Expert insight, analysis and comment on key public policy issues
Workers and employers pay a fortune into pension schemes. Yet they put up with a system that delivers very poor value for money, explains John Read. Pension schemes face serious challenges – an ageing society and poor investment returns following the ‘Great Recession’ are just two of them. In short, pension systems have not moved […]
By Louis Appleby Filed Under: Featured, Whitehall Watch Posted:
Reporting the relationship between mental illness and homicide and suicide must be handled sensitively. When it is not, a social media firestorm can follow, explains Professor Louis Appleby. It was about 18 months ago, late at night, when I checked my Twitter timeline for news. What I found took me by surprise. The mental health […]
By Ingrid Storm Filed Under: Ethnicity, Featured Posted:
Negative attitudes towards Muslims may cause discrimination and disadvantage. Dr Ingrid Storm considers the reasons why prejudice is still high. Muslims are less accepted in Britain than other religious and ethnic minorities. Such heightened negative attitudes could contribute to discrimination in the labour market, segregation and social conflicts. In a recent Policy@Manchester blog by Rob […]
By Peter Mackereth Filed Under: All posts, Featured Posted:
In the last days of the old Parliament, MPs agreed that from May next year cigarettes may only be sold in plain packaging. Dr Peter Mackereth congratulates politicians for their willingness to stand up to the tobacco industry, but warns the companies are fighting back. Almost a quarter of children aged 11 to 15 in […]
By Kieran Walshe Filed Under: Devo, Featured, Whitehall Watch Posted:
As we approach the election, the prospect of yet more organisational restructuring for the NHS fills Kieran Walshe with dismay. The next government needs to focus more on changes which make a difference to patients, and which are founded on good evidence about what works. The ability to hold two conflicting positions in your mind […]
By Evangelos Kontopantelis Filed Under: Featured, Whitehall Watch Posted:
Government policy assumed that incentives for general practice through performance-related-pay would improve mortality rates and other outcomes. Its scheme for doing this appears not to have worked as intended, explains Evangelos Kontopantelis. Primary care has enormous potential for improving population health outcomes – including mortality from common chronic conditions – through early intervention in the […]
By Jonathan Darling Filed Under: All posts, Devo, Featured, Urban Posted:
Government policy towards asylum seekers is being challenged. Dr Jonathan Darling asks if this should become part of the debate on the devolution of powers. Disagreements between local authorities and the Home Office over asylum seeker dispersal numbers and arrangements have a long-standing history in Britain. Yet recently they have garnered greater media attention due […]
By Kieron Flanagan Filed Under: All posts, Devo, Featured Posted:
The Sir Henry Royce Institute for Materials Research and Innovation is good news for Northern England, but reform of research funding is needed to create a sustainable scientific ‘powerhouse’ in the North, argues Dr Kieron Flanagan. Chancellor George Osborne has made much in recent months of his ambition to help the cities of Manchester, Leeds, […]
By James Rhodes Filed Under: All posts, Ethnicity, Featured Posted:
Chelsea fans’ actions in Paris received media and political condemnation. James Rhodes considers why a report revealing racialised inequalities in UK universities did not. On 17 February, a group of Chelsea football fans travelling on the Paris Metro to a Champions League match against Paris Saint-Germain were filmed chanting “we’re racist, we’re racist, and that’s […]
If you intend to retire within the next year, then the best course of action may simply be not to, warns John Read. Chancellor George Osborne made a bold claim in last week’s Budget. “Last year I unlocked pensions with freedom for millions of savers,” he said. Yet the reality is very different. That so-called […]
