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
Computer robot makes micro chip

Can we use autonomous robotic systems in hazardous environments?

Louise DennisMatt Luckcuck By , and Filed Under: All posts, Digital Futures, Science and Engineering, Science and Technology Posted:

Autonomous systems are becoming increasingly commonplace across all facets of modern life, including hazardous environments, where the choices made by machines have the potential to cause harm or injury to humans. But how well do we understand the decision-making process of artificial intelligence, and how does this affect trust in autonomous systems? In this blog, Professor […]

picture of a wood burner

Indoor and outdoor wood burning needs a new way of thinking

Amanda Lea-Langton By Filed Under: All posts, Cities and Environment, Energy and Environment, Renewables, Urban Posted:

Biomass combustion, a significant contributor to fine particulate matter (PM 2.5), has increased in urban areas due to the growing popularity of wood-burning stoves and biomass boilers. In this blog, Dr. Amanda Lea-Langton, Senior Lecturer in Bioenergy Engineering at The University of Manchester and member of the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change, outlines policy recommendations […]

Psychedelics for mental health: tripping over red tape

By Filed Under: All posts, British Politics, Health and Care, Health and Social Care, Science and Technology Posted:

The last decade has seen a new focus on psychedelics as powerful medicines for treating severe mental health issues, including the use of psilocybin for conditions such as PTSD and treatment-resistant depression. However, many of these potentially life-saving treatments, including psilocybin, remain difficult to research due to overly strict drug laws. In this blog, Professor […]

Psychotherapy session, woman talking to a psychologist in the studio

No quick fix: the long-term needs of sexual assault survivors

Picture of Laura WattsDavid GaddPicture of Filippo Varese By , , , and Filed Under: All posts, British Politics, Health and Social Care Posted:

Around 1 in 5 women will experience sexual assault at some point in their life. The results can be devastating for victims and survivors. They not only have to deal with the psychological trauma of the assault, but often suffer physical harm and social consequences, including financial ones, as a result. The impact of these […]

Carbon capture facility in Yorkshire UK at sunset

Carbon Capture and Storage and Greenhouse Gas Removal – Essential ingredients for net zero

Sarah ManderClair Gough By and Filed Under: All posts, Energy and Environment, Science and Engineering Posted:

Our planet is heating up, and the impacts of climate change are already being felt across the world. We all know reducing greenhouse gas emissions is essential for our planet’s future. However, research shows that, given the scale and urgency of the challenge of reducing emissions across the entire economy, meeting climate change targets will […]

person on a cycle

Improving air quality in urban areas

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

Air pollution is the biggest environmental threat to health in the UK, thought to cause between 28,000 and 36,000 deaths a year. It has also been linked with the development and worsening of coronary heart disease, stroke, respiratory disease and lung cancer, exacerbates asthma and hay fever, and worsens the outcomes of respiratory infections such […]

Middle-aged woman in a wheel chair and eats a meal alone.

Institutional abuse and neglect: time for policy and regulatory reform?

Phot of Kirsty KeywoodPicture of Margaret Flynn By and Filed Under: All posts, Health and Care Posted:

Attention to the abuse and neglect of people in institutional settings is at the forefront of existing and proposed policy agendas. Investigations, reviews and calls for action feature in the workload of the Joint Committee on Human Rights; the Health and Social Care Select Committee; the Equality and Human Rights Committee and the Care Quality […]

cyclists in a park

How to build healthy cities

James EvansDavid ToppingSheena CruickshankJamie Anderson By , , , and Filed Under: All posts, Cities and Environment, Urban Posted:

Cities are key places. Changing the way we plan and develop cities will be essential to meet our net zero targets as well as improve the health and lives of people in urban areas. In this blog, Professor James Evans, Dr Luke Munford, Professor David Topping, Professor Sheena Cruickshank and Dr Jamie Anderson explore the […]

overhead picture of houses

Incorporating health and wellbeing into housing developments

Caglar Koksal By Filed Under: Cities and Environment, Urban Posted:

Despite the health, social and environmental benefits of high-quality housing developments, delivering healthy and sustainable homes and neighbourhoods remains a challenging task. In this blog, Caglar Koksal outlines how housing developers and local authorities can work together to create healthy, high-quality homes while also addressing long-standing health and housing inequalities. High-quality developments deliver positive public […]

Sustainable engineering – not just engineering for sustainability

By Filed Under: Digital Futures, Energy and Environment, Renewables, Science and Engineering, Science and Technology Posted:

Net zero now forms the heart of policies and strategies across government, from “levelling up” to “build back better”. Combined with the UK’s National Infrastructure Strategy, it is clear that engineering – particularly new technologies such as robotics and AI – has a core role in our decarbonisation efforts. But how green are the technologies […]

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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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