By Professor John Fender, Professor of Macroeconomics Department of Economics, University of Birmingham With six months to go before the UK’s Brexit departure from the European Union, we still do not know what arrangement will follow. But we can anticipate some of the consequences. No Deal The UK will find its trade relations deteriorating immediately … Continue reading “Brexit: The Prospect of Deal or No Deal”
Five Tips for International Students
By Dr Idlan Zakaria, Lecturer in Accounting Department of Accounting, University of Birmingham It wasn’t technically my first time in the UK when I arrived here almost two decades ago as a postgraduate student – my family and I spent a few years in the North of England (where my dad was a postgraduate student … Continue reading “Five Tips for International Students”
Presidential Precedents
By Anoushka Raval, Department of Political Science and International Studies School of Government, University of Birmingham With terms like impeachment, collusion, and hush money on everyone’s lips it’s hard not to look to the past for guidance on where current developments in ‘Trumpland’ are heading. While there is not a simple equation to predict what … Continue reading “Presidential Precedents”
Back to the future of poverty alleviation: Holiday hunger and collective feeding
By Andrew Jolly, Doctoral Researcher School of Social Policy, University of Birmingham Food banks have been a constant item in the news of late, most recently after the Trussell Trust (the biggest food parcels provider in the UK) called on the general public to give extra donations of food for children over the school summer … Continue reading “Back to the future of poverty alleviation: Holiday hunger and collective feeding”
HMP Birmingham – the challenge of privatisation within a struggling prison system
By Dr Anna Kotova, Lecturer in Criminology Department of Social Policy, Sociology and Criminology The recent revelation of the issues in HMP Birmingham, which was run by G4S, and the consequent takeover of the prison by the government raise a range of questions about both privatisation of prisons, and deeper endemic problems faced by our … Continue reading “HMP Birmingham – the challenge of privatisation within a struggling prison system”
Saudi-Canadian Diplomatic Spat: An intersection of Twitter Diplomacy and Political Optics
By Umer Karim, Doctoral Researcher School of Government and Society, University of Birmingham The Saudi-Canadian tensions that started from a string of tweets from the Canadian foreign minister and subsequently by the Canadian Embassy in Saudi Arabia has now developed into a full fledged diplomatic spat. With Saudi Arabia declaring Canadian Ambassador to the Kingdom … Continue reading “Saudi-Canadian Diplomatic Spat: An intersection of Twitter Diplomacy and Political Optics”
Opinion: Remembering Srebrenica
By Gareth Jonas, History and Political Science Alumnus University of Birmingham This year marks the twenty-third anniversary of the Srebrenica Genocide, described by the International Criminal Tribunal of Yugoslavia as “scenes from hell, written on the darkest pages of human history”. A seminal moment in international security, commemoration of this massacre is especially relevant for … Continue reading “Opinion: Remembering Srebrenica”
UN International Youth Day: an excellent opportunity for character?
By Jason Metcalfe, Research Associate Jubilee Centre for Character and Virtues, University of Birmingham The campaign aims to promote youth engagement by exploring the role of safe spaces in contributing to dialogue, freedom of speech/expression, and mutual respect. Young people have an important role to play as partners in today’s global society and in leading … Continue reading “UN International Youth Day: an excellent opportunity for character?”
Lifestyle choice does not explain a 17-year life expectancy gap
By Dr Kayleigh Garthwaite, Birmingham Fellow Department of Social Policy, Sociology and Criminology, University of Birmingham When a researcher at BBC’s Panorama got in touch with me to say they were making a programme about health inequalities in Stockton, I had mixed feelings. Just three years before, the second series of the popular ‘poverty porn’ … Continue reading “Lifestyle choice does not explain a 17-year life expectancy gap”
Can Adversaries Become Friends?
By Nicholas Wheeler, Professor of International Relations Department of Political Science and International Studies, University of Birmingham ‘The past does not have to define the future. Yesterday’s conflict does not have to be tomorrow’s war. As history has proved over and over, adversaries can become friends’. US President Donald Trump spoke these words after his … Continue reading “Can Adversaries Become Friends?”