Author: Guest Editor

By Professor Fiona Carmichael, Professor Scott Taylor and Dr Marco Ercolani, Birmingham Business School Workplace gender inequality is a global phenomenon. The Gender Pay Gap (GPG), measuring the difference between men’s and women’s mean or median [1] wages, is the most evident and direct manifestation of gender inequality. The persistence of such a basic problem … Continue reading “Closing The Gender Pay Gap: Are we nearly there now in 2023?”

By Dr Nicholas Barker and Dr George Kyris, Department of Political Science and International Studies It’s a year since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine and almost nine years since the illegal annexation of Crimea and the start of the war in the Donbas. As analysts and policy-makers try to understand and respond to the war, … Continue reading “Russia’s War on Ukraine: What can we learn from Europe’s other conflicts?”

By Professor Tom Harrison, School of Education It is a commonly heard lament that democratic discourse is in decline. This concern is not just expressed in the UK but also in many countries around the world. Evidence of this growing political division and animosity includes diminished trust in democratic institutions, decreased participation in the political … Continue reading “Factivism: The Vital Link Between News Literacy and Youth Civic Engagement”

By Krisna Puji Rahmayanti, Doctoral Researcher, International Development Department, University of Birmingham  On November 21, 2022, a magnitude 5.6 earthquake struck Cianjur Regency, a city in West Java Province, Indonesia. Following the earthquake in Cianjur, several aftershocks occurred, including those in Garut and Cianjur Regencies, and Sukabumi Regency. Image Source Indonesia’s vulnerability to this disaster … Continue reading “What can we learn from the Cianjur Earthquake in Indonesia?”

By Dr Rachel Lilley, Senior Fellow at Birmingham Leadership Institute, University of Birmingham  I imagine I am not alone in my resolve that 2023 needs to be less stressful than 2022. Life is too short to be constantly juggling priorities, worried and tired… Wouldn’t it be great to no longer feel constantly overwhelmed by the … Continue reading “Three reasons why mindfulness shouldn’t be your new year’s resolution”

By Dr Willem Stander and Dr Jason SchaubSchool of Social Policy, University of Birmingham The retailer John Lewis is renowned for winning the UK’s unofficial Christmas advert competition, creating tearjerker TV moments and tugging at heart strings for more than a decade. This year’s Christmas advert takes a charitable angle, raising awareness of the plight … Continue reading “Christmas ad about young people in care falls short on LGBTQ+ representation”

By Dr Sophie King-Hill, Senior Research Fellow, Health Services Management Centre and David Russell, Community Safety & Justice Manager Warning: Contains discussion of child abuse themes. Fashion house Balenciaga has never shied away from controversy in its 103 years in the fashion industry.  However, their recent advertising campaigns appear to have gone a step too … Continue reading “When ‘shock to sell’ goes too far: Balenciaga and the glamorisation of paedophilia in the name of fashion”

By Dr Ash Stokoe, University of Birmingham, Dr Gina Gwenffrewi, University of Edinburgh, and Dr Charlotte Galpin, University of Birmingham In the eye of the media storm for the past five years, since the UK Government released a public consultation on the possibility of reforming the 2004 Gender Recognition Act, the UK’s trans community has weathered … Continue reading “Hunting Mermaids: Exploring media representation of the trans+ community”

By Dr Sophie King-Hill, Senior FellowHealth Services Management Centre, University of Birmingham Queen Elizabeth II died on 8th September 2022, aged 96, after a 70 year reign. The media and the press quickly declared that the whole nation was in mourning and a chain of events doused in pageantry was set into motion. A period … Continue reading “The Monarchy: Pageantry vs Poverty”

By Dr Sophie King-Hill, Senior FellowHealth Services Management Centre, University of Birmingham The death of Queen Elizabeth II has highlighted some key fragilities and controversies within the monarchy, arguably the most prominent being Prince Andrew and his affiliation with convicted child sex traffickers Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell. The association was also coupled with accusations … Continue reading “The Monarchy: Wealth, Power and Exploitation”