The Birmingham Brief - intelligent thought on policy issues.
- Description
- I always tell my students that, when sitting an exam, they have to answer the question that has been set rather than one that they feel comfortable with. No analogy is ever perfect, but this one sums up pretty neatly the outcome of the deliberations by the International Court of Justice (ICJ), which, by ten votes to four, found that the Declaration of Independence (DoI) of Kosovo adopted on 17 February 2008 did not violate international law.
- Date:
- Tuesday 27th July 2010
- Categories:
- Research, Social Sciences
- Description
- Navigating the job market can be a difficult process for those newly graduated. Expectations can quickly become replaced by a sense of disillusionment as settling for a seemingly less prestigious, and in some cases a "non graduate" role appears the only option.
- Date:
- Friday 16th July 2010
- Description
- As poor air quality is associated with poor health, rising levels of air pollutants are a cause for legitimate concern. Air pollution is a mix of gases and particles which arise from natural sources, industry and, most importantly, motor vehicles. Air pollution episodes usually occur during periods of high pressure especially when pollutants are trapped close to the ground not allowing upwards escape to the atmosphere.
- Date:
- Tuesday 13th July 2010
- Categories:
- Life and Environmental Sciences, Research
- Description
- A primary challenge for publicly funded health care is the distribution of resources and the setting of priorities. As the impacts of the recent economic slump are increasingly felt throughout government departments, the rationing of health care within the National Health Service is likely to become a matter of controversy and conflict. The basis by which we ration health care will come under increasing scrutiny.
- Date:
- Friday 9th July 2010
- Categories:
- Research