Policy briefings

Dec 2022
Around one third of public sector spending goes to procure third-party goods, services, and works. Procurement rules and policies seek to ensure that contract awards are free from corruption, conflicts of interest or anticompetitive practices, and that these vast sums of public funds generate value for money and support social, environmental, and innovative practices. There is always room for improvement.

Dec 2022
The threat of COVID-19 resulted in Uganda initiating a series of nationwide lockdowns and restrictions on movement between March 2020 and January 2022. Though cases of COVID-19 are low in comparison to other countries (167,000 cases and 3,626 deaths as of July 2022), people with disabilities experienced extreme neglect, marginalisation, and harassment due to a lack of disability-specific measures during the pandemic and lockdowns.

Nov 2022
In November 2018, leaders from nine communities from the Democratic Republic of Congo whose land rights and livelihood were affected by the PHC-Feronia large-scale palm oil plantation took a historic step and filed a complaint with the Independent Complaints Mechanism, a so-called ‘alternative dispute mechanism’ aimed at finding a solution outside of courts. With the support of local and international civil society, they formulated clear requests concerning recognition of their land titles and remediation for the socio-environmental damages suffered.

Jul 2022
In February 2020, Bristol launched its ambitious One City Climate Strategy, committing to becoming carbon neutral and climate resilient by 2030. Our project sought to find out what happens once such a declaration is made. How is a just transition being interpreted and how is it being pursued? Who is involved in this process ‘on the ground’? To answer these questions, we ran a yearlong study focusing on six Bristol-based actors engaged in climate policy.

Oct 2021
Thousands of children associated with alleged ‘foreign fighters’ are currently detained in Syria and Iraq. They live in dire conditions and are unable to access basic rights and services. Civil society and international organisations have called on States to repatriate families in line with their international obligations. International and regional law protects every child’s right to a nationality, legal identity, and immediate birth registration. Overarching principles such as non-discrimination and the primacy of the best interests of the child should guide State law and policy.

Jan 2021
Before COVID19, bus ridership in Bristol was rising. Yet in Hartcliffe and Withywood, one of the most deprived parts of both the city and the country, 41% of residents had no access to a car or van. South Bristol has the second lowest number of 18 year olds progressing to university in England, nearly half as many as North Bristol, a few miles away. Many acknowledge that these young people’s life chances, socialisation and opportunities for active hobbies are impacted by a lack of access to buses.

Oct 2020
This new study is based on the views of Approved Mental Health Professionals on the challenges and opportunities of the Nearest Relative role under the Mental Health Act 1983 (the Act). The research was conducted by an inter-disciplinary team of researchers from the Universities of Bristol, Bath and the University of the West of England.

Dec 2019
In 2019 Riding Sunbeams demonstrated that it is possible to connect solar photovoltaic panels directly into the electrified rail network to power trains. The technical, commercial and legal arrangements being developed between Network Rail and Riding Sunbeams provide a route to market for both zero-carbon mobility and distributed electricity generation from renewable sources.

Nov 2018
The right to food requires States to take effective measures to reduce food inequality and guarantee that consumption and production of food is socio-environmentally sustainable. Any policy which could impact on the right to food, from agriculture to trade, must not infringe upon it.

Mar 2018
British citizenship is prized as a secure legal status by migrants from all over the world. Skilled migrants are valued in various sectors of the British economy. Yet, research on migrants who come to the UK with higher education qualifications and professional skills reveals that most of them struggle with acquiring long-term leave to remain in the country and in subsequently acquiring British citizenship.

Nov 2017
Local advice offices, providing free-to-access advice to all, have been hit by the loss of legal aid contracts and up to 80% cuts in local authority funding. At the same time, the need for assistance with problems in areas such as debt, housing and welfare benefits is rising dramatically. High demand has led many agencies to increase capacity to triage clients according to need, and extend telephone and digital advice.

Oct 2017
This research looked at the extent to which the Human Tissue Authority (HTA) Guidance (2015) has been incorporated into hospital policies for the management and disposal of pregnancy remains within NHS England. It also examined the extent to which those providing bereavement care to women – particularly, professionals in healthcare services and the funerary industry in England – incorporated the HTA Guidance within their practice.

May 2017
Reductions in legal aid, fee charging for court applications and other reforms to the courts and tribunal service have created barriers to accessing justice for many people in the UK. In this context, the free-to-access advice sector provides crucial support for people to understand and engage with the legal frameworks that impact upon their lives.

Oct 2016
Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) play an important role for the protection of representative habitats and species and for ensuring sustainable development of coastal communities. Environmental law recognises their importance. In Europe, for instance, article 13(4) of the Marine Strategy Framework Directive 2008/56/EC requires the identification of “spatial protection measures, contributing to coherent and representative networks of marine protected areas” to achieve “good environmental status” of European seas by 2020.

July 2016
In the wake of the referendum result, much attention has focused on Article 50. Dr Phil Syrpis’ research highlights the key EU law questions surrounding the operation of Article 50 and underlines the fact that many of the questions relating to the process of withdrawal from the EU are unresolved.

July 2016
For over 15 years, the Government has been rolling out a strategy to spur improvement in the provision of NHS healthcare services in England through patients’ choice. Since the creation of this quasi-market for publicly-funded healthcare services, the existing strategy has resulted in legal challenges that go beyond well-established public law guarantees and require new solutions.

Apr 2016
Under current law, children may be recognised as British Citizens even where they fail to meet specific criteria, in recognition of the fundamental importance of children’s welfare. However, in practice, significant barriers to citizenship exist. Dr, Devyani Prabhat is making recommendations for change.

Nov 2015
Despite living nearly all their lives in Britain, some children are unable to afford University education as they are not eligible for student loans. This is solely because of their nationality. The Supreme Court has recently declared this to be discriminatory (Tigere case [2015] UKSC 57) as the children are unable to exercise their right to education.

Apr 2015
In the past, government policies and laws weren't designed to support SME's that respond to climate change with socially oriented business models. Professor Bronwen Morgan contributed to research that helped promote the legal framework needed to help these organisations achieve sustainable goals.

Mar 2015
Policy discourses surrounding the employment tribunal system, culminating in recent radical reforms by the Coalition Government, have been based upon a number of interrelated myths, centred on the notion that people are too quick to raise tribunal applications.

July 2014
Since July 2013 workers with an employment dispute have had to pay fees to take their case to an Employment Tribunal. As a result many people can no longer afford to use the Tribunal to seek justice in employment-related disputes. Research by Professor Morag McDermont examines the effects on workers’ lives and livelihoods.