Welcome to the Stirling Public Policy Blog

Professor Judith Phillips, Deputy Principal (Research) It is my pleasure to write the first post for the University of Stirling Public Policy Blog. The blog will be a centre of expert comment and analysis on matters of interest to politicians and policymakers in Scotland, the UK, and around the world. Drawing on the expertise of

Read full post

Why now is the time to invest in the future of the Black Sea

Lord McConnell, Chancellor, University of Stirling and Chair, Black Sea Special Interest Group University of Stirling Chancellor and former First Minister, Lord McConnell, discusses the significance of the Black Sea Special Interest Group, an innovation and engagement venture co-ordinated by the University of Stirling. The devastating war in Ukraine has focused global attention on the

Read full post

Unlocking the potential of preventive policy

Professor Paul Cairney, University of Stirling Professor John Boswell, University of Southampton Dr Emily St Denny, University of Copenhagen Paul Cairney, John Boswell, and Emily St. Denny explore the resurgence of the idea that ‘prevention is better than cure’ in UK Government rhetoric. If this idea has risen then fallen off the policy agenda so

Read full post

Election 2024: migrants aren’t to blame for Britain’s housing crisis

Dr Regina Serpa, Lecturer in Housing Studies, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Stirling Migration has become “the most toxic issue” in British politics, driving intensely emotional debates that are often based on prejudice and misunderstanding. Similarly emotional is housing – a finite resource in high demand at a time of crisis. Throughout Europe, housing shortages have

Read full post

The Lib Dems want to tax the banks more – is this a good idea?

Professor Robert Webb, Professor of Banking & Applied Economics, Stirling Management School, University of Stirling Professor Duncan Watson, Professor of Applied Economics, University of East Anglia The Liberal Democrats were the first party to unveil their manifesto and the first party to break ranks and declare increases in tax, or sort of. Ed Davey announced that they

Read full post

LGBT+ access to housing – a problem for the future?

Professor Peter Matthews, Professor of Social Policy and LGBTQ+ Studies, Faculty of Social Sciences One of the challenges of housing policy is that the decisions we make today have repercussions for decades, or even centuries, to come. As is widely reported in the media, across the UK we’re experiencing a housing crisis: rising numbers of people

Read full post

Opportunities of ageing: Back to the future

Professor Judith Phillips, Professor of Gerontology and Deputy Principal (Research), University of Stirling Professor Judith Phillips discusses the opportunities and challenges associated with ageing and explores three priority areas the next UK Government should consider.  A long, healthy and good quality of life is something to be celebrated, yet we have stalled in the longevity stakes.

Read full post

How better connectivity can make a meaningful difference for people in Stirling

Professor Iain Docherty, University of Stirling, and Commissioner, Forth Valley Connectivity Commission There has been a lot of transport investment benefitting the Forth Valley in recent years. Following the reopening of the Stirling to Alloa line, railways serving Stirling, Falkirk, and Clackmannanshire were electrified, and now have high-quality, modern trains. The Clackmannanshire Bridge and completion

Read full post

‘The independence movement in Scotland is going nowhere’

Tom Montgomery, Lecturer in Work and Organisations, University of Stirling, James Foley, Lecturer in Politics, Glasgow Caledonian University. Ewan Kerr, Postdoctoral Researcher, Glasgow Caledonian University. The independence movement in Scotland is going nowhere. There are at least two different ways to read that sentence. Firstly, that the recent crisis within the SNP has rendered independence

Read full post

Theme by the University of Stirling