Latest Posts

HAMM: This is not much fun. But that’s always the way at the end of the day, isn’t it, Clov? CLOV: Always. HAMM: It’s the end of the day like any other day, isn’t it, Clov? CLOV: Looks like it. HAMM (anguished): What’s happening, what’s happening? CLOV: Something is taking its course. Samuel Beckett’s Endgame … Read more

In uncertain times, it is unsurprising that evoking the idea of ‘normal’ provides a source of comfort. ‘Normal’ implies a predictability and coherence that many of us crave. Both a return to the ‘old’ normal and a re-imagining of a ‘new’ normal are presented as potential reassurances of a more familiar and comprehensible future. It … Read more

The development of electronic communications over the past few years has made home working a possibility for many of us, the current Covid-19 pandemic has made it compulsory for even more of us. If we set aside the pressures of social isolation, this is a development that could have many benefits. In the early days … Read more

As a result of the Coronavirus pandemic, schools in England have radically shifted form. After temporarily closing for the majority of children, they have remained open for some. The sector is in the midst of planning how to bring more children on site safely. Alongside this, extraordinary attempts have been made to sustain relationships with … Read more

Following a series of family bereavements;  including my father, mother and only brother over a 2 year period, my elder daughter responded very positively when I said she was coping very well.  ‘Dad’, she said, ‘we have become experts at bereavement!’ Notwithstanding, I required counselling having been devastated by my losses; she is now a … Read more

Given the rapid shift to focus on online video-based learning due to the Covid-19 pandemic, it is evident that we need to develop understanding of how this mode of learning will impact student engagement with their course and learning. Also, what measures can be used to determine its success? Video-based learning has a long history … Read more

22/04/2020.. London, United Kingdom. First virtual PMQs and Ministerial statement on Coronavirus, with First Secretary of State Rt Hon Dominic Raab MP and the Leader of the Opposition Sir Keir Starmer MP. Picture by  Jessica Taylor © UK Parliament Parliamentary opposition is usually pretty easy.  You criticise the other side.  They are wrong, they haven’t … Read more

As part of Voluntary Arts’ Creative Network, I was recently invited to talk with Nick Ewbank, Chair of ISR’s External Advisory Group, about everyday creativity in the context of the response to COVID-19. In particular, we were looking at David Gauntlett’s definition and how he emphasises the idea of ‘making is connecting’, and advocates the … Read more

The Covid-19 pandemic has had a huge impact on the film and television industries. Production has been halted on all UK feature films and television series, cinemas were closed, and film festivals migrated on line. The onset of the virus has, however, accelerated changes that were already forecast. The enhanced subscription take up  for the streaming platforms such as … Read more

Media scholarship, cultural commentary and movie reviews regularly reflect on production contexts and their impact on possible readings of the films and shows we watch. Both 9/11 and the Covid-19 epidemic have been described by as ‘America under attack.’ President Trump has stated that the epidemic is a ‘worse attack’ on the US than both … Read more

Those who lead – people, educational or research programmes, engagement activities or even entire organisations in Higher Education, like every other sector globally, are now confronting the challenges of how to move forward in a world where everything we do has the potential for radical change. However, despite common references to a ‘new normal,’ realistically … Read more

Italy’s first two cases of the coronavirus pandemic were confirmed on 30 January 2020 by the Istituto Spallanzani which specializes in infectious diseases, the first research centre in Europe in fact to isolate the genomic sequence of COVID-19. The patients were a couple of Chinese tourists, both of whom had recovered by 26 February. Just … Read more

Since March headline stories have abounded across news outlets suggesting the positive impact that the decline in human activity, as a result of the Covid-19 lockdown, is having upon the natural world. The National Geographic (April 2020) reported ‘carbon omissions are crashing’ and forecast a  9% drop in Europe this year, elsewhere observations were recorded … Read more

Since late March we have been separated from those whom we love, our friends and even our business acquaintances. We stand two metres apart in our shopping queues. We see poignant, yet often painful, pictures on our televisions of grandparents with spread hands on panes of glass trying to ‘meet’ their grandchildren. On our daily … Read more

