Policy briefings

• Successful procurement digitalisation requires more data, in-house expertise & improved mechanisms
  Dec 2022
  Around one third of public sector spending goes to procure third-party goods, services, and works. Procurement rules and policies seek to ensure that contract awards are free from corruption, conflicts of interest or anticompetitive practices, and that these vast sums of public funds generate value for money and support social, environmental, and innovative practices. There is always room for improvement.

• The response to Covid-19 in Northern Uganda should be disability-inclusive
  Dec 2022
  The threat of COVID-19 resulted in Uganda initiating a series of nationwide lockdowns and restrictions on movement between March 2020 and January 2022. Though cases of COVID-19 are low in comparison to other countries (167,000 cases and 3,626 deaths as of July 2022), people with disabilities experienced extreme neglect, marginalisation, and harassment due to a lack of disability-specific measures during the pandemic and lockdowns.

• Reform Development Finance Institutions’ (DFIs) grievance mechanisms to uphold human rights
  Nov 2022
  In November 2018, leaders from nine communities from the Democratic Republic of Congo whose land rights and livelihood were affected by the PHC-Feronia large-scale palm oil plantation took a historic step and filed a complaint with the Independent Complaints Mechanism, a so-called ‘alternative dispute mechanism’ aimed at finding a solution outside of courts. With the support of local and international civil society, they formulated clear requests concerning recognition of their land titles and remediation for the socio-environmental damages suffered.

• Securing a just transition to a climate resilient Bristol: obstacles and opportunities
  Jul 2022
  In February 2020, Bristol launched its ambitious One City Climate Strategy, committing to becoming carbon neutral and climate resilient by 2030. Our project sought to find out what happens once such a declaration is made. How is a just transition being interpreted and how is it being pursued? Who is involved in this process ‘on the ground’? To answer these questions, we ran a yearlong study focusing on six Bristol-based actors engaged in climate policy.

• Risks of childhood statelessness for children
  Oct 2021
  Thousands of children associated with alleged ‘foreign fighters’ are currently detained in Syria and Iraq. They live in dire conditions and are unable to access basic rights and services. Civil society and international organisations have called on States to repatriate families in line with their international obligations. International and regional law protects every child’s right to a nationality, legal identity, and immediate birth registration. Overarching principles such as non-discrimination and the primacy of the best interests of the child should guide State law and policy.

• Not on the buses: Reduce inequality by subsidising bus travel for Bristolian children
  Jan 2021
  Before COVID19, bus ridership in Bristol was rising. Yet in Hartcliffe and Withywood, one of the most deprived parts of both the city and the country, 41% of residents had no access to a car or van. South Bristol has the second lowest number of 18 year olds progressing to university in England, nearly half as many as North Bristol, a few miles away. Many acknowledge that these young people’s life chances, socialisation and opportunities for active hobbies are impacted by a lack of access to buses.

• The role of relatives in compulsory mental health admissions
  Oct 2020
  This new study is based on the views of Approved Mental Health Professionals on the challenges and opportunities of the Nearest Relative role under the Mental Health Act 1983 (the Act). The research was conducted by an inter-disciplinary team of researchers from the Universities of Bristol, Bath and the University of the West of England.
• Riding Sunbeams: Powering our trains with solar PV
  Dec 2019
  In 2019 Riding Sunbeams demonstrated that it is possible to connect solar photovoltaic panels directly into the electrified rail network to power trains. The technical, commercial and legal arrangements being developed between Network Rail and Riding Sunbeams provide a route to market for both zero-carbon mobility and distributed electricity generation from renewable sources.

• A UK right to food law could tackle food poverty and environmental degradation
  Nov 2018
  The right to food requires States to take effective measures to reduce food inequality and guarantee that consumption and production of food is socio-environmentally sustainable. Any policy which could impact on the right to food, from agriculture to trade, must not infringe upon it.
  
