Policy@Manchester Articles

What do the general election manifestos mean for higher education?

By Sylvie Lomer Filed Under: All posts, British Politics Posted: June 7, 2017

As people up and down the country prepare to return to the polls for Thursday’s general election, Dr Sylvie Lomer reviews the manifestos and what they mean for higher education policy. The Conservatives want to create institutes of technology and review funding and access to tertiary education Labour would abolish tuition fees, reintroduce maintenance grants […]

Keeping the faith in nuclear power

By Juan Matthews Filed Under: All posts, Energy and Environment Posted: June 7, 2017

Professor Juan Matthews, from The University of Manchester’s Dalton Nuclear Institute, examines how committed the UK political parties are to nuclear power. The last six months have been worrying for the nuclear power industry and with the election coming up on 8 June he asks what does the industry need from the new government? The […]

Prevention was always better than cure. Now, it’s the best way to save the NHS.

By Martin Yuille Filed Under: All posts, Health and Social Care Posted: June 6, 2017

Martin Yuille, Reader in Biobanking/Co-Director of CIGMR at The University of Manchester argues that it’s time for health policy change course and take prevention seriously. The NHS Titanic is lurching toward an iceberg of three big killers: type 2 diabetes, cardio-vascular disease and cancer. There are two key components of disease prevention: assessing risk of […]

Do we need to ban zero-hours contracts?

By Douglas Bamford Filed Under: All posts, British Politics Posted: June 6, 2017

The existence and regulation of zero-hours contracts has become a much debated policy area over recent years as the number of people on such contracts has dramatically increased. Here, Dr Douglas Bamford considers the policies put forwards in some of the general election manifestos to tackle zero-hours contracts and argues for a more nuanced, balanced […]

The hidden emergency in England’s NHS ambulance service

By Leo Mccann Filed Under: All posts, British Politics, Health and Social Care Posted: June 5, 2017

The recent terrorist attack in Manchester brought widespread praise for the response by the emergency services, not just from the public but from leaders of all political parties. But there are serious problems and failings within the NHS’s ambulance service, says The University of Manchester’s Professor Leo McCann, and we need deep-rooted policy change to […]

Putting an accent on things: The need to clarify speech expectations for British teachers

By Alex Baratta Filed Under: British Politics Posted: June 2, 2017

Dr Alex Baratta writes on the complexities of language, accents, and pronunciation in the classroom. Dr Baratta argues for the standardisation of some elements of pronunciation in teacher training as the best way to balance educational outcomes in learned ‘phonics’ with the protection and celebration of diversity through experience of a variety of accents. Currently, language […]

Research reveals people across Greater Manchester attach particular importance to ‘compassionate’ values

By Tom Crompton Filed Under: All posts, Devo, Urban Posted: June 1, 2017

Greater Mancunians are more likely to think it is important to be honest, kind and care about social issues than the average UK citizen, yet underestimate the importance that fellow citizens of the city region place on these values. Commissioned before the terrorist attack on Manchester last week, the research offers further insight into the […]

General election 2017 – Is gender still on the agenda? How parties appeal to women voters.

By Claire Annesley and Francesca Gains Filed Under: All posts, British Politics, Growth and Inclusion Posted: May 31, 2017

Claire Annesley, Professor of Politics at the University of Sussex and Francesca Gains, Professor of Public Policy and Head of Politics at The University of Manchester examine the main political parties’ manifestos to identify if gender is still on the agenda or has it be side-lined due to an election being fought in a political […]

ECOSTAR: the University-Business Alliance for Natural Capital

By Ron Chan Filed Under: Energy and Environment Posted: May 31, 2017

Doctor Ron Chan is Lecturer in Environmental Economics at The University of Manchester’s School of Social Sciences. Here, he introduces ‘ECOSTAR’ – an innovation and investment project that brings together universities, business, and the public sector to deliver ground-breaking, nature-based business initiatives. ECOSTAR promotes business ventures that can demonstrate a genuinely positive contribution to the […]

Re-making Greater Manchester Sustainably

By Joe Blakey Filed Under: British Politics, Devo, Urban Posted: May 30, 2017

Newly elected Metro-Mayor Andy Burnham has promised to declare an ‘accelerated ambition’ for Greater Manchester’s green credentials at a Mayor’s Green Summit later this year. But how might a more sustainable Greater Manchester take form? A workshop hosted by the Sustainable Consumption Institute (SCI) and the recently established Manchester Urban Institute (MUI) (both part of […]