Global public health expert Michael Marmot warned recently that the pandemic will make health inequalities worse. If this is the case, then how can we ensure that the arts become part of the solution? The 2017 Creative Health report outlined the extensive range of ways in which the arts supports health outcomes, yet the report … Read more

“In December 1987, Myles Horton and Paolo Freire, two pioneers of education for social change, came together to ‘talk a book’ about their experiences and ideas” (Bell, Gaventa & Peters, 1990. p xv) The seminal book that ensued, ‘We Make the Road by Walking’, marked a major landmark in the development of participatory education for … Read more

Sunday 17th May 2020 was International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia. It is significant that this year this falls when many LGBTQ+ people are in lock down with their families or relatives to whom they have not disclosed their self-identities. Back in April 2020, during the initial stages of the coronavirus lockdown, the LGBT+ … Read more

Youth work is all about engaging with young people, engaging them because it is what they want and exploring things that they are interested in. For many, the relationship with their youth worker is the only one where they’re recognised in their own right. Recent research has shown that two million young people need such … Read more

The impact of lockdown on our daily life has been dramatic. We had to suddenly abandon our routines. Even those privileged with good health and steady employment have experienced severe disruptions. We had to undertake extraordinary tasks while socially-isolating, such as transitioning to online work and/or home-schooling. We have had to revise plans, goals, expectations.  … Read more

The Coronavirus epidemic may be without precedent in living memory, but global pandemics are nothing new. In the sixth century AD the ‘Plague of Justinian’, an outbreak of bubonic plague, killed around 25 million people in Europe and Asia. The best known pandemic, the ‘Black Death’ of 1348-9, is thought to have killed up to … Read more

What will life be like once ‘normality’ returns? Without needing to resort to crystal-ball gazing, it is obvious that whatever normality emerges, it will be a form of a ‘new normal’. We will be required to negotiate radically altered public health and economic conditions, as well as new complex emotional geographies. So here, I want … Read more

We don’t have to look far to see that the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on tourism has been both enormous and catastrophic.  All resorts, hotels, restaurants, campsites and visitor attractions are closed, and there are few flights. Tourism as we know it has totally ground to a halt.   How will tourism recover?  This … Read more

The implications of measures taken to reduce the impact the lockdown for children (and adults) who reside with violent, abusive or exploitative partners and family members have been widely highlighted. For those in such circumstances, ‘keeping the NHS safe’ and ‘saving lives by staying at home’ comes at a very high price. It is well … Read more

The COVID-19 virus causes respiratory illnesses that can lead to acute respiratory distress syndrome, which in some cases requires a ventilator for survival, and may cause permanent lung damage (Cox 2020). Therefore, it is possible that COVID-19 will result in an increased number of individuals who are sensitive to poor air quality. Preliminary research on … Read more

It’s day something of the lockdown and I’m surrounded by images that I don’t understand. There’s an image of a pizza that’s trying to kill me, it’s on the main news three times a day, as if on repeat. Nobody is quite sure where it came from or where it’s going. There are lots of … Read more

As a public and community historian, I am interested in how people engage with the past in their lives in the present. In an undoubtedly historic moment like a global pandemic our anxieties tend to be on the future; but the past still matters – and right now it appears to be hyperlocal. We are … Read more

In the current climate, particularly today, on the 75th anniversary of VE Day, and the current Prime Minister’s penchant for Churchillian rhetoric, it is perhaps inevitable that people are drawing parallels with the Second World War, the ‘Dunkirk Spirit’, the ‘Britain can take it’ response to the German ‘Blitz’, and so on. Clearly, there are … Read more

There is no doubt that changes inflicted on the workforce, practically overnight, are unprecedented. Whilst this shows what can be achieved when there is a collective purpose, as ‘people experts’ we know the toll this takes on some individuals, those who struggle to adapt, especially when it is brought in at such a significant pace … Read more

From lack of hand sanitiser to toilet paper, cargo stuck in ports, crops unpicked in fields and a work force relocated to their homes; organisations and consumers are adopting new approaches to deal with these shortages. With amazing flexibility and agility some firms have shifted their business models, invested in people and processes, explored new … Read more