• Addressing challenges in acquiring British citizenship in times of Brexit
  Mar 2018
  British citizenship is prized as a secure legal status by migrants from all over the world. Skilled migrants are valued in various sectors of the British economy. Yet, research on migrants who come to the UK with higher education qualifications and professional skills reveals that most of them struggle with acquiring long-term leave to remain in the country and in subsequently acquiring British citizenship.
  
• Advising in Austerity: The value of good advice
  Nov 2017
  Local advice offices, providing free-to-access advice to all, have been hit by the loss of legal aid contracts and up to 80% cuts in local authority funding. At the same time, the need for assistance with problems in areas such as debt, housing and welfare benefits is rising dramatically. High demand has led many agencies to increase capacity to triage clients according to need, and extend telephone and digital advice.
  
• Pregnancy loss: consistent bereavement care pathways needed
  Oct 2017
  This research looked at the extent to which the Human Tissue Authority (HTA) Guidance (2015) has been incorporated into hospital policies for the management and disposal of pregnancy remains within NHS England. It also examined the extent to which those providing bereavement care to women – particularly, professionals in healthcare services and the funerary industry in England – incorporated the HTA Guidance within their practice.
  
• Advising in Austerity: How Citizens Advice can adapt to uncertain times
  May 2017
  Reductions in legal aid, fee charging for court applications and other reforms to the courts and tribunal service have created barriers to accessing justice for many people in the UK. In this context, the free-to-access advice sector provides crucial support for people to understand and engage with the legal frameworks that impact upon their lives.
  

• Stakeholders’ participation: a fundamental prerequisite for functional Marine Protected Areas
  Oct 2016
  Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) play an important role for the protection of representative habitats and species and for ensuring sustainable development of coastal communities. Environmental law recognises their importance. In Europe, for instance, article 13(4) of the Marine Strategy Framework Directive 2008/56/EC requires the identification of “spatial protection measures, contributing to coherent and representative networks of marine protected areas” to achieve “good environmental status” of European seas by 2020.
  
• Brexit: clarity is essential before the UK triggers Article 50
  July 2016
  In the wake of the referendum result, much attention has focused on Article 50. Dr Phil Syrpis’ research highlights the key EU law questions surrounding the operation of Article 50 and underlines the fact that many of the questions relating to the process of withdrawal from the EU are unresolved.
  
• Conflicts of interest in healthcare: NHS procurement rules must be clarified
  July 2016
  For over 15 years, the Government has been rolling out a strategy to spur improvement in the provision of NHS healthcare services in England through patients’ choice. Since the creation of this quasi-market for publicly-funded healthcare services, the existing strategy has resulted in legal challenges that go beyond well-established public law guarantees and require new solutions.
  
• Children’s British Citizenship: exposing the barriers to registration
  Apr 2016
  Under current law, children may be recognised as British Citizens even where they fail to meet specific criteria, in recognition of the fundamental importance of children’s welfare. However, in practice, significant barriers to citizenship exist. Dr, Devyani Prabhat is making recommendations for change.
  
• Registering children as British citizens: current laws require overhaul
  Nov 2015
  Despite living nearly all their lives in Britain, some children are unable to afford University education as they are not eligible for student loans. This is solely because of their nationality. The Supreme Court has recently declared this to be discriminatory (Tigere case [2015] UKSC 57) as the children are unable to exercise their right to education.
  
• Fresh regulation for green social enterprise
  Apr 2015
  In the past, government policies and laws weren't designed to support SME's that respond to climate change with socially oriented business models. Professor Bronwen Morgan contributed to research that helped promote the legal framework needed to help these organisations achieve sustainable goals.
  
• Employment tribunal claims: debunking the myths
  Mar 2015
  Policy discourses surrounding the employment tribunal system, culminating in recent radical reforms by the Coalition Government, have been based upon a number of interrelated myths, centred on the notion that people are too quick to raise tribunal applications.
  
• Employment tribunal fees deny workers access to justice
  July 2014
  Since July 2013 workers with an employment dispute have had to pay fees to take their case to an Employment Tribunal. As a result many people can no longer afford to use the Tribunal to seek justice in employment-related disputes. Research by Professor Morag McDermont examines the effects on workers’ lives and livelihoods.