Climate-driven extreme weather is threatening old bridges with collapse
The damaged bridge near Grinton. July 2019 Picture: Danny Lawson/ PA
Maria Pregnolato, University of Bristol and Elizabeth Lewis, Newcastle University
The recent collapse of a bridge in Grinton, North Yorkshire, raises lots of questions about how prepared we are for these sorts of risks. The bridge, which was due to be on the route of the cycling world championships in September, collapsed after a month’s worth of rain fell in just four hours, causing flash flooding. Continue reading
Facebook’s Libra: it’s not the ‘crypto’ that’s the issue, it’s the organisation behind it
Ascannio / Shutterstock.com
Bill Maurer, University of California, Irvine and Daniel Tischer, University of Bristol
In all the hype that has surrounded its Libra currency, Facebook has been able to distract attention away from an important issue. Libra is being hyped as Facebook’s bitcoin but it’s really a proposal for a global payments system. And that system will be controlled by a small and exclusive club of private firms. Continue reading
Anne Frank and the Holocaust: how death rates varied across the Netherlands under Nazi occupation
Kamp Westerbork.Shutterstock/Arjen Dijk
Peter Tammes, University of Bristol
The diarist Anne Frank was born almost 90 years ago. But she lived for only 15 years, dying in a Nazi concentration camp shortly before it was liberated by Allied forces in 1945. To mark the anniversary of her birth, a new collection of Frank’s writing has been published, and a “novel” version of her famous diary released in Germany, Switzerland and Austria. Continue reading
Institutionalising preventive health: what are the key issues for Public Health England?
By Takver from Australia [CC BY-SA 2.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikime
Authors: Paul Cairney, John Boswell, Richard Gleave, Kathryn Oliver
The Green Paper on preventing ill health was published in July 2019, and many have criticised that proposals do not go far enough. Our guest blog explores some of the challenges that Public Health England face in providing evidence-informed advice. Read on to discover the reflections from a recent workshop on using evidence to influence local and national strategy and their implications for academic engagement with policymakers. Continue reading
How can researchers engage with policy?
Policymaking is a complex and messy process; the evidence base is just one factor in decision making. Image from Sausages, evidence and policymaking: The role of universities in a post-truth world, Policy Institute at Kings 2017
Blog by Dr Alisha Davies, Dr Laura Howe, Prof Debbie Lawlor, Dr Lindsey Pike
Policy engagement is becoming more of a priority in academic life, as emphasis shifts from focusing purely on academic outputs to creating impact from research. Research impact is defined by UKRI as ‘the demonstrable contribution that excellent research makes to society and the economy’. Continue reading
Extinction Rebellion uses tactics that toppled dictators – but we live in a liberal democracy
XR protesters getting carried away. Image: Facundo Arrizabalaga/EPA.
Oscar Berglund, University of Bristol
After occupying parts of central London over two weeks in April, Extinction Rebellion’s (XR) summer uprising has now spread to Cardiff, Glasgow, Leeds and Bristol. All these protests involve disruption, breaking the law and activists seeking arrest.
Emotions are running high, with many objecting to the disruption. At the same time, the protests have got people and the media talking about climate change. XR clearly represents something new and unusual, which has the power to annoy or enthuse people. But what led it to adopt such disruptive tactics in its efforts to demand action on climate change? Continue reading
Russian Twitter propaganda predicted 2016 US election polls
AP/Mary Altaffer, Chuck Burton
Damian Ruck, University of Bristol
When Robert Mueller completed his long-awaited investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election, he left many questions unanswered.
But one conclusion was unequivocal: Russia unleashed an extensive campaign of fake news and disinformation on social media with the aim of distorting U.S. public opinion, sowing discord and swinging the election in favor of the Republican candidate Donald Trump. Continue reading
E-cigarettes: why I’m optimistic they will stub smoking out for good
Jasmine Khouja, University of Bristol
There are over a billion smokers across the world – a habit which causes more than 7m deaths per year. We have known that smoking kills for decades, but this simple fact has not been enough to persuade every smoker to quit. Continue reading
Benefits or barriers? How the social security system fails survivors of violence abuse across the UK’s four nations
Marilyn Howard, University of Bristol
Supported by PolicyBristol, a report on social security and survivors of violence and abuse across the four nations of the UK was launched in June 2019. Continue reading
Male victims of domestic abuse face barriers to accessing support services – new study
Mivolchan19/Shutterstock
Eszter Szilassy, University of Bristol
Men who experience domestic violence and abuse face significant barriers to getting help and access to specialist support services, our latest study shows. Continue reading