Technology has been blamed for a lot recently. Automation and artificial intelligence have supposedly led to substantial job losses, reduced bargaining power for workers and increased discrimination. It is even blamed for growing income and wealth inequality and, as a result, the presidency of Donald Trump, Brexit, the rise of far-right populism in Europe and the spectre of climate change....
A joint post by Prof. Louis Volante and Dr. John Jerrim Educators around the world, particularly those in secondary schools, often default to a compelling story when they are trying to motivate their students: Work hard, achieve well and you will secure a successful future with attractive job prospects. This is currently the conventional wisdom across much of the Western world, with strong links drawn between education, meritocracy and upward social mobility. But what does the research suggest a...
In 2017, the United States Federal Communications Commission (FCC) announced the end of net neutrality in the USA. The decision was taken unilaterally by FCC Chairman Commissioner, Ajit Pai, and other unelected board members, without consulting key actors from civil society. This decision was and is still being criticised even from within the Commission where the vote repealing net neutrality was extremely tight: just three votes to two. The move was also criticised by NGOs and international org...
The world is an unfair, unequal, insecure and unhealthy place for about half its population. Around 30% of ‘us’ have no access to adequate healthcare when needed, and 40% face a complete or near-complete loss of income security when a personal or a national economic crisis strikes. At least a third of the global population live in abject poverty (under US$3.10 per day) – i.e., the cruellest form of insecurity. Every second child is poor and 5-10 million children die every year of preventable cau...
Each year we join the institutional and policy meetings of the Association for Public Policy Analysis and Management (APPAM). At this year’s event, the topics mainly focused on promoting justice through research and practice — but the most poignant session for me was on cultural competency in public policy education. At first, coming from the Dutch and UN system, I thought our institute would be doing rather well. We’re based in a free and democratic country and our staff and s...
This article is part of UNU’s “17 Days, 17 Goals” series, featuring research and commentary in support of the United Nations Sustainable Development Summit, 25-27 September 2015 in New York City. Goal #4: Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all Fifteen years ago, the UN General Assembly adopted the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), which sought to eradicate or alleviate the world’s most pressing challenges. The eight objectives show...
Last week’s UK elections put the Conservative Party firmly back in power. What does this mean for the ‘man on the street’, for teachers and carers? To clarify the economic backdrop, PhD Fellow Mary Kaltenberg examined wage distributions across the UK. The story she found is stark: a little over a third of the country are in the top earners bracket, while just under a quarter are stuck on — or below — the minimum wage. My first stop was the UK Office for National Sta...