The Open University

OU geographer earns Royal Geographical Society honour

9 May 2016

A top award from the Royal Geographical Society (with IBG) has been given to The Open University’s Professor of Geography and Migration, Parvati Raghuram in recognition of her “outstanding contribution to geography”. She is among just 21 people worldwide named in their annual awards. Award recognises migration and globalisation research Professor Raghuram has been awarded the Society’s […]

Podcast: UK election results summary

6 May 2016

The OU’s Dr Richard Heffernan, Interim Head of Politics and International Studies, caught up with OU News over the phone following results of yesterday’s (May 6th) UK elections. In this short podcast, he talks about local elections, the Scottish Parliament result and poll predictions…

Occupying Turin: refugees breathe life into abandoned buildings of Olympic village

4 April 2016

Arriving at the Olympic Village in Turin, the stage for the 2006 Winter Olympics, it is easy to guess which buildings have been maintained as student houses and youth hostels, and which have been occupied by refugees. The peeling blue and grey paint is visible evidence of Olympic enthusiasm turned to detachment. Since 2013, four […]

Why New York-style rent controls would not work in London

1 April 2016

Unaffordable rents have put New York City’s fabled diversity and creativity at risk. They have forced artists, small businesses and lower-income households out of the central areas, leaving them a monocultural wasteland of bankers and businessmen. Those who stay are crammed into ever more cramped and unsanitary accommodation, while those who now commute from distant […]

Woman opening her arms up in happiness on top of a mountain. Image credit: Thinkstock

How happiness is challenging GDP as the measure of a country’s health

21 March 2016

Denmark reclaimed its place as the happiest country in the world, according to the latest annual World Happiness Report. Switzerland, Iceland, Norway and Finland followed in quick succession at the top, while Benin, Afghanistan, Togo, Syria and Burundi languished at the bottom. The nations that top the usual measure of a country’s health – its […]

Close up of female accountant or banker making calculations. Image credit: Thinkstock

OU academics review 2016 budget statement

16 March 2016

George Osborne today delivered his eighth budget as Chancellor. We spoke to two Open University academics with different areas of expertise to get their take on the headlines… Lecturer in finance Jonquil Lowe on how the budget might impact personal finances… Lecturer in economics Alan Shipman gives an overall summary of today’s budget statement… https://youtu.be/HTRuvF9YWxw

Bombing in Ankara: who is fighting who in Turkey?

15 March 2016

Hours after Ankara was rocked by the second bomb attack in less than three weeks, killing at least 37 people and injuring 70 others, Turkish jets bombed PKK bases in the Qandil mountains deep inside the Kurdish region of Iraq. Turkish security officials told reporters that two suspects in the bombing had ties to the […]

With Michigan triumph, Sanders proves the US need not settle for the ‘inevitable’

9 March 2016

Bernie Sanders’s victory in the Michigan presidential primary has stunned America’s political establishment. He not only defied the polls, which had put him behind by as much as 20 points, but he has also “changed the race” by once again challenging Hillary Clinton’s seemingly clear path to the Democratic nomination. Only a week before, she […]

Learning lessons on coping with death from an African perspective

7 March 2016

The report, Responses to Death, Care and Family Relations in Urban Senegal, conducted by academics from the University of Reading and The Open University provides the first in-depth understanding of responses to death, care and family relations in an urban West African context. Funded by The Leverhulme Trust, the researchers suggest that Britain could […]

Secured data transfer. Image credit: Thinkstock

Investigatory Powers Bill ‘rush job’ is a recipe for disaster

2 March 2016

The Investigatory Powers Bill – which could allow police to hack mobile phones, computers and web browsing history – provides a unique opportunity to lead global surveillance regulation. But, rushing the Bill through parliament without adequate scrutiny is a potential recipe for disaster. That’s according to Ray Corrigan, senior lecturer in maths, computing and technology […]

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Category: Society and politics