The Open University

Expert comment on Mr Sunak’s first few days as PM

28 October 2022

Dr Richard Heffernan is a Reader in Government who specialises in British politics at The Open University. Here he gives his opinion on the new Prime Minister, his cabinet and his first Prime Minister’s Question Time. Is Rishi Sunak the right man for the job? That’s in the eye of the beholder. It depends on […]

Pensions: how yours may have been affected by recent market turmoil

27 October 2022

Jonquil Lowe, Senior Lecturer in Economics and Personal Finance at The Open University, explains how pensions have been affected by former Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng’s mini budget and his replacement’s U-turn. The early signs are that the financial markets have been appeased by the government’s October 17 decision to reverse two-thirds of its September mini-budget tax […]

Are the moves by the new Chancellor enough?

19 October 2022

Two economists at The Open University deliver their verdict on Jeremy Hunt’s budget statement – his first since stepping into the shoes of his newly departed predecessor Kwasi Kwarteng. Jonquil Lowe, senior lecturer in economics and personal finance, said: The government has bowed to the financial markets and rowed back on most of the tax […]

Kwarteng paid the price for the miscalculations of previous Chancellors

17 October 2022

Alan Shipman, a senior lecturer in economics at The Open University, gives his opinion on the historical reasons Mr Kwarteng “had to go”. Kwasi Kwarteng will be remembered as the Chancellor who blew the government’s economic credibility with unfunded tax cuts. But his strategy was the only one left, after a series of earlier mistakes […]

Government growth plan ‘not credible’… only a U-turn could reverse the damage of the budget

12 October 2022

While the idea of growing the economy is not wrong the timing is and the only way forward for the Liz Truss government is to do a complete U-turn. That’s according to Jonquil Lowe a respected economist and personal finance senior lecturer at The Open University who says it is the one way to return […]

Ukraine war: Putin announces annexation of four regions, but his hold on them may be flimsy

3 October 2022

Dr Precious Chatterje-Doody is a lecturer in politics and international studies at the OU and an expert on Russian foreign and security policy, with a particular interest in the interplay of communication, perception and security. Here’s her take on Putin in the wake of the recent annexations of Ukraine territory. Vladimir Putin has formally signed […]

Star Wars sustainability research: definitely not out of this world

23 September 2022

Creators of props and costumes from the Star Wars film franchise are being invited to help the film industry go greener. It’s those props from the iconic films such as Stormtrooper uniforms to other equally ubiquitous items that are the key focus of a new sustainability study, led by an Open University academic. Dr Rebecca […]

Our State funerals and how they’ve changed

21 September 2022

It’s estimated that 4 billion people around the world watched Queen Elizabeth’s funeral with many royal commentators and, no doubt, the public marvelling at the planning that went into the pageantry of this historic event. It was with much precision and practise, decades of practise we are told, that the Queen’s coffin arrived at Westminster […]

‘I thought I’d lose my mind to grief, then I found the OU’

5 September 2022

In the summer of 2016, Helen’s life changed overnight after the sudden loss of her husband of 31 years. Three months later, feeling lost and looking for a bolthole, Helen started a Classical Studies degree at The Open University. For Helen, what began as a distraction during the most turbulent time in her life became […]

Student Katelyn Owens shares her 'life-changing' OU journey

“The OU saved my life. Now the sky’s the limit!”

1 August 2022

“Everybody takes a different path in life. You just have to find what’s right for you.” That’s the advice from 23-year-old Katelyn Owens who, after transferring to numerous universities and battling a substance use disorder has regained confidence and taken back control over her life. BA (Hons) Criminology & Sociology student Katelyn, now living in […]

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