We are delighted to bring you this special episode on Minimum Unit Pricing, ahead of an anticipated rise by the Scottish Government later this spring. Professor Nicola McEwen talks to Dr Peter Rice, a former addiction psychiatrist and President of the European Alcohol Policy Alliance. He is also Chair of the Institute of Alcohol Studies. Dr Rice was one of the founders, and a former Chair, of the Scottish Health Action on Alcohol Problems (SHAAP), which was set up in 2006. He was part of the SHAAP group that developed the proposal for Minimum Unit Pricing in 2007, which was adopted by the Scot ..read more

This special episode focusses on the UK Budget detailed last week by the UK Chancellor.    Joining us for analysis are three of our UofG experts: Graeme Roy, Dean of external engagement here at the University of Glasgow, he also serves as Chair of the Scottish Fiscal Commission.  Nicola McEwen is the Director of the Centre for Public Policy and Claire Macrae is a Senior Lecturer with research expertise on equality and risk distribution.    Together they’ll be looking at the fiscal choices the Chancellor made, what they mean for Scotland’s balance sheet and their i ..read more

On this episode, we are joined by Dr Marianne Sensier, from the University of Manchester and The Productivity Institute, and Neil Lee, Professor of Economic Geography at the London School of Economics.   Marianne and Neil recently took part in a workshop at the University of Glasgow discussing the priorities for the Glasgow City region, as part of the University’s ‘policy lab’ with the Glasgow City Region Intelligence Hub.   The concept of these policy labs is to provide a way for policy makers to engage with the academic community, as well as key stakeholders - all with the aim ..read more

This episode investigates the relationship between traumatic brain injuries resulting from sporting activities and the link to dementia.   We talk to Dr Willie Stewart, Consultant Neuropathologist at the Queen Elizabeth and Honorary Professor in Psychology and Neuroscience, about the pioneering work being done at the University to demonstrate a link between sporting head injuries and dementia.   We also speak to Michael Marra, North East of Scotland Labour MSP, about his campaign Injury Time, and the current work to include footballing injuries in the scope of the proposed ..read more

In February 2023, Keith Tribe delivered a talk at the University of Oxford’s Balliol College as part of the Smith Around the World series.  This event was held in advance of the annual Snell Dinner, commemorating the 17th century benefactor and Scot John Snell, whose generosity has enabled University of Glasgow students to pursue postgraduate degrees at Balliol. Famously, Adam Smith was a Snell exhibitioner, attending Oxford after his time as a student at Glasgow. As an independent historian, economic scholar and expert in language and translation, Keith was an ideal speaker to discuss th ..read more

In this episode we speak to Chris Chapman, Professor of Educational Policy and Practice, and Graham Donaldson, an Honorary Professor at the School of Education, about the future direction of education policy in Scotland.    We also talk to Philip Whyte, Director of the Institute for Public Policy Research Scotland and one of the authors of a new report published this week called Tipping the scales which looks at the social and economic harms of poverty in Scotland today.  Timestamps Chris Chapman and Graham Donaldson: 1:47 Philip Whyte: 19:26  ..read more

On this episode, we talk to Dr Jill Robbie, from the School of Law, to discuss the importance of law and legal rights over water both here in Scotland and around the world.  We also speak to Spotlight co-host, Kezia Dugdale, about the work of the John Smith Centre and its role in promoting trust in politics and the political process.    Timestamps Jill Robbie: 1:45  Kezia Dugdale: 23:16  ..read more

Season 2: Episode 14 On this episode, we talk to Dr Tanya Wilson from the UofG Adam Smith Business School about efforts within the economics profession to be more inclusive.  We also speak to Dr Dan Fisher and Dr Esa Aldgheree, two of the three authors of the New Scots Refugee Integration Strategy.  ..read more

On this episode, we talk to Dr Amy Thomas, Lecturer in Intellectual Property and Information Law at the School of Law and CREATe, the UK Copyright and Creative Economy Centre. Amy talks about her role as PI on a project funded by the Authors’ Licensing and Collecting Society into Author Earnings and Contracts, looking at earnings and inequalities within the sector and pressures post-pandemic.    We also hear from Spotlight co-host Professor Graeme Roy, speaking to Kez Dugdale in his capacity as Chair of the Scottish Fiscal Commission. Graeme talks about the role of the SFC ..read more

On this episode we talk to Dr Fiona McKay from Strathclyde University and Dr Meryl Kenny from the University of Edinburgh about their research around the concept of the gender sensitive parliament.  We also speak to the School of Education's Dr Ria Dunkley about learning for sustainability and community-led environmental and climate action, as well as her work as part of the GALLANT project. Time stamps Dr Ria Dunkley: 1:27 Dr Fiona McKay and Dr Meryl Kenny: 25:15  ..read more