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Category: Society and politics
OU research supports police safe driving campaign
Research by an OU psychology academic has helped produce a toolkit of resources for police forces to use in a campaign for safer driving. The social media toolkit is to educate and enforce the law against mobile phone use by drivers. Dr Gemma Briggs, senior lecturer in psychology, provided evidence based on her research on […]
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How you can tell Emmanuel Macron is actually a populist – and why it matters
Emmanuel Macron, the president of France, came to power in 2017 in the wake of the election of Donald Trump in the US and the Brexit referendum – widely seen as a period of crisis that pitted populism against liberal democracy. At the time, Macron presented himself as a defender of liberalism against the dangers […]
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Cultural sites and war crimes, explaining the connection
As tensions between Iran and the US continue, the OU’s Professor Derek Matravers takes a closer look at at why criticism was levelled at President Trump earlier this month, for his threats to Iran’s cultural sites. Derek Matravers is Professor of Philosphy at The Open University and his research activity includes his involvement in directing […]
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Veganism has always been more about living an ethical life than just avoiding meat and dairy
Dr Matthew Cole, Lecturer in Criminology at The Open University joins Dr Kate Stewart from Nottingham Trent University to write for The Conversation about the origins of Veganism being more than just diet. “Ethical veganism” has been ruled to be a philosophical belief in the UK in an employment tribunal. During a case brought by […]
Sixty years ago: Stuart Hall arrives to renew the Left
Alan Shipman looks back to 1960 when the late Stuart Hall (former Professor of Sociology at the OU) first emerged as a leading Left thinker and pioneering social scientist. January 1960 began with a fresh challenge for Stuart Hall, a young teacher from Jamaica still adjusting to London life after finishing his English Literature studies. […]
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No Brexit boost for affordable housing
The Open University’s Alan Shipman, Lecturer in Economics, takes a look ahead to how the housing market will fare in the coming year. House price forecasts remain relatively optimistic for 2020, for those who regard their four walls as an investment and not just a place to live. After an average increase of just 0.7% […]
Bargain hunters: how shops make us buy
The post-Christmas sales are in full swing but how do shops persuade us to spend? Have some fund finding out more about what shops do to make us buy with the interactive tool below developed by our sociologists. And if you’ve enjoyed eating your way through the Christmas holidays and and want to know more […]
What conspiracy theories have in common with fiction – and why it makes them compelling stories
In an era dominated by “fake news” and disinformation, conspiracy theories are coming to play an increasingly influential role in modern politics. During the recent impeachment hearings in the US, for example, former National Security Council official Fiona Hill warned that “fictional narratives” pushed by Russia were undermining American security. But what’s the difference exactly […]
Expert reaction to Boris Johnson’s General Election victory
Boris Johnson’s Conservative Party has won a large majority in the 2019 general election. Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn has confirmed that he will not lead his party in any future elections but will stay on during a period of reflection about what happened in this campaign. Meanwhile, Liberal Democrat leader Jo Swinson has lost […]
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Climate crisis: six steps to making fossil fuels history
Dr Stephen Peake, Senior Lecturer in Environment at The Open University writes for The Conversation about the climate crisis. In shouting “system change not climate change”, young people understand that the 3-4℃ warmer world we’re headed for would be far more painful, costly and disruptive than any short-term costs or inconvenience we face from taking […]
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