By Professor Stephanie Decker Department of Strategy and International Business, Birmingham Business School Much of the buzz around Artificial Intelligence (AI), and more specifically Generative Artificial Intelligence (GAI), focuses on what the widespread access to these new technologies will mean for the future of society, professions and the workplace. But AI also has the potential … Continue reading “Is AI’s future in the past?”
Author: Guest editor
How can universities use GenAI?
By Dr Kamilya Suleymenova & Dr Mary Dawood Department of Economics, Birmingham Business School The first open-to-general-public GenAI tool was launched in November 2022 and headlines ranged from exceptionally optimistic to dramatically alarmist. The ability to generate text (as well as code, and later images, audio, and video) was immediately spotted by those involved in … Continue reading “How can universities use GenAI?”
What does Labour’s “sandcastle majority” mean for the new government?
By Dr Nathan Critch Department of Political Science and International Studies (POLSIS), University of Birmingham Whilst the relatively low vote share Labour achieved in the 2024 general election was enough to secure a landslide in terms of parliamentary seats, a lack of real popular enthusiasm for their governing project is sure to cause problems for … Continue reading “What does Labour’s “sandcastle majority” mean for the new government?”
How will minority groups vote in the general election?
By Professor Aditya Goenka, Department of Economics, Birmingham Business School Understanding the voting intentions of the minority groups is important as they constituted 19.3% of the population in 2021 in England and Wales. The distribution within England varies with a much higher representation in urban areas such as greater London, Birmingham and West Midlands, Leicester, … Continue reading “How will minority groups vote in the general election?”
General Election 2024: Whatever happened to levelling up?
By Abigail Taylor, Research Fellow & Johannes Read, Policy and Data Analyst, City-REDI, Birmingham Business School The phrase ‘levelling up’ – which refers to tackling inequality between places – has been cast aside in the 2024 election campaign. There has been relatively little detailed discussion about addressing regional inequalities by any of the main parties. … Continue reading “General Election 2024: Whatever happened to levelling up?”
The future of devolution under a new government – a manifesto guide
By Associate Professor Rebecca Riley City-REDI, Birmingham Business School Each party’s stance on place and devolution reflects their broader political philosophies, with Labour and the Conservatives focusing on managed devolution within a united framework, while the Liberal Democrats, Greens, SNP, and Plaid Cymru push for more substantial devolved autonomy and constitutional reform. Reform UK doesn’t … Continue reading “The future of devolution under a new government – a manifesto guide”
Why Labour’s promise of 6,500 teachers is not likely to work
By Professor Beng Huat See School of Education, University of Birmingham Labour’s promise of 6,500 new teachers is unlikely to solve the chronic teacher shortage. The issue extends beyond just a lack of teachers or interested individuals. Despite various financial incentives and the Teacher Recruitment and Retention Strategy—which aims to reduce workload, improve school culture, … Continue reading “Why Labour’s promise of 6,500 teachers is not likely to work”
Mind the (wealth) gap
By Dr Huw Macartney Department of Political Science and International Studies, School of Government, University of Birmingham Three million emergency food parcels were handed out in the UK over the past 12 months; the number of people living in absolute poverty is predicted to increase by 300,000, to almost 12 million, in 2024; and 17 … Continue reading “Mind the (wealth) gap”
How stable is India’s new government?
By Professor Aditya Goenka Department of Economics, Birmingham Business School On 4 June 2024 the parliamentary election results were announced for India after a 7 stage elections process held over 44 days. 642 million votes were cast of which 312 million were women. 543 seats were up for grabs. The incumbent Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) … Continue reading “How stable is India’s new government?”
Education, Health and Care plans: why the policy needs to translate into practice
By Professor Laura Crane, Director of the Autism Centre for Education and Research (ACER) at University of Birmingham & Heba Al-Jayoosi, Head of Inclusion at Mayflower Primary School A recent report by BBC news highlighted how councils are failing to meet deadlines to issue Education, Health and Care (EHC) plans to children with Special Educational … Continue reading “Education, Health and Care plans: why the policy needs to translate into practice”