Scope Articles

Boris: obesity and the nanny state

26 Jul 2019

Boris Johnson’s elevation to Prime Minister will have profound – and potentially negative – impacts on public health policy.

Unpicking the thinking behind votes

24 Jul 2019

A new PM will – ultimately – mean elections. Low-income voters are energised, having re-engaged in UK politics. This is an opportunity for politicians who support their interests. It could be the downfall of those who don’t.

The neglected miracle cure: walking

19 Jul 2019

There is one thing almost everyone can do, every day and at no cost, that would simultaneously improve their health, fitness, mental wellbeing and reduce pollution. Walking.

Skills shortages: the meaning and consequences of barriers to growth

17 Jul 2019

The third sector employs more than 50,000 people in Northern Ireland. However, organisations say they struggle to find suitable candidates for new jobs. Brexit won’t help.

What happened at the Battle of the Boyne

11 Jul 2019

James and his forces were doomed. The Boyne was the only defensible barrier between the Williamite army and Dublin but the ground he had chosen to fight on was not.

NI charities and digital – a doubly slow change of approach

10 Jul 2019

The third sector in NI is lagging behind other areas in its approach to digital. However, even in the rest of the UK the pace of change is sluggish.

How's life?

3 Jul 2019

Governments traditionally measured performance by looking at Gross Domestic Product – the value of goods and services. These days the emphasis has shifted to measuring wellbeing – how people feel about their lives.

Westminster turns to people power to help tackle climate change

3 Jul 2019

The UK’s planned new Citizen’s Assembly – specifically set up to look at climate change – could be good news for democracy and the planet, and also provide a positive legacy for an otherwise dire term of parliament.

Employers for Childcare publishes annual childcare report

27 Jun 2019

The need to restructure childcare in Northern Ireland has long been ignored. But the campaign for change is building momentum.

Re-defining rubbish - the Circular Economy

27 Jun 2019

It’s good that so many people are becoming more conscious about single use plastics. It’s even better that the environment has catapulted up the political agenda.

A Million & Me: Children in Need's great new initiative

20 Jun 2019

Around one in four of us will experience poor mental health during the course of our lives. In more than half of these cases problems start before the age of 14.

What can’t we afford? How economic inequality is about more than paying bills

19 Jun 2019

If wealth, rather than ability, drives educational achievement, we have to think hard about how we structure society to compensate for this.

The Wisdom of the Ages: working longer lives

14 Jun 2019

It’s great that people are living longer, the flip side is that we have to work for longer too.

Northern Ireland in no position to take a one-two-three punch

13 Jun 2019

Brexit, Welfare Reform and the health service – each is at a major moment for NI policy. But these are not independent issues. Any failures will compound. This could be disastrous.

Crime and mental illness

7 Jun 2019

The announcement that all police custody suites are to get full-time nurses is an important and welcome development.

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