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Category: Arts and social sciences

The good the bad and the ugly of the Autumn Statement

The good the bad and the ugly of the Autumn Statement

By Jonquil Lowe, Senior Economics lecturer, personal finance Leaks in the run-up to the Chancellor’s Autumn Statement primed us all to expect the worst, but his announcement was surprisingly upbeat. It included: Spending increases to protect public services Further help for all with energy costs, a repeat next year of targeted cost-of-living support And assurances […]

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OpenLearn marks UK Parliament Week with new ‘social change’ course

OpenLearn marks UK Parliament Week with new ‘social change’ course

If you want to know how to make political and social change then The Open University’s OpenLearn platform has the answer. In celebration of the annual UK Parliament Week, from 14-20 November, which the OU partners with, OpenLearn is highlighting a new course designed for the young and old titled: Introduction to making political and […]

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Rumour Has It… that Adele wants to take on a distance-learning degree

Rumour Has It… that Adele wants to take on a distance-learning degree

Singing superstar Adele caused a flurry of interest recently when she admitted she has dreams of studying for a distance-learning degree in English Literature when her Las Vegas residency show ends. Her comments fell in the run up to Lifelong Learning Week, which runs from today, 7 November, and is designed to celebrate and champion […]

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Academic opinion: So why is it that we like being scared?

Academic opinion: So why is it that we like being scared?

Philosophers have puzzled for years why we sit through films that make us scream in terror yet have us laughing moments later. With Hallowe’en just around the corner, Derek Matravers, Professor of Philosophy at The Open University, ponders why some people love the experience and seek out more while others hate it. So what kind […]

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Expert comment on Mr Sunak’s first few days as PM

Expert comment on Mr Sunak’s first few days as PM

Dr Richard Heffernan is a Reader in Government who specialises in British politics at The Open University. Here he gives his opinion on the new Prime Minister, his cabinet and his first Prime Minister’s Question Time. Is Rishi Sunak the right man for the job? That’s in the eye of the beholder. It depends on […]

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Pensions: how yours may have been affected by recent market turmoil

Pensions: how yours may have been affected by recent market turmoil

Jonquil Lowe, Senior Lecturer in Economics and Personal Finance at The Open University, explains how pensions have been affected by former Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng’s mini budget and his replacement’s U-turn. The early signs are that the financial markets have been appeased by the government’s October 17 decision to reverse two-thirds of its September mini-budget tax […]

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Are the moves by the new Chancellor enough?

Are the moves by the new Chancellor enough?

Two economists at The Open University deliver their verdict on Jeremy Hunt’s budget statement – his first since stepping into the shoes of his newly departed predecessor Kwasi Kwarteng. Jonquil Lowe, senior lecturer in economics and personal finance, said: The government has bowed to the financial markets and rowed back on most of the tax […]

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Kwarteng paid the price for the miscalculations of previous Chancellors

Kwarteng paid the price for the miscalculations of previous Chancellors

Alan Shipman, a senior lecturer in economics at The Open University, gives his opinion on the historical reasons Mr Kwarteng “had to go”. Kwasi Kwarteng will be remembered as the Chancellor who blew the government’s economic credibility with unfunded tax cuts. But his strategy was the only one left, after a series of earlier mistakes […]

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Government growth plan ‘not credible’… only a U-turn could reverse the damage of the budget

Government growth plan ‘not credible’… only a U-turn could reverse the damage of the budget

While the idea of growing the economy is not wrong the timing is and the only way forward for the Liz Truss government is to do a complete U-turn. That’s according to Jonquil Lowe a respected economist and personal finance senior lecturer at The Open University who says it is the one way to return […]

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Black History Month: the OU’s ‘Race and Ethnicity Hub’ shows past and present ideas of race and racism

Black History Month: the OU’s ‘Race and Ethnicity Hub’ shows past and present ideas of race and racism

The Open University’s OpenLearn is drawing people’s attention to Black History Month (BHM) through its ‘race and ethnicity hub’ to  help people understand historic and contemporary ideas of race and racism. It was developed after the Black Lives Matter movement in 2020 and draws together a collection of existing and new free resources including articles, […]

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