Society News
Older people and wellbeing
Despite an ageing population who are living longer and healthier lifestyles and frequent stories about ‘WOOPYS’ (Well-Off Older People) cavorting about on grey gap years, there is some evidence that older people may be becoming decreasingly satisfied, lonelier and more depressed. IPPR have just published the first report in a new series about older people and wellbeing. The report describes some of the key social trends in the UK and assesses how these may be impacting on older people and...
The impact of migration on the VCS – free seminar report
There has been a marked increase in immigration to Britain since the mid-1990s. In particular, some of this migration has been in areas that have not previously experienced high levels of migration. (See global population movement). This has inevitably resulted in a changing UK population with changing needs. The effects of migration will have a broad impact on all organisations across the sector, not just those working with immigrants. The broader VCS is not currently geared to meeting the...
That old chesnut: the North/South divide
You may have seen some of the media surrounding the Policy Exchange’s recent report Cities Unlimited. The authors Tim Leunig and James Swaffield have had outraged reactions to what people have seen as their recommended 'abandonment' of northern cities. Delve a little deeper into their report however and it contains food for thought. The authors look at the past development of cities, the government’s regeneration plans and whether these will create the future cities the government wants....
Characteristics of the “IPOD” generation
Being the age that would be labelled the “IPOD” generation (18-34) often known as “Generation Y”, I was quite depressed to see that think tank Reform have defined this acronym as ‘Insecure, Pressurised, Over-taxed and Debt-ridden’; my first reaction was ‘No, we’re not!’ However, on closer examination of the report (PDF 811KB) it is interesting to see that a number of key trends that are affecting the whole of the UK population seem to be impacting and manifesting themselves to a higher...
The wider ripples of more expensive groceries
The Centre on International Cooperation have produced a paper on 'Rising Food Prices – Drivers and Implications for Development' as part of the Chatham House Food Supply Project. The paper focuses on the drivers of rising food prices and the implications for international development.
Within this it also raises some very interesting questions around the process of strategic analysis and planning for the future (including scenarios) whilst responding to immediate need. It focuses on the role...
Olympic success
At the moment I quite like being British. I don’t always feel that way, but as we win ever increasing number of medals at the Olympics, it seems to be having an impact on my feelings towards the country I live in. Don’t worry; this is not about to be a monologue on how wonderful it is to live on this small island. But it got me thinking, if it affects me in this way, who else might it be affecting, and what effect might this have on the country, and the VCS within it?
Recent trends have...
Ethical consumerism and the economy – a bending trend
“A trend is a trend is a trend, until it bends”
Ged Davis from Shell famously said. His comment encapsulates one of the difficulties of strategic analysis, which is the way in which individual drivers relate to each other. A trend can seem to be progressing in a fairly predictable fashion, until a shock or a counter-trend knocks it off course. This is usually what is behind those predictions that were so famously wrong.
I was reminded of this today as I updated our driver on ethical...
The Sub-National Review
Ippr have recently published a discussion paper on the Sub-National Review (SNR). Useful as both a summary and a prompt for further thought and action, the paper outlines the objectives of the SNR, and outlines positive and negative aspects of the decentralisation policy.
The SNR follows a global trend towards decentralisation, and a national move towards regionalisation. It was originally published in July 2007, but has been under consultation and review since, and is currently being...
Nudge nudge…
Need a nudge? This seems to be the buzzword of the moment. The Conservatives view themselves as the British champions of this movement, and many other groups are embracing this as a method for change. Although not a new concept (first analysed in 1950s it was widely investigated by social psychologists in the 70s), it has only recently risen to prominence due to its popularity amongst certain high profile politicians.
Nudge influences change in a similar way to viral social change (small ...
Deliberative Public Engagement
Involve and the National Consumer Council have published a report Deliberative public engagement: nine principles.
The white paper, Communities in Control, extended and identified new requirements for local authorities in developing, responding to and promoting local democracy. (For further information and discussion on this white paper have a look at the blog from Dhara, Policy Officer at NCVO. Her post also includes a link to NCVO’s response to this white paper).
This report is intended to...
