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The ��Ƶapp appoints UK’s first Professor of Ukrainian Politics

Tue, 22 Aug 2023 10:59:31 +0100

The ��Ƶapp has appointed the first-ever Professor of Comparative and Ukrainian Politics in the UK and the wider English-speaking world, in a move that demonstrates the leading role of the University when it comes to the study of contemporary Ukraine.

Olga Onuch is an academic whose expertise on Ukrainian politics and society has led her to become one of the leading Ukraine experts both in the UK and internationally. Since the 2004 Orange Revolution Olga has focused her research on political engagement in the country, and since 2014 she was a member of an advisory group to the Ukrainian government and has worked with diverse policy makers from Ukraine, the UK, USA, EU and Canada.

However, since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Olga has dedicated herself to recording and understanding the war, as well as releasing a highly-regarded book, The Zelensky Effect, about the role of civic national identity in Ukraine and how it influenced President Zelensky and directed his leadership. While the world’s attention may be on Ukraine now, she has studied it in depth for many years, making her an invaluable font of knowledge about the country.

In her new role, Professor Onuch will contribute to the multiple prize-winning community of senior scholars and Professors in the University’s Politics Department by developing teaching curricula, mentoring early career researchers and developing policy-focused research agendas. The Professorship will raise the profile of Ukrainian scholarship and studies at the University and in the UK more widely, making ��Ƶapp a leader in the field.

She will launch the ‘Ukraine Rises’ course in September which will focus on contemporary Ukrainian Politics in comparative perspective, and will continue to teach courses on Mass Protest and on Democratisation in eastern Europe and Latin America in which Ukraine will be a central reference case. These courses will also help to develop a pipeline for those interested in future doctoral study focused on Ukrainian politics in comparative perspective.

The Professorship will also enable Onuch to undertake more public engagement and outreach activities with the inception of a keynote public lecture on Ukraine, as well as helping her to fundraise for further public facing events which engage the local community in ��Ƶapp and support Ukrainian refugees. She will also continue to expand on existing collaborations with organisations including the British Council in Ukraine, focusing on youth engagement.

Ultimately, a main goal of the Professorship is to develop a large centre focused on the comparative study of Ukrainian politics, elections, political participation and democratic resilience. Such a centre would aim to support UK, EU, North American and Ukrainian policymakers working on political reforms relating to EU accession, reconstruction, and civic duty, engagement and resilience in Ukraine and beyond.

As well as recognising Onuch’s expertise, the Professorship also demonstrates The ��Ƶapp’s leadership in supporting Ukrainian students and scholars seeking refuge following the Russia’s all-out invasion of Ukraine. The University was one of the first Higher Education Institutions in the UK to pledge large amounts of funding to supporting Ukrainian students when it committed £5million to establish a scholarship for students and scholars fleeing war. The University’s Social Responsibility Fund has also supported the academic-led Ukraine Hub UK, the setting up of a Ukraine focused Expert Task Force, and the was first UK University to host a Ukrainian Students Conference last year involving students from over 20 universities.

“I am very proud of the ��Ƶapp’s leadership in supporting Ukrainian students and scholars,” said Professor Onuch. “This Professorship will help to raise the profile of the comparative political science analysis of Ukraine as well as further raising the international profile of The ��Ƶapp, which is already a major leader in social science research and teaching.”

“The appointment of the first Professor of Comparative and Ukrainian Politics is long overdue in the English speaking world and is a major milestone, not only for the Ukrainian community in the UK but also globally,” said Anna Dezyk MBE, Deputy Chair of the Association of Ukrainians in Great Britain (AUGB). “Professor Onuch's enthusiasm and extensive expertise in this area provides a fantastic platform for the study of Ukrainian Politics to finally move out of the shadows and take its rightful place in academia.”

“The ��Ƶapp’s creation of this post could not have come at a more relevant time, and the appointment of Professor Olga Onuch could not be more appropriate and richly deserved,” said Leigh Gibson OBE, Ukraine Director for the British Council. “We look forward to continuing our collaboration with Olga and her department to understand more about the role young people have played in the development of Ukraine as a democratic nation, and the critical contribution they will make to recovery and rebuilding in the future.”

"It has never been more important for Ukraine to be genuinely understood and appreciated internationally," said Volodymyr Sheiko, Director General of the Ukrainian Institute. "Much of the knowledge about Ukraine, its history, politics, and culture emerges from leading academic institutions to inform public policies, curricula, and public opinion. Academic excellence makes our societies better informed and more resilient. The appointment of Olga Onuch as the first Professor of Ukrainian Politics in the English-speaking world is a crucial milestone to achieve this. I am confident that Olga’s profound experience and expertise will set a high standard for others to follow.”

New report uncovers ‘institutional racism’ in the justice system

Tue, 18 Oct 2022 18:00:00 +0100

A new report by experts from The ��Ƶapp and barrister Keir Monteith KC has raised urgent questions about racial attitudes and practices in the justice system in England and Wales.

