Expert insight, analysis and comment on key public policy issues
By Debra Howcroft and Phil Taylor Filed Under: All posts, Digital Futures Posted:
Like millions of others, call centre workers were required to work from home at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. In this blog, Professor Debra Howcroft and Professor Phil Taylor examine the experiences of call centre staff and provide recommendations for improvement in the future. Managerial staff often directly and indirectly control call centre workers […]
Greater Manchester has seen some of the highest rates of COVID-19 and as a result has faced particularly stringent lockdown regulations. With Manchester being one of the most deprived local authorities in England, many neighbourhoods and communities were less resilient to the economic shock caused by the pandemic. In this blog, Dr Arkadiusz Wiśniowski, Senior […]
By Puren Aktas and Liz Richardson Filed Under: All posts, Health and Social Care Posted:
The COVID-19 pandemic has led to a number of rapid changes to healthcare systems. Hospitals were transformed into pandemic-oriented hospitals, elective surgeries were cancelled, or postponed, and face-to-face consultations were moved to virtual platforms. Many countries experienced shortages of medical supplies, especially ICU beds and ventilators, resulting in rationing of limited healthcare resources. In this […]
By Luan Cassal and Billy Haworth Filed Under: All posts, Growth and Inclusion, Health and Care Posted:
A version of this blog is available to read in Portuguese here. COVID-19 has brought huge change to society. However, the impacts have been different and disproportionate for different groups including LGBTIQ+ populations. As University of Manchester research has reported, there have been gaps in government and transnational responses in recognising and addressing those inequalities. […]
By Sophina Choudry Filed Under: All posts, Growth and Inclusion, Health and Social Care, Urban Posted:
The COVID-19 pandemic has brought to light increased health risks among groups labelled Black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME), exposing many stark inequalities. Lockdown measures are impacting all aspects of life, but differentially impacting students and families from disadvantaged areas. Here, Dr Sophina Choudry, Professor Erica Burman, Professor Julian Williams, Sidra Iftikhar and Dr Yasmeen […]
By Charis Enns Filed Under: All posts, Energy and Environment, Health and Social Care Posted:
Since early reports linked the emergence of COVID-19 to the wild meat trade, the pandemic has thrown the wildlife trade into the global spotlight for its role in spreading zoonotic disease pathogens. This has motivated calls to ban wildlife trade, among other proposals to strengthen regulation and control over the trade in wildlife and their […]
By Prasenjit Sarkhel and Upasak Das Filed Under: All posts, Health and Care, Health and Social Care Posted:
The COVID-19 vaccination campaign has been met with much enthusiasm, with some hailing it as the beginning of the end of the pandemic. But health experts fear such optimism might prompt people to pay less attention to hygienic compliance measures, such as hand washing and wearing masks in public. The emergence of new strains in […]
By Peter Knight Filed Under: All posts, British Politics, Digital Futures, Growth and Inclusion Posted:
In February 2020 the Director-General of the World Health Organisation warned that “we’re not just fighting an epidemic; we’re fighting an infodemic,” because “fake news spreads faster and more easily than this virus, and is just as dangerous.” There has been large debate around ways to control the spread of misinformation and disinformation, especially on […]
By Billy Haworth Filed Under: All posts, Growth and Inclusion, Health and Care, Health and Social Care Posted:
The COVID-19 pandemic has had wide-ranging effects for people across the UK. However, some groups have felt the effects of the pandemic and its associated lockdowns more than others. In this blog, Dr Billy Haworth, from the Humanitarian and Conflict Response Institute, shares their recent research into the experiences of LGBTIQ+ populations during COVID-19. They […]
By Ruth Watkinson and Matt Sutton Filed Under: All posts, Ethnicity, Health and Care, Health and Social Care Posted:
The early stages of the COVID-19 vaccine rollout in the UK have been a remarkable success from many perspectives: we have one of the highest rates of vaccination per capita, high uptake, and the government has met its first vaccination target. However, this rollout has taken place amidst a devastating surge of COVID-19 deaths, and […]