In a book I wrote with a colleague on organisational failures (The Apology Impulse) the inability of many of them to confront their failures, except to say a meaningless 鈥渨e鈥檙e sorry鈥�, is legend.
Chancellor Rachel Reeves presented Labour鈥檚 first budget in 14 years by promising to put an 鈥渆nd to short-termism鈥�. British governments typically see budgets as an opportunity to present policies providing short-term gain in terms of public …
If tens of thousands of miners turned up in the middle of a protected rainforest to mine for sapphires, you might expect that to cause lots of deforestation and harm local wildlife.
The UK鈥檚 new Labour government has made a bold decision. The new minister for local government, Angela Rayner, has announced that the government would withdraw its support for a new coal mine near Whitehaven in Cumbria, which had been approved two …
Desert regions in northern Africa and the Arabian Peninsula have been well studied by archaeologists as the home of early humans and as routes of migration along 鈥済reen corridors鈥�. The archaeology of southern Africa鈥檚 west coast desert belt has not …
The UPP Foundation has today (Wednesday 10 July) launched a new collection of essays from leading thinkers across different sectors outlining the economic and social benefits universities have on their local communities.
It鈥檚 not controversial to say that contemporary affluent societies do a rather poor job of taking the interests of younger generations into account. This is not only because children can鈥檛 vote and the elderly tend to turn up to elections in higher …
With polls predicting huge losses for the Conservatives and huge gains for Labour, the election campaign so far has focused on the battle between the two biggest parties in Westminster. But the parliamentary dynamics are exceptionally fluid this …
Gypsy and Traveller communities are among the more socially excluded groups in the UK. There is a long history of government failures in meeting these groups鈥� housing needs.
Dressed in a mini skirt and passionate about boys, music, dance and fashion, the 1960s teenage girl is a pop culture icon, the seeming beneficiary of the ascendancy of mass youth culture in the west and of unprecedented social and cultural changes.
Imagine making one change to a farm field so that as well as producing food, it also generated building materials, fuel and fodder. At the same time, this change would nourish the health of the soil, regulate the micro-climate and support …
Almost immediately after being appointed as foreign secretary, David Cameron鈥檚 ties with China generated difficult headlines for Rishi Sunak鈥檚 government.
Way back in February 2020, before most of us really knew anything about COVID, we wrote an article for The Conversation about 鈥渓eaveism鈥� and its impact on flexible working.
鈥淭alking about freedom, sat in Margaret Thatcher鈥檚 old Rover鈥� read the UK prime minister鈥檚 tweet in July 2023. Earlier that day in an interview with The Telegraph newspaper, Rishi Sunak had declared that the Conservative Party he leads are 鈥渙n the …
The 1953 coup d'etat in Iran ushered in a period of exploitation and oppression that has continued 鈥� despite a subsequent revolution that led to huge changes 鈥� for 70 years. Each year on August 19, the anniversary of the coup, millions of Iranians …
Maybe you have one bin or many boxes. You might even have a compost caddy. Whatever your recycling setup, chances are that at some point you鈥檝e been left wondering what should go where and if a particular item is indeed recyclable or if it should …
I asked the pilot to deviate from our approved flight path and go low over Darfur. It was 2003 and I was the United Nations Humanitarian and Resident Coordinator in Sudan investigating reports of violence. What I saw was a genocide unfolding on my …
UK environment secretary Th茅r猫se Coffey has demanded that water companies share plans for how they will reduce sewage discharges into rivers. They could start by coming clean on how much sewage is being dumped. If we don鈥檛 know how much sewage is …
When Prince Harry sat down with ITV journalist Tom Bradby for a conversation about his marriage, his estrangement from the royal family and his tell-all memoir, Spare, one particular segment stood out. Bradby said that Harry had accused some members …
The UK government recently launched 鈥淚t all adds up鈥�, a campaign aimed at providing 鈥渟imple, low or no-cost actions that households can take to immediately cut energy use and save money鈥�. The campaign speaks to persistent calls to increase the …
Austerity in the UK is here to stay. The Bank of England has warned that the country is facing the longest recession since records began, predicting that the economic slump will extend well into 2024.
The cinematic character of James Bond has changed with the times since the first Bond film Dr No was released back in 1962. We have seen Bond as a chauvinistic womaniser, a fun-loving bon vivant, and, more recently, a sometimes brutal yet …
The first cohort of students in England taking T-levels 鈥� the new vocational equivalent to A-levels 鈥� have completed their course, been assessed, and have received their results.
For the first time in several generations, inflation is a concern for people in the UK. The Consumer Price Index (CPI) rose by 9% in the year to April 2022, the highest 12-month inflation rate since reliable records began.
Liverpool against Real Madrid in the Champions League final is a fixture for football fans to savour 鈥� two giants battling it out for one of the most prized trophies in the game. And regardless of the result, some will also see this match as a win …
University of Manchester - Archive (expert-comment)
I鈥檝e studied organisational failure for decades 鈥� the Church of England needs more than a new leader
The budget shows Rachel Reeves is thinking long-term more than the Tories
In despair about Earth鈥檚 future? Look for green shoots
Madagascar鈥檚 mining rush has caused no more deforestation than farming
Cumbria coal mine shows planning is next battleground in UK climate policy
An ancient lake supported human life in the Namib Sand Sea, say experts
New Essay Collection on the Transformative Civic Role of Universities Launched In Memory of Lord Bob Kerslake
Votes for kids: why we should be giving children a say in elections
Mauritius鈥� next growth phase: new plan needed as tax haven era fades
Election 2024: current positions and post-election aims for each party
Most Gypsy and Traveller sites in Great Britain are located within 100 metres of major pollutants, shows research
What being a teenage girl in 1960s Britain was really like
Fintech has a gender problem 鈥� here鈥檚 why you should care
Trees can make farms more sustainable 鈥� here鈥檚 how to help farmers plant more
Why David Cameron's past and present relations with China could be Rishi Sunak's first political headache of 2024
鈥楲eaveism鈥� and 鈥榩resenteeism鈥� continue even when employers are more flexible 鈥� here鈥檚 how to be happier at work
The Conservatives have seized on cars as a political wedge 鈥� it鈥檚 a bet on the public turning against climate action
70 years ago, an Anglo-US coup condemned Iran to decades of oppression 鈥� but now the people are fighting back
The UK鈥檚 recycling system is confusing, chaotic and broken 鈥� here鈥檚 how to fix it
Peace in Sudan depends on justice for the Darfur genocide
To clean up England鈥檚 rivers we need to know how much sewage is dumped 鈥� but water firms won鈥檛 tell us
Prince Harry is wrong: unconscious bias is not different to racism
The UK needs a national energy advice service
Austerity has its own life 鈥� here鈥檚 how it lives on in future generations
James Bond鈥檚 ethnicity might change 鈥� but his accent probably won鈥檛
T-Levels: more vocational courses roll out 鈥� but post-16 choices in England are still limited
Young adults and the courts: prosecution and prejudice
Inflation: how experts pick goods to track price changes and what it says about UK consumers
Champions League final 2022: the economic tactics that drive Liverpool and Real Madrid
Bullying: why most people do nothing when they witness it 鈥� and how to take action