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Category: Society and politics

A young blonde woman, wearing a mortar board and holding a certificate, in front of a sea-view with mountains in the distance.

‘The OU allowed me to fit my studies in a schedule that worked for me,’ says busy working mum

Rebecca, 37, from the Isle of Ulva in Scotland, always had an interest in higher education but didn’t want to leave the beloved island she calls home. It wasn’t until she was 27 and a busy working mum of two children that she discovered The Open University (OU). Through her BA (Honours) Politics, Philosophy and […]

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Westminster and the River Thames

Spring statement: defence spending boosted as further disability benefit cuts announced

Not even six months on from Labour’s first budget, and the world is a much-changed place. Geopolitical tensions and uncertainties, already high last year, have risen further, and with them the cost of the UK’s debt, while economic growth has stalled. As such, Chancellor Rachel Reeves has confronted an array of unpalatable choices – notably […]

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tower block, social housing

Why the social pain of welfare reform overshadows any economic gain

The UK government is calling it the “biggest shakeup to the welfare system in a generation” – prompted by what the Prime Minister described as the “devastating” cost of sickness and disability benefits.  Alan Shipman, Senior Lecturer in Economics, writing in The Conversation, says planned reforms to cut those costs are designed to save £5 […]

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Pot of coins. Photo: Josh Appel, Unsplash

Five things you need to know about: releasing trapped pension surpluses

In a bid to fuel-inject the economy and provide opportunity for growth, the UK Government is intending to announce plans to make it easier to tap into the surplus funds lying in corporate pension schemes. Following an earlier heads-up about this intention, we can expect the Chancellor Rachel Reeves to reveal more in the coming […]

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person studying. image: Unseen Studio, Unsplash.

Reducing reoffending rates: Open University awarded UK government contract to provide education in secure environments across England and Wales

OU has been awarded a contract to continue delivering transformative HE education Education is a key aspect of rehabilitation to help end cycle of reoffending Evidence highlights the correlation between education and reducing reoffending The Open University (OU) will continue to deliver life-changing education to those serving in prisons, after successfully securing a new contract […]

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Criminologist’s joy that funding will highlight a dark part of Lancashire’s history

Criminologist’s joy that funding will highlight a dark part of Lancashire’s history

An Open University criminologist Dr David Scott could never have imagined that a walk in the park with his new rescued dog five years ago would lead to unearthing a massacre in Lancashire that the world forgot. Now, he’s just secured £170,000 from the National Lottery Heritage Fund to commemorate the bicentennial of a bloody […]

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BBC’s Forensics: The Real CSI shows the specialised work of police and forensic teams investigating a violent crime

BBC’s Forensics: The Real CSI shows the specialised work of police and forensic teams investigating a violent crime

The Open University has once again teamed up with the BBC for another episode of Forensics: The Real CSI that shows the work of police forensic teams investigating a woman’s death. The episode, titled ‘Murder in a Brothel’, airs at 9pm on Sunday, 2 March, on BBC Two and iPlayer, and will be available on […]

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Russia’s militarisation of young Ukrainians risks long-term peace: academic comment

Russia’s militarisation of young Ukrainians risks long-term peace: academic comment

While decisionmakers in Europe and the US wrestle with a roadmap to lasting peace in Ukraine an Open University academic says they need to understand the future threat posed by Russian militarisation of young people in occupied territories. As we approach the third anniversary of the war, Dr Precious Chatterje-Doody says Russia is attempting to […]

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Chancellor’s plans for growth will be slow to emerge: academic opinion

Chancellor’s plans for growth will be slow to emerge: academic opinion

The UK’s Chancellor’s plans for growth and ambitious industrial policies will only work if she can reset European trade, says Alan Shipman, Senior Lecturer in Economics at The Open University. When the Labour government returned to power last year it chose not to act rapidly against one of the biggest growth constraints, Britain’s isolation from […]

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An OU/BBC Radio series examines how the UK’s major issues could be rethought

An OU/BBC Radio series examines how the UK’s major issues could be rethought

A new Open University/BBC radio series called Rethink examines the emerging issues in society, economics, technology and politics in relation to the UK’s standing in the world. Simon Usherwood, Professor of Politics and International Studies at the OU, is a consultant to the programme makers who show how we might approach those issues differently. The […]

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