Month: February 2013

On sex pests and cover ups

It seems we can hardly move for news of sex scandals and allegations of sexually inappropriate behaviour at the moment. The cases may be in different sectors – the media, politics, the church – but they share two common characteristics. The first is that at the centre is […]

Populism, petulance and power

Yesterday at the New Statesman David Allen Green finished a piece on the Vicky Pryce case and the importance of juries with a broader reflection on the British constitution. At its core is the importance of balance and complementary strengths. The system may have evolved incrementally rather than […]

Going solo or joining someone else’s show

[First posted at LSE Impact of Social Sciences blog, 18/02/13] It’s pretty difficult to miss the message that the engaged academic should be reaching beyond the academy to communicate with broader publics. And blogging and tweeting have attracted plenty of attention as powerful social media through which to […]

On the horsemeat scandal

The horsemeat scandal has now been with us for over a month. It has morphed from a localised concern about adulteration of one processed meat product at one supermarket chain into a Europe-wide exposé of industrialised food production and lengthy supply chains that are ripe for abuse. Many […]

Research and the policy process

[This text accompanies a presentation made to a SW Crucible event on 13th February] In this post I offer a perspective on academic research and the Whitehall policy process. It draws on interactions of various types in and around Whitehall going back to the start of the Major […]

The politics of the bedroom tax

Let’s start with the most important point. The Coalition’s proposal to cut the housing benefit to social housing tenants who are deemed to be underoccupying is going to cause further hardship for households who are already poor and vulnerable. Reflecting on the experience of the WCA regime administered […]

Next steps for housing policy

[On 6th February I participated in the NHF South West Regional Conference “Building neighbourhoods”, held in Exeter. This is the text to accompany my presentation.] For half a century the aspiration behind housing policy in England has been captured by the statement “A decent home for all at […]

Name a book that changed your life

Earlier this evening Umair Haque tweeted: Name a book that changed your life. — umair haque (@umairh) February 4, 2013   My response was: Michael Stewart’s “Keynes and after” > RT @umairh: Name a book that changed your life. — Alex Marsh (@ShodanAlexM) February 4, 2013 If anyone […]