The Open University

Vote of no confidence: what does it mean for Boris Johnson?

6 June 2022

Professor of Politics & International Studies at The Open University Simon Usherwood outlines the vote of no confidence in the House of Commons on Monday June 6 2022 and what it could mean for Prime Minister Boris Johnson. How will Tory MPs vote? The process of a no confidence vote in the Conservative party might […]

Haiti has suffered hugely over centuries but its revolution was stunningly innovative

31 May 2022

Anna Plassart, The Open University Since the New York Times published its recent series of bombshell articles about the crippling reparations that France imposed on Haiti after it won independence in 1804, much has been written about how this 150 million franc “indemnity” had virtually doomed the fledgling country before it had a chance to […]

Rishi Sunak’s £15 billion cost-of-living package and windfall tax: four experts respond

30 May 2022

Jonquil Lowe, The Open University; Adi Imsirovic, University of Surrey; Alan Shipman, The Open University, and Keith Baker, Glasgow Caledonian University Rishi Sunak, the UK chancellor of the exchequer, has unveiled a £15 billion package of measures to help households with the cost of living, after energy watchdog Ofgem announced it would probably be increasing […]

Elon Musk could roll back social media moderation – just as we’re learning how it can stop misinformation

15 May 2022

Harith Alani, The Open University; Grégoire Burel, The Open University, and Tracie Farrell, The Open University The US$44 billion (£36 billion) purchase of Twitter by “free speech absolutist” Elon Musk has many people worried. The concern is the site will start moderating content less and spreading misinformation more, especially after his announcement that he would […]

BAFTA nominations for two BBC/OU programmes

5 May 2022

Two BBC and Open University co-productions have earned BAFTA nominations in the current affairs and factual series categories. And on Sunday, 8 May, academics from the Faculties of Business and Law and Arts and Social Sciences, who acted as consultants for the programmes, find out if they’ve won. The BBC billing for Trump takes on […]

Woman's hand holding a piece of cloth with signatures written on it

New series of ‘Secrets of the Museum’ starts tonight on BBC Two

7 April 2022

A new series of Secrets of the Museum, co-produced by the BBC and The Open University airs tonight (7 April) on BBC Two at 8pm. In series three of the popular programme, viewers are treated to behind-the-scenes footage of London’s Victoria & Albert (V&A) museum’s vast collection. We meet the experts that work tirelessly to […]

Vivid and panoramic: series tells history of the British Isles through its art

5 April 2022

A rich feast of colour and imagery arrives on TV screens this month, showing the history of the British Isles as never seen before in a new OU/BBC series, The Art That Made Us. Lavish and comprehensive, the eight-part blockbuster, which starts on Thursday 7th April at 9pm on BBC2, spotlights art from all genres […]

Spring Statement 2022: quick analysis about standards of living, energy crisis and more – from experts

25 March 2022

Keith Baker, Glasgow Caledonian University; Cam Donaldson FRSE, Glasgow Caledonian University; Ernestine Gheyoh Ndzi, York St John University; Gavin Midgley, University of Southampton; Jonquil Lowe, The Open University; Karen Bloor, University of York; Karl Schmedders, International Institute for Management Development (IMD); Peter Bloom, University of Essex; Phil Tomlinson, University of Bath; Renaud Foucart, Lancaster University; […]

OU academic reveals the biggest threats to Putin at home and abroad

25 March 2022

What next for Putin, the oligarchs and the Russian economy in the light of the economic sanctions? Alan Shipman, a Senior Lecturer in Economics at The Open University, is a former ‘emerging markets’ analyst who’s watched Russia’s slide from star performer in the early 2000s to oil-dependent stagnation since 2010. He sheds some light on […]

Ukraine explainer: Why RT has lost its UK licence

18 March 2022

As British media regulator Ofcom revokes the license of RT, the Russian international broadcaster, to broadcast in the UK, The Open University’s Dr Precious Chatterje-Doody, Lecturer in Politics and International Studies and a Russian media expert explains the decision. She outlines how the move comes after high-level political concerns over the network’s reporting of Russia’s […]

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Category: Arts and social sciences