Expert Comment

A blog post by Dr David Wright of the Centre for Cultural Policy Studies:

Could it be the case that, like in the case of gold, the value of the arts and culture is something that depends on their perceived scarcity? If this is the case, then does the fact that so many more people today engage in a range of artistic and cultural activities (low-middle-high brow) make us richer or poorer in terms of cultural value? David Wright tackles this questions touching along the way on our passion for lists, charts and ‘best of’ compilations…

UK energy market expert Monica Giulietti believes the country’s dwindling gas supplies will lead to a sharp rise in prices for householders. The cold weather has seen the UK eat into its gas reserves and Dr Giulietti revealed that compared to the rest of Europe the country’s reserves are already small.

A blog post from John Harris, Emeritus Professor in the School of Health and Social Studies.

Social workers around the world are being invited to celebrate World Social Work Day on 19 March under the banner “Promoting Social and Economic Equalities”, taken from the Global Agenda (2010). Such a call to arms is sorely needed in the face of the growing influence of neoliberalism on global social work, an influence manifested in marketisation, consumerisation, and managerialisation...

Guest blog on The Victorian Commons by the Department of History's Dr Sarah Richardson.

This question appears straightforward. Many would point to the Representation of the People Act in 1918 which extended the parliamentary franchise to women over 30 years of age. Others may cite the Municipal Franchise Act of 1869 which enabled female ratepayers to vote for local municipal councils (although a court case in 1872 restricted this right to single or widowed women). In fact, women had the right to vote and to hold office in a range of local and parish institutions from their foundation...

Apprenticeships are more beneficial to employers and employees than any other vocational training programme. Our research, conducted over the past 15 years, reveals employers who invest in Apprenticeships value them highly with respect to what they deliver to the workplace.