In the news

Trust was heavily eroded during the long period of austerity that followed the global financial crisis and we cannot afford to make the same mistake again. Sam Wren-Lewis, author 'The Happiness Problem', explains why trust is so important in times of uncertainty.…Read more

Alison Shaw, Chief Executive of Bristol University Press and Policy Press, considers the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and how we can move beyond the catastrophe to improve lives and change societies for the better. …Read more

How we as societies respond to the challenges and opportunities arising from the global crisis of coronavirus could lead to fundamental changes in the social contracts across these societies. Jonathan Wistow shows how this is an opportunity to reassess the kind of deal we have with the state and other interests and influences. …Read more

Rebecca Willis is the author of 'Too Hot to Handle? The Democratic Challenge of Climate Change' - out today. Here she explains that, despite these uncertain times, we should have faith in people to understand, accept and play their part in responding to crises, both immediate, acute health threats like COVID-19, and the slow-burn of the climate crisis.…Read more

Marius Guderjan, Hugh Mackay and Gesa Stedman look at the impact of the election, Rishi Sunak's budget and developing trade agreements and immigration policy to explore Boris Johnson's increasingly exclusive populism and explain why their account of Brexit and austerity in 'Contested Britain: Brexit, Austerity and Agency' is framed with the notion of agency.…Read more

Based on Decriminalising Abortion in the UK, edited by Sally Sheldon and Kaye Wellings, this briefing covers key messages and policy recommendations around abortion, the likely impact of decriminalisation and how to ensure effective regulation afterwards.…Read more

Lisa Mckenzie, author of 'Getting By: Estates, Class and Culture in Austerity Britain' argues that, if there has ever been a time where we need a prosocial politics, education system, business model and society, it is now.…Read more

Masoud Kamali and Jessica Jönsson, guest-editors of a recent special issue of Critical and Radical Social Work - ‘Revolutionary social work: promoting sustainable justice’ - explain why revolutionary changes need to take place in the discipline of social work to resist the dominance of neoliberal ideology and political parties in education and research.…Read more

Gary Craig, co-editor of 'The Modern Slavery Agenda: Policy, Politics and Practice' looks at the extent of modern slavery, who is affected and what needs to be done. …Read more

Rebecca Willis, author of Too Hot to Handle? The Democratic Challenge of Climate Change, out this month, identifies five things every government needs to do to tackle the climate emergency.…Read more