Since lock down measures have been implemented in the United Kingdom, the Secretary of State for England has exercised its powers to make changes to regulations concerned with the care planning, placement and review of services designed for some of our most vulnerable children. Specifically, changes have been made which dilute regulations relating to the … Read more

In 1909 Beatrice and Sydney Webb published The Minority Report envisioning ‘a good society’ where the state provided the basics; health, education and welfare, while civil society and the private sector offered extension to this in the form of  wealth, prosperity and societal support. Research, conducted by myself and Professor John Diamond at Edge Hill … Read more

In 1970, Basil Bernstein famously wrote that education cannot compensate for society. Bernstein may have been writing fifty years ago, but recent reports on the impact of school closures on disadvantaged children and young people resonate with his conclusions. Despite decades of government rhetoric about inclusion, the empirical reality of social inequality has been exposed … Read more

“There is sickness and we can’t wash our hands” – Iranian refugee. France has been in lockdown since 16 March with strict rules limiting movement outside homes but what does this mean if you haven’t actually got a home? There are around 1200 refugees living rough in the pas-de-Calais region. They are in constant fear … Read more

The current pandemic has reproposed, this time with more acuity than ever, key questions for the media and journalism. First, the current crisis has reconfirmed that our reality is indeed substantially shaped by media. We live in an era of deep mediatization, as researchers call it (see Andreas Hepp’s Deep Mediatization book published in 2019, … Read more

There is much for us reflect upon during these difficult times, not the least of which might well be encompassed by how the modern, high-tech, sophisticated world of Homo Sapiens can be brought to a virtual standstill by a simple single-celled organism called Covid-19. This very fact is sufficient in itself to make us stop … Read more

The onset of COVID-19 has made an impact on every aspect of our society. But one group in particular is facing real difficulties in coping with the crisis, a group so often ignored by society, and that is people in prison. It is shocking that reportedly up to 60% of prisoners could become infected with … Read more

As a Church of England Vicar, like other professionals called to work in local community the idea of this lockdown has been a tremendous shock. I am learning to cope (but not very well!). Ministers of the Gospel are called to preach, teach and minister God’s love in community; isolation is a very painful and … Read more

The Wall Street Journal recently suggested that ‘western democracies’ should look to Eastern Europe to how it contained the COVID-19 pandemic. With some Eastern European countries first ignoring or diminishing the COVID-19 threat (Russia) or asserting the benefits of ‘alternative’ therapies such as the encouragement of steam baths, eating garlic, and drinking Vodka – the … Read more

The Government has been criticised for doing ‘too little, too late’. But is this fair? One of the issues I identify here is the way mortality statistics have been recorded. This is important because mortality rates are fundamental to assessments of risk to public health, which in turn are fundamental to any rationale for lockdown. … Read more

Central Edinburgh under lockdown on Easter Saturday 2020. © kaysgeog, Fickr The Coronavirus outbreak is having a profound impact on our personal and work lives. Like many countries around the world, UK has been placed under lockdown for more than four weeks now. Unlike some European countries who have declared a state of emergency under … Read more

27/04/2020. London, United Kingdom. UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson gives a statement outside 10 Downing Street, as he returns to work following recovering from Coronavirus at Chequers. Picture by Pippa Fowles / No 10 Downing Street. © Crown copyright I decided not to watch the coronavirus press conference the other day.  I heard the names … Read more

On April 2nd World Autism Day was being celebrated around the world. Just as it has for the last few years, the Twitterverse was particularly active, with the popular hashtag #autismawarenessday being posted in thousands of tweets in support of those on the spectrum. This year of course, many #autismawarenessday tweets were also focused on … Read more

Hannah Arendt 1924 At a time of existential threat, Hannah Arendt is, I believe, a good theorist to turn to in troubled times. Throughout her career Arendt addressed many existential themes, most notably, totalitarianism and the so-called “banality of evil”, in her study of the trial of Adolf Eichmann. As a political theorist, however, Arendt … Read more

Lockdown measures have now been extended by a further three weeks and may last until mid-June. So, you might be wondering what the mechanisms are behind such structures. How can the police force people to disperse from large gatherings? What in fact are large gatherings? What about leaving your home for anything other reason than … Read more

