When you tell people about the British tax system they don’t think it’s fair. Of course that’s true with respect to multi-nationals like Google, using legal loopholes to pay tiny taxes on their profits. But it’s also true when it comes to the balance of tax between rich, middling and poor families. Continue reading “Argue with an Academic: Andrew Harrop on the Abolition of Inheritance Tax”
The year of 2015 marked the 20th anniversary of the Agreement on Trade-Related Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) under the auspices of the World Trade Organisation (WTO). TRIPS came into being and faced controversies since its early years. The impact of TRIPS on access to medicines and innovation has triggered international activism and resistance, especially from developing countries. Essentially, medicines that were once excluded from patent protection in many countries are now subject to patenting as required by TRIPS. Continue reading “Argue with an Academic: Yuan Qiong Hu on Access to Medication”
Most people, when asked to think about deadly and debilitative diseases rife in the developing world, would jump immediately to Malaria. This would be a logical conclusion, as of course Malaria is an infamous killer, and is responsible for about 450,000 deaths a year. AIDS and Tuberculosis should not be forgotten, but it is parasitic worms and other mosquito-borne diseases, which often get overlooked, thus preventing neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) from receiving the time and funding that could eradicate them completely. Continue reading “The World’s Most Neglected Tropical Diseases: What They Are, and What Is Being Done To Eradicate Them”
In the face of rising poverty levels and with this, rising educational inequality, the education system in the UK is in clear need of reform. King’s Think Tank hosted a panel discussion on ‘The Inequality of Education in the UK’ on the 23rd November 2015 – an opportune event in light of the upcoming Spending Review, as education is the third largest area of public expenditure. Over one hundred think tank members joined panelists David Hoare – Chair of Ofsted, Amy Finch – Researcher on Education Policy at Reform, James Dobson – Researcher at Bright Blue, as well as Johnny Luk – CEO of NACUE (National Association of College and University Entrepreneurs). Head of the Education Policy Centre Francesca Tripaldi, introduced the debate providing an overview of post-war education policy to date, scrutinizing current reforms proposed by Secretary of State for Education Nicky Morgan MP. Continue reading “Educational inequality – addressing the root causes”
King’s Think Tank is looking for policy recommendation submissions for their annual journal, The Spectrum! This will be our fifth edition and every year the work gets stronger, our network of contacts gets wider and your policy has a better chance to be heard! Please email if you are interested in being sent an electronic copy of our previous work. Continue reading “Call for Submissions: The Spectrum 2015”
Paranoia about the rise of the radical right has penetrated the minds of voters, the platforms of politicians, and the pages of the press and it is overshadowing pressing democratic and economic issues. However, is the radical right really in a position to make a genuine political difference? Continue reading “The Radical Right: A Political Annoyance or a Cause of Cultural Intolerance?”
On Monday, February 23, the Law Policy Centre of King’s Think Tank hosted a panel discussion focused on ways to combat domestic violence in the UK, particularly through enhancing the enforcement of the existing legislation. Continue reading “Domestic Abuse: An Awareness Issue?”
Monday, February 9th, the Energy & Environment Policy Centre held their first panel discussion of the year on the critical and divisive issue of hydraulic fracturing for shale gas, or, as it is commonly known, fracking. Continue reading “Fracking: Can and Should Britain do it?”
At the panel discussion on the global defence industry we tried to understand the framework behind the regulation of military export licenses in the United Kingdom. Professor Trevor Taylor, who is currently working at the Defence Management at the Royal United Services Institute, mainly spoke about the current structure of military export regulations. As he explained, the United Kingdom operates under the European code conduct – or at least in theory. This conduct consists mainly of eight criteria that all the members of the European Union – even the United Kingdom – are required to follow. Continue reading “What is the Current Framework Behind Military Exports Regulation in the UK?”
On Thursday February the 5th, King’s Think Tank hosted the first global health event of the second semester, welcoming the expertise of world-renowned health economists and lecturers. Speakers included Mr. Robert Yates, Senior Fellow in Chatham House and Project Director of the UHC Policy Forum, Dr. Josephine Borghi
Health Economist at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, and Dr. Sridhar Venkatapuram, Lecturer in Global Health and Philosophy, at King’s College London. Continue reading “Universal Health Coverage: The Future of Africa?”
