ESRC Society Today - News Articles 2005

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News Articles 2005

December: The real cost of Aids - 01/12/2005; As the 18th annual World AIDS Day is marked on 1st December, Pamela Readhead looks at the social and economic impacts of the pandemic; Same-sex couples tie the knot - 21/12/2005; From today, new legislation recognises same-sex couples as legal partners, with similar rights to pensions and inheritance as married couples. Some ESRC research has looked at the benefits that the new legislation brings for gay couples; Happy Christmas? - 22/12/2005; Christmas can be a period of great stress, not just financially, but for the thousands of divorced and separated parents who have to decide where their children will spend the festive season; Little girls beat up their Barbie dolls - 22/12/2005; In a society where children now spend an estimated £3bn of their own pocket money each year, Barbie dolls seem to provoke hatred and violence, according to ESRC research; 'O Come All Ye Faithful' to Hereford, but 'Silent Night' in Manchester - 22/12/2005; Across the country, congregations more than double at Christmas, but there are many contrasts between rural, urban and suburban areas
November: Apprentices should be learners as well as workers - 07/11/2005; ESRC-funded research suggests that apprentices are not benefitting as much as they should from employers' training schemes; Truancy - jailing parents is not the answer - 10/11/2005; Research funded by the ESRC says that the root cause of truancy lies in the classroom where teachers are under pressure to meet targets and no longer have scope for innovative learning; The identity debate: individual vs state - 10/11/2005; As laws on both sides of the Atlantic are tightening in the wake of terrorist attacks, Sharon Norris reviews the case for the government's proposed ID cards; We Will Remember Them - 11/11/2005; As Remembrance day is marked, Sharon Norris looks at new ESRC-funded research investigating the psychological effects of gassing in the First World War and present day parallels with Gulf War Syndrome; The Rise of the Chinese Economy - 11/11/2005; China has undergone an economic revolution in recent years, says Sharon Norris, but there have been economic, social and environmental consequences; New Bill still unclear about 'public benefit', say charities - 16/11/2005; The Government plans to introduce a new Charities Act in the coming year, but there is some concern that the new Bill fails to make clear how ‘public benefit’ should be interpreted; Is Britain facing a two-tier pension system? - 21/11/2005; As life expectancy continues to rise and people are paying less into private pensions plans, there are concerns that many people over 65 will not have enough to live on in the future; Bird flu: the real problem is an epidemic of public fear - 30/11/2005; Public anxiety about a flu pandemic has prompted a surge in demand for vaccinations, but confused media amplification of the issue has been a major trigger
October: How valuable are 'educational' toys? - 05/10/2005; As new research from Sweden suggests that there is no such thing as an educational toy, two projects funded by ESRC are exploring the value of toys and ICT for young children; Weighing up Britain's eating problems - 07/10/2005
The National Obesity Forum’s annual conference starts next week (Monday 10th October). See ESRC Society Today for further information on diet and obesity in the UK, but in the meantime read more here.; Children benefit from maternal childcare - 13/10/2005; A new study shows that children who are looked after by their own mothers from an early age do better at school than those who go to nurseries or childminders; Barriers to food trade mean the poorest stay poor - 17/10/2005; Coinciding with World Food Day on 16th October, Sharon Norris reflects on the global geographical disparities between starvation and food surplus; Treat them as fans not hooligans: the way to tackle football violence - 18/10/2005; ESRC-funded research says that police need to find allies in football fans in order to root out the troublemakers; Parliament airs its views on proposed smoking ban - 19/10/2005; As the Parliamentary Health Committee meets this week to debate the government's proposed ban on smoking in public places, Sharon Norris looks at some relevant ESRC-funded research; Crime rates are falling, but fear of crime is still high - 27/10/2005; Coinciding with the release today of the Police Performance Assessments for forces in England and Wales, Sharon Norris looks at some ESRC-funded research that says the fear of crime is still high, and that anti-social behaviour on the streets is a big factor

