Expert insight, analysis and comment on key public policy issues
By Rebecca Simpson-Hargreaves Filed Under: All posts, Education Posted:
In 2022, the government announced a commitment to improve literacy education as part of its levelling up agenda. The ambition to eradicate issues by 2030 has seen a tight focus on literacy skills and mandated curriculums – which neglect to acknowledge the local and individualised contexts in which teachers teach. A lack of resources, funding […]
By Andy Westwood Filed Under: British Politics, Devo, Growth and Inclusion, Inclusive Growth, Levelling up, OnProductivity, UK economy Posted:
Skills are important contributors to the improvement of productivity. With new skills, there are associated higher wages and better living standards. However, implementing a better agenda for skill improvement in policy can prove extremely challenging. There are several layers of skills and their applications that need to be considered at different levels of distribution. Professor […]
By Keith Brennan, F. George Njoroge and Rob Bristow Filed Under: Health and Care, Research and development, Science and Technology, UK economy Posted:
The University of Manchester is a founding partner of the Kenya-UK Healthcare Alliance, which aims to share best practice and reciprocal training between the two nations, particularly in the area of cancer care. In this article, from our On Cancer publication, Professor Keith Brennan, Dr F. George Njoroge, and Professor Rob Bristow outline how these […]
By Pamela Qualter, Neil Humphrey, Ola Demkowicz, Matt Sutton and Stephanie Gillibrand Filed Under: Education, Health and Care, Health and Social Care Posted:
Children’s mental health and wellbeing was deteriorating prior to COVID-19, but there was significant decline during the pandemic, particularly in the North of England. This blog post covers the collaboration between Professor Pamela Qualter, Professor Matt Sutton, Stephanie Gillibrand, Professor Neil Humphrey and Dr Ola Demkowicz in their study of children’s mental health, originally published […]
By Rose Atkins and Luke Munford Filed Under: Health and Care, Health and Social Care, Levelling up, UK economy Posted:
The economic performance of the North of England consistently lags behind the national average. One factor that could partly explain this ‘productivity gap’ is the poorer physical and mental health of children in the North, along with a widening educational gap, with long-lasting impacts on the labour market. In this blog, Dr Rose Atkins and […]
By Neil Humphrey Filed Under: All posts, British Politics, Growth and Inclusion Posted:
Improving wellbeing in every area of the UK is the overarching ambition of the Levelling Up White Paper, and government has said it will undertake further work to supplement existing wellbeing data at a subnational level. In Greater Manchester, a community-led, hyper-local project is underway to understand and improve children and young people’s wellbeing, and […]
By Katherine Payne, Paul Lorigan and Adèle Green Filed Under: Health and Care, Health and Social Care Posted:
Melanoma skin cancers are the UK’s fifth most common cancer, causing over 2,000 deaths each year. Over 85% of cases are preventable, with excessive exposure to ultraviolet light the most common cause, including the ultraviolet light used in sunbeds. The cancer risk from sunbeds is well known, but a new study has outlined the stark […]
By Pamela Qualter and Anna Sanders Filed Under: All posts, British Politics, Cities and Environment, Growth and Inclusion, Health and Care, Health and Social Care, Urban Posted:
Evidence makes it clear that exposure to adversity and stress has vast potential to negatively influence the trajectory of a person’s health and wellbeing throughout their life. In this blog, Professor Pamela Qualter and Dr Anna Sanders present the key findings of a Child of the North report, co-authored with colleagues from Newcastle, Bradford, Sheffield, […]
By Caroline Bond and Pamela Qualter Filed Under: All posts, Education, Health and Care, Health and Social Care Posted:
COVID-19 exposed the disadvantage suffered by children and young people in our most deprived areas, disproportionately in the north of England. In this blog, Professor Caroline Bond and Professor Pamela Qualter discuss how these problems, and the accumulating evidence, demand a policy response. This is an adaptation of an article they co-authored for the Child […]
By Eric Lybeck Filed Under: All posts, British Politics, Growth and Inclusion, Urban Posted:
Earlier this year, the government published its much anticipated white paper, Levelling Up the United Kingdom, which outlined 12 interventions deemed necessary to tackle the regional inequalities that have grown in recent decades. In this blog, Dr Eric Lybeck argues that, at root, the government and its economists see this imbalance, not as the result […]