During this unprecedented lockdown, serious concerns have been raised across society about the social care of the country’s most marginalised and vulnerable groups; and the safety and protection of those who provide their care. Despite this, provisions within the Coronavirus Act 2020 undermine the Equality Act 2010 and the Care Act 2014, which guarantees disabled … Read more

Darren Henley (2020), the CEO of the Arts Council, refers to the pandemic as: “the most serious challenge to (the) existence” (p.1) of the arts industry since the second world war”. With the closure of all cinemas, theatres, live music venues, studios and dancing spaces, the arts industry in the UK faces a very uncertain … Read more

The arrival of CORVID 19 has changed our annual routines.  Every Spring we know to put the clocks forward, to expect events like the Grand National and the Cup Final and to expect the steady tramp of the political campaigners’ tread.  Because for politicians, May is polling day.  There is always an election somewhere in … Read more

The current C-19 pandemic has led to a number of very challenging questions. Of course, as a society we want to provide the best care, and minimise the number of deaths. In order to achieve this however, we have had to make some unprecedented sacrifices, not least with our civil liberties. For some, these are … Read more

There is no doubt that public interest in corporate social (ir) responsibility (CSR and CSIR) in the retail industry had been increasing dramatically over the past few years prior to the onset of COVID-19. Retailers of all shapes and sizes have, for some time, been taking steps to demonstrate socially responsible behaviours in order to reaffirm their … Read more

Sustainability Event It was good to see so many local organisations and people come together with Edge Hill University staff and students at the ‘Sustainability in the Region’ event held on 6 November 2019 at New Church House in Ormskirk. Around 20 organisations were able to display and demonstrate their sustainability-related work with around 100 people who … Read more

The Institute for Social Responsibility’s knowledge exchange program, “Imagining New Civic Interactions”, included a half-day symposium exploring the role of universities in their local communities on 8th January 2020. We were welcomed to the Tanhouse Community Centre in Skelmersdale by Cllr Ron Cooper, Tanhouse ward councillor and chair of West Lancashire Council’s cabinet working group on community … Read more

This public seminar, the latest in the ISR ‘Good Society’ series, took place on 25th September 2019. It brought together a diverse range of people – from youth workers to foster carers to representatives from energy companies – to think about how we might engage and listen to young people more in our working, and indeed personal, … Read more

Sponsored by I4P and coordinated by Youth Focus NW, on Saturday 22nd June young people and workers from all 23 North West local authority youth councils came together to debate, discuss and learn about sustainability, and perfect their public speaking skills at the first British Youth Council Convention of the year.  Here's what they had … Read more

The latest in I4P’s ‘Good Society’ public seminar series took place on 30th April 2019 where guest speaker Neil McInroy led an inspirational conversation on ‘What Makes an Economy Good?’ Neil is the CEO of the independent think tank, CLES, and one of I4P’s Visiting Fellows. Neil was a speaker at the Good Society event … Read more

CREATE is an interdisciplinary research network that was launched under the support of I4P in March 2018. The network has become a vibrant entity, drawing in participation from across the university.  All disciplines have been represented at its meetings.  Although initially formed by Dr Mary McAteer, she has now been joined by Dr Claire Hawkins, as … Read more

Organised by the Action for Refugees working group, and supported by I4P, the RefuAid seminar held at Edge Hill University’s Ormskirk campus on 20 March had delegates enthralled by the presentations, not least by the moving testimony given by former client Naima, who told us about her former life in Libya and the role played … Read more

Polish director Małgorzata Szumowska has described her film Twarz/Mug (2018) as a ‘fairy tale for adults’, a provocatively beguiling definition of the Jury Grand Prix winner at Berlin this year. Irrespective of whether the audience might agree with that description of the film they watched, it was apposite on the closing night of the 2019 … Read more

It was a wet and blustery afternoon in Chester on Sunday. Despite the weather, a good crowd made their way to the fantastic Storyhouse in the town centre for a screening of Dogman (2018). Included as part of the Chester International Film Festival screening programme, I was delighted to be invited by the festival curator, … Read more

It was a pleasure to be invited to speak at the 2019 Chester International Film Festival hosted at the impressive Storyhouse arts venue, and it was a particular honour to be able to introduce important examples of contemporary Aotearoa New Zealand cinema. The opening film was the imaginative and beautifully animated short Trap. It focuses … Read more

