Expert insight, analysis and comment on key public policy issues
By Ed Cox Filed Under: Featured, Westminster Watch Posted:
Should the Government’s new devolution settlement for Greater Manchester be welcomed? Ed Cox – who is set to speak in Manchester this Thursday about the regions – offers a clear ‘Yes’ vote. There can be little doubt that the agreement reached between the Chancellor and the leaders of the 10 local authorities that make up […]
By Cecilia Wong and Helen Zheng Filed Under: All posts, Cities and Environment Posted:
Changing social norms and the COVID-19 lockdowns have drastically shifted how we utilise the internet to conduct our daily lives, creating a rapid increase in home/hybrid working and online shopping. In this article, Professor Cecilia Wong and Dr Helen Zheng demonstrate how high quality, reliable and good coverage of telecommunication infrastructure has resulted in differential […]
By Adeyemi Adelekan and Maria Sharmina Filed Under: Energy and Environment, Environment, Growth and Inclusion, Renewables Posted:
The UK plastics policy landscape is undergoing major changes. While consultations stress the importance of avoiding harm to SMEs, policies often lack concrete measures against such harm. Research by the University of Manchester indicates that current and forthcoming plastics policies, shaped by these consultations, would affect stakeholders across the plastic supply chain differently, with SMEs […]
By Michael Hodson, Andrew McMeekin and Andy Lockhart Filed Under: All posts, Cities and Environment, Urban Posted:
Over the last 15 years, digital mobility platforms for ride hailing like Uber, bike sharing like Beryl, e-scooter rental like Lime and journey planning apps like Citymapper have become common in urban societies. They are often seen as ‘disrupting’ the organisation of existing public transport systems and creating competition. In this article from our On […]
In February 2024, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on violence against women and girls urged the UK government to ‘do more to translate its political recognition of the scale of violence against women and girls into action’. In response, the Labour Party, now in government, declared its ‘landmark mission to halve violence against women and […]
By Christine Camacho and Luke Munford Filed Under: British Politics, Cities and Environment, Health and Care, Health and Social Care, Levelling up, Urban Posted:
In 2015, a phenomenon coined as ‘Deaths of Despair’ (DoD) emerged in the US, highlighting an alarming increase in mortality due to drugs, alcohol, and suicides, particularly among white men without a college education. Here, Christine Camacho and Dr Luke Munford explore the spatial patterning of these deaths in England, where an estimated 46,200 lives […]
By Dr Sampriti Mahanty and Professor Frank Boons Filed Under: Energy and Environment, Environment, Renewables, Science and Technology Posted:
Critical metals, such as lithium, cobalt, nickel, copper and manganese, are key to the path towards net zero. The UK Government released their Critical Minerals Strategy in early 2023, which sets out to improve the resilience of the critical metal supply chain. In this article from our publication ‘On Resilience’, Dr Sampriti Mahanty and Professor […]
By Gareth Clay Filed Under: Cities and Environment, Environment Posted:
In a rapidly changing world under pressure from climate change we are seeing alterations in the pattern of fires, especially in places where wildfires have not been viewed as a major threat such as the UK. Fire Danger Rating Systems (FDRS) provide a measure of the threat posed by wildfires, and are informed by fuel […]
By James Baker Filed Under: British Politics, Budget, Growth and Inclusion, Levelling up, Research and development, Science and Engineering, Science and Technology, UK economy Posted:
A new national policy report has identified the graphene innovation ecosystem at Manchester as a regional hub for international partnership and investment. In this article, James Baker explores how this success demonstrates that research and development (R&D) investment into specialist regional clusters like Graphene@Manchester provides national government with an excellent return on investment as they […]
By Adrian Bull Filed Under: Energy and Environment, Renewables, Science and Engineering, Science and Technology Posted:
The nuclear industry has historically had a fairly tumultuous relationship with wider society. Early perceptions of nuclear energy were generally positive, with it viewed as a beacon of how technology went hand in hand with increasing prosperity. However, a history of highly-publicised leaks, discharges and assorted incidents have created a legacy of societal mistrust of […]