Although the judiciary wields enormous power over individuals, its operations are alarmingly underscrutinised, and one area that has remained largely beyond examination is judicial racial bias. draws on a survey of 373 legal professionals.

95% of respondents said that racial bias plays some role in the processes or outcomes of the justice system, and 29% said it played a ‘fundamental role’. A majority of respondents had witnessed one or more judges acting in a racially biased way towards a defendant and in their decision-making.

Racial discrimination by judges is most frequently directed towards Asian and Black people according to the survey, with people from Black communities - lawyers, witnesses, defendants, etc. - by far the most common targets of judicial discrimination. Young Black male defendants were the subgroup most frequently mentioned as targets of judicial bias.

The survey did find that some judges are already acting in ‘antiracist’ ways by being conscious of and knowledgeable about racism, and seeking to mitigate it - however, only a minority of respondents had ever seen a judge act in this way.

Race training is neither compulsory nor provided on a regular basis – only 49% of the respondents who have worked as judicial office holders had received race training in the preceding three years.

The report emerges as serious questions are already being asked about the treatment of ethnic minority people in the justice system. Black barristers are and report experiencing . On top of this, and the found that sentencing outcomes are often harsher for ethnic minority defendants.

Overall, the report suggests that the combination of quantitative and qualitative data presented, substantiated by the kind of reports listed above, amounts to evidence of ‘institutional racism’ in the justice system presided over by judges.

The report is a response to the five-year strategy launched by Lord Chief Justice Lord Burnett of Maldon to enhance equality and diversity in the judiciary, and finds that it does not consider the issue of racism or even mention ‘racial bias’. Researchers found a profound disparity between the conclusions of the strategy - that the justice system is basically fair and that progress has been made - when compared to the widespread views and experiences of the legal professionals surveyed.

In addition, the report is critical of the Equal Treatment Bench Book, the textbook given to all judges on appointment, in terms of its framing of bias and racism, especially its lack of acknowledgement of anti-Black racism in the justice system.

The evidence in the report rings alarm bells about access to fair trials, hearings and tribunals as well as to equal professional development.

“Racism in the justice system has to be acknowledged and fought by those at the highest level, but at the moment there is complete and utter silence - and as a consequence, there is no action to combat racial bias,” said Keir Monteith KC. “It is impossible to have diversity and inclusion if the system itself unfairly discriminates. There has to be a hard reboot to protect and revitalize the rule of law and civil rights for all citizens - a good start would be to follow the recommendations in our report.”

“Judges need to sit up and listen, because it is a myth that Lady Justice is blind to colour,” said Professor Leslie Thomas KC, who wrote the report’s Foreword. “Our judiciary as an institution is just as racist as our police forces, our education system and our health service - this is something that cannot be ignored for any longer.”

“This important report demonstrates that the very low number of Black and minority ethnic judges poses an acute challenge to the credibility and legitimacy of the judiciary,” said Stephanie Needleman from . “It is only by creating a critical mass of diverse judges that we can ensure that our judiciary is reflective of society and begin to combat the racism witnessed by survey respondents.”

“We welcome, and are grateful to have been consulted on, this hard-hitting report,” said former Judge Claire Gilham from the “My whistleblowing about racism was dismissed as me not understanding judicial culture, having come from the wrong background. There is no internal data keeping for equality complaints, which makes it very difficult for the judiciary to provide any evidence to deny the findings of this report. A severe shake-up of the system is needed.”

“Even after 25 years as a Trade Union Official, I am shocked at the practices employed in the appointment and promotion of judges,” said Stuart Fegan from GMB. “The Judiciary is funded with public money, and the practices identified would simply not be tolerated anywhere else in the public sector. I am delighted that Labour have committed to review appointment and promotion procedures if they win the next election in order to ensure that judges are reflective of the public they serve.”

New police research project awards

Thu, 16 Dec 2021 15:03:45 +0000

With projects on preventing cuckooing, disrupting domestic abuse, recording honour based violence, and identifying victims of coercive control, all four projects have the potential to reduce harm to some of the most vulnerable people in the UK.

The is a pioneering partnership between the (Durham, Lancaster, Leeds, Liverpool, ��Ƶapp, Newcastle, Sheffield, and York) and 12 northern police forces. N8 PRP works to improve police practice through collaborative and co-produced work, supporting academics and supporting police to advance research and evidence-based policing.

The flagship programme of N8 PRP is the , which funds research on targeted, high-priority areas of policing work. Previous awards have achieved fantastic levels of impact on police practice. This includes the development of a national cybercurrency policing strategy, changes to national recording practices for modern slavery, and international consultation on domestic violence laws.

