Under: All posts, British Politics, Ethnicity, Growth and Inclusion Posted:

Greater Manchester has seen some of the highest rates of COVID-19 and as a result has faced particularly stringent lockdown regulations. With Manchester being one of the most deprived local authorities in England, many neighbourhoods and communities were less resilient to the economic shock caused by the pandemic. In this blog, Dr Arkadiusz Wiśniowski, Senior […]

picture of child walking to school

Critical time to prevent cognitive decline in children and prevent neurodegenerative disease

Martie van Tongeren By Filed Under: All posts, Cities and Environment, Health and Care Posted:

Children and the elderly face a greater risk of negative health effects arising from exposure to air pollution. In this blog, Professor Martie van Tongeren explores the impacts of air pollutant exposure on children’s cognitive performance, working memory and attention control. He highlights policy interventions that can be implemented across schools, local authorities and the […]

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Articles give the views of the author, and are not necessarily those of The University of Manchester.

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