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Democracy, power and governance

PODCAST: Drugs: The path that led to prohibition
by Julia Buxton  |  17th September 2025

In this episode, George Miller speaks with Julia Buxton about how personal experience drew her into the drug policy field, why US power has played such a disproportionate role and what happens when countries attempt reform.…Read more

How fox hunting demonstrates the ‘farcical’ nature of criminal justice today

Tracey Davanna, co-editor of 'Policing in Crisis?', discusses how The Hunt Saboteurs Association exposes the violence, privilege, and state complicity surrounding illegal fox hunting, highlighting how direct action is often the only means of holding powerful rural elites to account.…Read more

Becoming an algorithmic problem: Resistance in the age of predictive technology

José Marichal, author of 'You Must Become an Algorithmic Problem', examines how algorithmic personalisation lulls us into predictable, familiar choices that erode exploration and, over time, threaten the foundations of liberal democracy.…Read more

From faultlines to frontlines: Neoliberalism vs. people-powered movements

In this episode, Richard Kemp speaks with Peter Beresford about the problem neoliberalism poses, both in politics and in our everyday lives.…Read more

Passport hierarchies, visa regimes and the gatekeeping of knowledge

Devran Gülel argues that visa regimes act as structural gatekeepers in academia, disproportionately limiting the mobility of Global South scholars, marginalizing their knowledge, and perpetuating global hierarchies under the pretense of meritocracy.…Read more

Explore urgent issues through open access reading
by Bristol University Press and Policy Press  |  19th August 2025

A curated collection of open access works explores urgent global challenges, from climate grief and AI ethics to inequality, migration, and political representation,offering critical insights for study and teaching.…Read more

In the age of AI realism, where do we stand – willing enablers, passive observers or active resisters?
by David Bailey and Masoumeh Iran Mansouri  |  14th August 2025

David Bailey and Masoumeh Iran Mansouri argue that while AI’s rapid rise offers immense promise, its grave risks may outpace weak safeguards like the EU’s AI Act unless met with far stronger resistance.…Read more

A just climate future for Jim and beyond
by Carolyn Snell and Lucie Middlemiss  |  12th August 2025

Carolyn Snell and Lucie Middlemiss, authors of 'Just Climate Futures', argue that while Net Zero policies are vital for tackling climate change, they must be shaped around everyday realities and social inequalities to ensure they enhance rather than diminish people’s lives.…Read more

Nathan Kerrigan, co-author of 'Liquid Racism', reflects on how the Southport attack sparked a resurgence of racism, driven by insecurity and exploited by far-right populism.…Read more

AI in care: Augmentation or depletion?
by Kate Hamblin, Grace Whitfield and James Wright  |  7th August 2025

Kate Hamblin, Grace Whitfield, and James Wright explore how, despite growing enthusiasm for AI in UK social care, its use raises pressing ethical, equity, and ecological concerns that undermine claims of efficiency and effectiveness. Ask ChatGPT …Read more