2021 is the first round of Small Grants since the partnership became fully self-funded, with support from all partners. The ambition is to dramatically increase the level of police involvement in research to expand opportunities for impact, and for the first time all police partners are involved in at least one grant. Many will be contributing data, interviews, and access to records, and all will take part in project Advisory Groups. These groups allow researchers to take advantage of the wide range of expertise and experience available in the forces, and increase the opportunities for impact on police practice.

The projects will also benefit from the academic excellence of N8 universities, with 4 of the N8 represented on the awarded bids (Durham, Leeds, Liverpool, and York). While N8 PRP’s funding means Small Grant funds can only be held by N8 universities, 2 projects include co-investigators from other regional universities (UCLAN and Northumbria). This points to the continued regional partnerships that N8 PRP hopes to develop in the coming year.

Find out more about the awarded projects and N8 PRP:

Professor Søren Holm appointed to the DARE UK Scientific and Technical Advisory Group.

Tue, 14 Dec 2021 14:49:45 +0000

is a programme initiated by .

Data has been fundamental to the UK’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. As the UK moves out of the critical phase and into recovery, there is a need to ensure the investments being made in data research infrastructure are joined-up, demonstrate trustworthiness and support research at scale for public good.

UKRI – a non-departmental public body and the UK’s largest public funder of research and innovation – is investing £17 million in the UK’s digital research infrastructure to fund a portfolio of initiatives to develop existing digital activities, or in target areas for closer cooperation across the UKRI research councils. One such initiative is the DARE UK programme.

Professor Holm, Professor of Bioethics in the , has been appointed to the DARE Scientific and Technical Advisory Group.

More information about the programme is available on the DARE UK website:

Frank Boons appointed as Defra Fellow

Fri, 10 May 2019 09:59:44 +0100

The Department for Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs (Defra) has appointed six senior academic Fellows from universities across the UK to focus on five key areas: Rural Land Use, Food, Air Quality, Marine, and Resources and Waste. Prof Boons is heading up the latter area on waste and resources systems.

Each academic will take a so-called ‘systems mapping’ approach to identify how a policy change in one area might affect another, and make sure the connections between environmental issues are properly considered. A sixth Fellow, the ‘design authority’, will look at broader methodology and make sure that cross-cutting themes are identified.

Said Professor Boons: “This is a unique opportunity for the SCI, AMBS and the University to work with Defra and bring in our academic evidence in a way that makes a real impact and brings it into the heart of policymaking.

“What Defra is trying to do is look at these grand environmental challenges in a very holistic way, and this might be one of the first instances where a department has established an overarching programme of this kind of work.

“For instance, how does an industrial strategy relate to the circular economy? How does plastic waste link to marine pollution? As we hear on the news every day these are really pressing challenges, but what you want to ensure is that when trying to address one problem you don’t end up creating problems in other areas.”

The Programme is being led by Professor Ian Boyd, Defra’s Chief Scientific Adviser. He commented: “The Programme breaks new ground by taking a systems approach to understanding the key policy questions across the Defra group to deliver innovative, evidence-based solutions for the future. This is a very busy and exciting time for policy making in Defra and this programme gives us the chance to concentrate on the UK’s priority environmental issues and use the best possible science to inform our solutions.”

A new home for the SCI

Fri, 22 Mar 2019 14:20:24 +0000

The (SCI) has moved from its two buildings in Waterloo Place to the Alliance ��Ƶapp Business School.

As of mid-March 2019, staff and students have been busy settling into newly refurbished offices on the ninth floor. The SCI continues to be an interdisciplinary research institute shared equally between the School of Social Sciences and AMBS.

The institute has announced the move so that visitors coming to 188 and 178 Waterloo Place are not alarmed that the SCI has gone and stresses that a new home in AMBS does not have any bearing on a change in the institute’s focus.

School climate strikes: What next for the latest generation of activists?

Wed, 27 Feb 2019 10:34:34 +0000

School students across the UK (and the world) went on strike on 15 February 2019 to protest the lack of effective action on climate change.

School strikes may be a novel tactic, but mass environmental activism isn’t. Marc Hudson asks, will things be any more successful this time around?

Read the full blog

New Director appointed for SCI

Mon, 25 Feb 2019 11:32:31 +0000

Professor Frank Boons takes up the role.

Congratulations to Professor Frank Boons who has been appointed Director of the Sustainable Consumption Institute (SCI).

Frank is Professor of Innovation and Sustainability at Alliance ��Ƶapp Business School and has authored many articles in such journals as Journal of Industrial Ecology, Resources, Conservation and Recycling, and Technological Forecasting and Social Change.

Frank has been covering the post since 1 September 2018, and his appointment commences immediately for three years.

The SCI’s work responds to multiple sustainability challenges, from climate change and resource scarcity to social inequality and environmental injustice. It focuses on the processes of consumption and production that underpin such challenges across a variety of areas, including food, energy, housing and transport.

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The �����Ƶapp appoints UK’s first Professor of Ukrainian Politics