Mr Richard Johnston and Miss Laura Heery (Ulster) Competitiveness is a key driver in the rate of economic growth and living standards. Ulster University’s Economic Policy Centre (UUEPC) developed the Competitiveness Scorecard on behalf of the Economic Advisory Group, taking a similar approach to the Republic of Ireland’s National Competitiveness Council. The Scorecard benchmarks NI’s… Continue Reading Competitiveness Scorecard for NI
Dr Fiona Bloomer (Ulster) and Dr Claire Pierson (Manchester Metropolitan University) – Morality policy under the lens – evidence based policy making on abortion versus myth-usage This paper considers global trends in abortion policy using the framework of morality policy. The authors will explain how the controversy over abortion policy restricts legal reform, resulting in… Continue Reading Morality policy under the lens
Dr Alice Diver (Ulster) The recent statutory cap on Housing Benefit in England and Wales is commonly known as the ‘bedroom tax’ or the ‘spare room subsidy’, depending upon whether one is a critic or a proponent of it. It has given rise to a small, but significant spate of domestic legal cases that examine… Continue Reading Putting dignity to bed? The taxing question of the UK’s housing rights relapse
Dr Piotr Blumczyński (QUB) and Prof John Gillespie (Ulster) Culture revolves around values: they hold the cultural community together and underpin the mutual interests. A cultural group whose members hold opposite or otherwise incompatible values is hardly conceivable, which demonstrates that the concept of culture is predicated on shared values. However, values are often “invisible”… Continue Reading Translating Values: Insights from Multilingual and Multiethnic Focus Groups in Northern Ireland
Dr Lisa Hanna-Trainor and Dr Laurence Taggart (Ulster) – Adults with Intellectual Disabilities (ID): Transitioning into Older Years People with intellectual disabilities are living longer and many are living with ageing family carers: this presents challenges surrounding how services respond to the needs of both cohorts. This is a fundamental issue for policy makers, commissioners and… Continue Reading Adults with Intellectual Disabilities (ID): Transitioning into Older Years
Dr Orla Drummond (Ulster) – The access to justice barriers for tribunal users: a comparative case study on Special Educational Needs Tribunals The Access to Justice Review (2) identified the difficulties faced by tribunal users in securing access to justice, and poses questions about how tribunal users might be best supported. Recent research from Ulster… Continue Reading The access to justice barriers for tribunal users
Dr Grainne McKeever (Ulster) The Access to Justice Review (2) is intended to address the challenges faced in ensuring access to justice for citizens at a time of reduced public expenditure, and part of the remit of the Review is to identify additional or alternative forms of legal support for citizens. The Review’s Agenda identifies the… Continue Reading The role of University Law Clinics in delivering access to justice
Miss Rachel Malcolmson (Ulster) The Northern Ireland (NI) agri-food industry faces significant challenges in re-building consumer confidence in the quality and authenticity of food/drink products. However, increasing demand for authentic, high quality produce, paired with a renewed sense of food patriotism, presents new growth opportunities for local and artisan food/drink products to be promoted for… Continue Reading Exploring Consumers’ Quality Perceptions of Local NI Food & Drink Produce
Mr Mark Magill (Ulster) This presentation addresses the widespread consensus on the value of skills both to the individual as well as the wider economy. It highlights how qualitative evidence from employers identifies skills shortages in a number of key sectors and occupations across the Northern Ireland (NI) economy. However, it notes the gap in… Continue Reading NI Skills barometer: Developing skills for tomorrow’s economy
Understanding suicide and suicidal behaviour in Northern Ireland Prof Siobhan O’Neill (Ulster) This presentation delivers key findings from two studies of suicide in Northern Ireland about factors influencing suicide and suicidal behaviour. Included are the findings from data analysis of coronial files on 1,667 suicides and undetermined deaths from 2005-2011; which illustrate how theories relate… Continue Reading Understanding suicide and suicidal behaviour in Northern Ireland