By Dr Heng Choon (Oliver) Chan Associate Professor of Criminology, Department of Social Policy, Sociology and Criminology In the wake of several high-profile police scandals and a rise in offences including cybercrime and shoplifting, the public is beginning to lose faith in the police. A recent Savanta survey for The Independent (conducted between 24 and … Continue reading “A (Long) Path to ‘Recovery’? The Public (Dis)Trust of the Police”
Category: Society
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”
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”
Trans rights? Not under Starmer’s Labour Party
By Jonathan Pettifer, Doctoral Researcher, Department of Political Science and International Studies, University of Birmingham The UK has plummeted down the rankings of LGBTQ-friendly countries over the last decade. With a general election set for 4 July, could a change in government mean an improvement in LGBTQ+ rights? When New Labour took office in 1997, … Continue reading “Trans rights? Not under Starmer’s Labour Party”
SoS – Save our Shops! Will the forthcoming election bring about effective retail change?
By Professor Sarah Montano & Dr Inci Toral, Department of Marketing, Birmingham Business School We are used to seeing the news headlines stating that the High Street is dying. The recent loss of Wilko emphasises the precarious nature of retail. In 2022 Ordnance Survey data showed that department stores had declined by 13.4%. However, there … Continue reading “SoS – Save our Shops! Will the forthcoming election bring about effective retail change?”
AI and Democracy: A threat or an opportunity?
By Dr Adam Matthews, School of Education, University of Birmingham 2024 has been described as make or break for democracy worldwide with 1.5 billion citizens going to the polls in more than 50 countries. With many claiming AI will be as disruptive as steam, electricity, printing press, TV and radio, and the internet, AI technologies … Continue reading “AI and Democracy: A threat or an opportunity?”
Including older women, or extending sexism? Midlife women in popular culture
By Dr Julie Whiteman Department of Marketing, University of Birmingham On 8th March we heard much about ‘inspiring inclusion’ as part of International Women’s Day celebrations. Inspiring inclusion will mean many things to many people, recognising the scope of exclusion that permeates all aspects of our society. By focusing on inclusion, it is hoped we … Continue reading “Including older women, or extending sexism? Midlife women in popular culture”
Social work and the renewal of generosity towards service users and social workers
By Professor Harry Ferguson Professor of Social Work, Department of Social Work and Social Care, University of Birmingham Every day in this country social workers perform countless acts that make a real difference to the lives of thousands of people. What they do involves kindness, compassion, courage, resilience, cleverness, wisdom and high levels of knowledge … Continue reading “Social work and the renewal of generosity towards service users and social workers”