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

Out of mind? What policymakers should learn from those who shielded from COVID-19

Charlotte Sharp headshot photo By and Filed Under: All posts, Health and Care, Health and Social Care Posted:

Between the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic and September 2021, 4.1 million people in the UK were asked to ‘shield’, including those with autoimmune conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis. Shielding recommendations included staying at home, avoiding all face-to-face contact with those outside shielders’ households, and limiting interactions within households. Here, Dr Charlotte Sharp and Lynn […]

A photograph of school children in a classroom with their teacher.

The place of area based education partnerships

Paul Armstrong By and Filed Under: All posts, Devo, Education Posted:

Despite successive government initiatives with the declared intent of addressing equity and inclusion within the English education system, significant numbers of children and young people remain marginalized within, or excluded from, schools. This indicates a need for locally coordinated efforts to promote equity in education. One response to these issues is Area-based Partnerships (ABPs) which […]

Ill-health and deprivation: How we can address health inequalities in left behind neighbourhoods

By Filed Under: All posts, Devo, Growth and Inclusion, Health and Care, Health and Social Care Posted:

We have long known that the health of people living in deprived areas is worse than the national average. But this raises important questions, such as how big is the gap? Is it narrowing or growing over time? Are some deprived places worse off than others? And how do health inequalities affect economic performance? In […]

AUTOMATED VEHICLES ARTICLE IMAGE

Artificial Intelligence and future transport and mobility: What do cities want and how can urban planning respond?

By Filed Under: All posts, Cities and Environment, Digital Futures, Energy and Environment, Environment, Inclusive Growth, Science and Engineering, Science and Technology, Urban Posted:

Experts agree that automated driving technologies constitute perhaps the most significant transformation in urban and transport planning since the invention of the private motor vehicle. In this article, Dr Ransford A. Acheampong assesses how policy-makers have an urgent responsibility to create alternative urban futures in which we are able to meet our everyday mobility needs […]

Strengthening participation in devolved policymaking: Designing democratic innovation to tackle inequalities

Francesca GainsLiz Richardson By and Filed Under: All posts, British Politics, Devo Posted:

Developments in local governance and devolution over the past decade have provided new opportunities to tackle policy problems from a place-based angle. Innovations to strengthen participation can ensure more people participate in policymaking to help mitigate issues such as structural inequalities which affect them first hand. In this article, from our Power in Place publication, […]

Medics analysing MRI scan - feature image for dementia article

Capacity for change: improving the governance of dementia research

James Fletcher headshot By Filed Under: All posts, Health and Care, Health and Social Care, primary care services, Research and development, Science and Technology Posted:

The Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) outlines legal decision-making procedures in England and Wales for people above the age of 16 who have an impairment of, or disturbance in, the functioning of the mind or brain. It specifies that research involving these people must be approved by a research ethics committee (REC) sanctioned by the […]

A person blowing their nose in a city centre park

Determining the impact of poor air quality in cities on daily life: the value of using ‘citizen sensors’ and agile platforms

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

The air in cities can be bad for our health. People who live in cities are more likely to suffer from chronic diseases such as COPD and be admitted to hospital with asthma attacks and other serious respiratory conditions. Whilst it is important to monitor these, focusing only on life-threatening events can mask a lower-level […]

Image: salt mine. Salt mines can be used for underground hydrogen storage.

Underground hydrogen storage, the key to a green and sustainable future

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

In response to the climate crisis, renewable energy production has increased significantly over the last decade. According to National Grid, the UK produced its trillionth kilowatt hour (kWh) of electricity generated from renewable sources on 15 May 2023, and  solar energy and offshore wind are predicted to grow five-fold by 2030. Hydrogen, a potentially green […]

Practice under pressure: how can the exodus of GPs be reversed?

By and Filed Under: Health and Care, Health and Social Care Posted:

There is a workforce crisis in UK primary care. Analysis of the latest workforce data confirms a continuing drop in England’s number of general practitioners (GPs) – the equivalent of 2,133 fewer fully qualified, full-time GPs than in September 2015. One answer from policymakers has been the introduction of non-GP practitioners into surgeries, to alleviate […]

A critical question: what should we do with the UK’s plutonium stockpile?

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

The UK is currently storing around 140 tonnes of plutonium, mostly arising from its civil nuclear programme over the past 60 years. What should we, as a nation, do with it? Should we use it as fuel for future reactors, or dispose of it as waste? The latest position paper from the Dalton Nuclear Institute […]

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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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