Attention to the abuse and neglect of people in institutional settings is at the forefront of existing and proposed policy agendas. Investigations, reviews and calls for action feature in the workload of the Joint Committee on Human Rights; the Health and Social Care Select Committee; the Equality and Human Rights Committee and the Care Quality […]
How the digital healthcare revolution leaves the most vulnerable behind
Digital technology in healthcare was vital during the COVID-19 pandemic to make sure that people maintained access to health services when they were not available in-person. However, the move to digital healthcare disadvantaged some patients and placed them at risk of greater inequality and vulnerability. Here, Dr Omer Ali, Dr Elizabeth Dalgarno, Dr Claudia Pagliari […]
The Child of the North: Building a fairer future after COVID-19
Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, growing evidence has shown the effects of the disease, and measures to contain it, have not been felt equally across the UK, with the North of England one of the hardest hit regions. Even before the pandemic, the North suffered from higher levels of poverty, poor health, and inequality compared to […]
Polluting the economy: the hidden cost of air pollution
Recent empirical evidence demonstrates that air pollution has negative effects on the labour market beyond health-related costs. In this blog, Dr Ron Chan and Ms Veronica Vienne from The University of Manchester and Dr Martino Pelli from Université de Sherbrooke explore the non-health-related impacts of air pollution on the labour force, using the wildfires in Chile […]
Air pollution: a place-based community-centred approach
There are major disparities in the impacts of air pollution, with low-income communities facing greater health risks due to higher exposure to air pollutants. In this blog, Professor Sheena Cruickshank, an immunologist and Academic Lead for Public Engagement with Research at The University of Manchester, outlines the disproportionate health effects of air pollution on marginalised […]
Navigating choppy waters: anchoring the UK-EU Trade Cooperation Agreement through a robust dispute settlement mechanism
Disputes are an inevitable in any aspect of everyday life. This rings true in the context of international trade agreements, where conflicting national agendas and interests collide. Sometimes, trade disputes can be anticipated and prevented.At other times, trade disputes cannot be avoided completely. Disputes need to be carefully managed in order that they are dealt […]
The Pandora Papers: A Pandora’s box for the offshore industry, or a case of ‘as you were’?
The Pandora Papers are the latest data leak offering a glimpse into the ways in which powerful individuals and corporate entities manage their finances with the assistance and direction of third party, professional intermediaries such as company formation agents and trust and company service providers. The data leak consists of just under 12 million files […]
The Sex Buyer Law: what can policymakers learn from Northern Ireland?
In 2015, Northern Ireland criminalised the purchasing, but not the selling, of sex. A proposal that has become increasingly popular with policymakers across Europe in recent decades. The adoption of this law is a policy of the Scottish National Party and it is currently up for debate in the British Parliament. This new law was […]
Global Britain: an ambitious template for international trade agreements in an uncertain era
Following Brexit, the UK has reclaimed its competence in trade and investment policy and its role as the sole negotiator of trade and investment agreements. However, to take advantage of a golden opportunity to reshape trade and investment policy in the UK, Dr Jasem Tarawneh and Dr Nicolette Butler recommend that the government adopts an […]
Hiding in plain sight: why are the UK and US keeping the transatlantic trade negotiations under wraps?
In the current climate of political uncertainty, transparency is fundamental to the negotiation of the UK-US free trade agreement. Coupled with the economic ramifications of the pandemic, which has had a profound impact on both countries, transparency will play an integral role in legitimising the outcome of this agreement and its acceptance from a democratic […]