Migration Working Group-North West (MWG-NW) brings together academics, organisations and practitioners working on migration who are either based in the North West of the UK or researching migration in this region.  In collaboration with I4P, the Migration Working Group – North West successfully hosted two seminars in the autumn semester. 19th October 2018 Inaugural Talk … Read more

Looking at the news, we see every day that displaced peoples and refugees are continuing to be propelled by conflict within and across national borders.  This can mean that many individuals are unable to access basic services, including education, but it can be difficult for those of us in the West to always connect with … Read more

A public discussion event hosted by I4P on 28th August 2018 which asked, ‘What makes a Good Childhood?’ This event was a continuation of the ‘What Makes A Good Society’ series which began in June 2017 when we invited participants to discuss how to influence policy-makers and decision-makers, and to consider what the necessary ingredients for a ‘good … Read more

Following visits to the Calais “Jungle” by Mike Stoddart, Martin Ford and Umit Yildiz in 2016, Action for Refugees was established to coordinate the work of faculty staff on this important social justice issue. In July 2017, I4P and the Faculty of Education supported a one day conference that brought together academics, activists and members of refugee communities to … Read more

Visiting from Goldsmiths’ University, last week Dr Julia Hope shared her wealth of experience from her PhD research and a decade as a ‘refugee teacher’, working with children from a refugee background in the classroom.  Sponsored by 4P this event took place on the 14th May. Her paper explored the range of ways in which … Read more

One of I4P’s tentpole events at the Festival of Ideas, the Artistic Methodologies for Social Justice Symposium, took place on 1st June 2018. It was organised by Dr Victoria Foster, an Associate Director of I4P and author of Collaborative Arts-based Research for Social Justice (Routledge, 2016). The aims of the afternoon were to explore the … Read more

The Department of Applied Health, sponsored by the Institute for Public Policy and Professional Practice (I4P), hosted a successful public event on 24th January 2018 entitled “How is it possible to assess the effectiveness of a large-scale crime prevention policy? Some research issues and methodological challenges”. The event was chaired and the discussion facilitated by … Read more

In 2014 the Margaret Westhead Inquiry Panel into Health Equity in the North of England delivered their report. The Due North Report revealed that the North of England suffers from significantly lower investment in public health and poorer health outcomes compared to other English regions. Whilst the North of England is home to about 30% … Read more

A public discussion event hosted by I4P on 28th March 2018 which asked, ‘What makes a Good University?’ This event was a follow up to the ‘What Makes A Good Society’ sessions which took place in October and June 2017, where we invited participants to discuss how to influence policy-makers and decision-makers, and what the … Read more

A Peer Power event was held by the Institute for Public Policy and Professional Practice (I4P), in association with the Faculty of Health and Social Care, on 13th March 2018.  Along with Anne-Marie Douglas, founder & CEO of Peer Power, guest speakers included Youth Engagement Co-ordinator, Ebi Lyere and Peer Leader, Seth Khan. In an engaging and … Read more

I4P in collaboration with the Faculty of Health and Social Care and Can Cook hosted a very successful public event on 14th March 2018 to discuss the urgent need to address food poverty in the UK. One hundred and eighteen delegates from a range of organisations including higher education institutes; local councils; housing associations; food … Read more

I4P co-sponsored a very successful public event on the direction of statutory child and family social work on 27th February 2018. Almost 200 people booked to hear Dr Ray Jones (Kingston and St George's University London, and recent recipient of Outstanding Contribution to Social Work award 2017) outline and critique some of the recent trends in … Read more

The first meeting of this proposed new network was convened, with the support of I4P, on 21st March 2018. Over 30 people from across all three faculties attended; a number of people also were interested in the event, but not available for the meeting. People at all stages in their research were represented, from GTAs/PGRs … Read more

Edge Hill University and I4P were pleased to welcome Jan Cunliffe to deliver a guest lecture to staff and students about the joint enterprise principle at a recent event which was sponsored by I4P. The legal origins of this common law principle date back for centuries, but thanks to the campaigning of JENGbA, Jan explained … Read more