Researchers help children get to grips with spelling - 30/10/2005; ESRC funded researchers have developed a technique to help children learn spellings, using "morphemes", or units of meaning, rather than traditional spelling methods
September: Debate over new alcohol Licensing Act continues - 06/09/2005; A look at the binge-drinking culture and the possible impacts of the government's proposed 24hr licensing laws; ESRC research shows Council Tax system is fairer than we think - 21/09/2005; As the government delays the Council Tax Review, Peter Kinsella reviews some ESRC-funded research that says the system is fairer than we think; Segregation or not? - 27/09/2005; In the light of Trevor Phillips' address last week to the Manchester Community Relations Forum, Sharon Norris looks at the debate on racial segregation
August: Media Panic over A-level Results is a Smokescreen - 19/08/2005; Research funded by the ESRC casts a critical eye over A-level results and their depiction by the media; Retirement Looms or Beckons? - 25/08/2005; Hazel Duffy looks at the implications of the government's new move to raise retirement age to 65
June: Problems of delivering aid to developing nations - 03/06/2005; ESRC-funded research has highlighted how new ideas for delivering aid to developing countries can encounter subtle local difficulties; Satellite toll should be phased in quickly - 08/06/2005
Proposed 'pay-as-you-go' road charges are essential if the government is to address the major congestion, environmental and transport problems facing Britain, says an ESRC-funded report; Baby Boomers - where are they now? - 08/06/2005
Research into cultures of consumption looks at what yesterday's festival generation is doing today; Does Reality TV Contribute to 'Yob' Culture? - 09/06/2005; A study funded by ESRC is looking at the influence of reality TV on youth culture
April: ESRC research sheds light on new crime figures - 21/04/2005; ESRC research shows that white lighting is twice as good at letting us see the face of someone else as that from the sodium lamps commonly used to light our streets
March: Tesco profits hit £2billion - 07/03/2005; Tesco achieved astonishing international sales growth over the Christmas period. Andrew Ellson looks at recent ESRC research that studies the growth of international retail companies; Message to Government: Think Globally, Act Locally - 07/03/2005; As the Kyoto Accords on reducing global warming come into force, the Government stands accused of neglecting environmental issues in its own backyard; Value of Complementary Schools recognised - 07/03/2005; A study funded by ESRC looks at complementary schools in Leicester which serve specific linguistic, religious or cultural communities, particularly by providing mother-tongue classes; Budgeting for stable economic growth - 16/03/2005; Andrew Ellson looks at recent ESRC research into economic growth and asks whether the Chancellor should be taking the credit for Britain's economic rejuvenation; British Children learn to hide their racial prejudice - 21/03/2005; ESRC research has found that British children harbour more racist attitudes than was previously thought, but they are very good at concealing them when they feel circumstances demand it; Who's Taking Which GCSEs - 21/03/2005; An ESRC study looks at why pupils choose some subjects over others and why there are differences between schools; Striking up a better relationship - 23/03/2005; Andrew Ellson looks at recent ESRC research that studies the characteristics of improved industrial relations in recent years, bringing a decline in the number of days lost to strike action in the UK; Tube PFI row reignited - 23/03/2005; Andrew Ellson looks at ESRC research that analyses how the PFI policy became politically entrenched despite massive opposition; Fathers' Rights and Happy Children - 25/03/2005; Fathers' active involvement in raising their children continues to have positive effects well into their adulthood, according to ESRC research
February: Spanish Theory on Offside Rule - 25/02/2005; Spanish theory about dodgy offside decisions spotlights an important area of UK research; Police given new anti-drug powers, but dangers of cannabis 'overlooked' - 28/02/2005; A new drugs bill will make it easier for police to clamp down on drugs; Smoking ban in Wetherspoon pubs - but how do you stop the under-18s? - 28/02/2005; Wetherspoons is to ban smoking from its bars from May 2006

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