The Open University

Putin’s visit to Kherson, electronic call-up papers and the latest dissenter deterrent

20 April 2023

Dr Precious Chatterje-Doody is a politics and international relations academic at The Open University and specialises in communication, misinformation and security, particularly in Russia. Here she talks about what Putin’s latest visit to Kherson means, his new plan for drafting men into the Russian army and how he continues to manage dissent. President Putin’s recent […]

OU academic chosen out of hundreds for a broadcast project

5 April 2023

An OU academic has won one of the nation’s ten coveted places as a “New Generation Thinker” to bring fresh thinking to a range of topics on the world around us. The project is run by the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) and BBC Radio 3, and Dr Dan taylor, Lecturer in Social and […]

Four ways the UK economy is being hampered by the private sector

27 March 2023

Alan Shipman is a senior lecturer in economics at The Open University. Here he talks about ways the private sector is hampering today’s UK economy and points to four ways it is doing so. The UK government has decided to go ahead with a rise in corporation tax in April 2023. The move is a […]

Three ways the ‘back to work’ budget will affect your finances

17 March 2023

Jonquil Lowe is a senior lecturer in economics and personal finance at the OU and gives her verdict on the recent budget and three key ways it will affect your finances. In the 2023 spring budget, UK chancellor Jeremy Hunt unveiled a raft of measures designed to boost economic growth and productivity. To achieve this […]

Looking back on three years of Brexit

3 February 2023

It’s three years since Brexit so we asked professor of foreign policy and international relations Jamie Gaskarth to look back to see what has been achieved. Before Brexit, Britain was in a uniquely favourable position in global terms. Its closest ally, the United States, was the most powerful military actor in the world. Britain was […]

Sexual misconduct in the UK Parliament – research shows pathway to change

17 January 2023

A first-of-its-kind research book shines a light on the experiences of women who have been affected by sexual misconduct while working in the UK Parliament. The research looks at what could be done to create the conditions for change and gives voice to many whistle-blowers and survivors of sexual harassment who bravely shared their stories. […]

Sunak’s first major foreign policy speech “worryingly divorced from reality”, says OU academic

1 December 2022

An OU academic has criticised the Prime Minister’s foreign policy speech at London’s Guildhall delivered recently. Professor Jamie Gaskarth, Professor of foreign policy and international relations, says there was no mention of the economic crisis the UK is facing; no recognition that the aid budget has been gutted and that proposed increases in defence will […]

The good the bad and the ugly of the Autumn Statement

18 November 2022

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 […]

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

14 November 2022

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 […]

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

28 October 2022

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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Category: Society and politics