By Temitayo Isaac Odeyemi, Research fellow, University of Birmingham
Across Africa, democracy is being tested – by rising authoritarianism and military coups as well as a growing disconnect between citizens and the institutions meant to represent them.
The latest flagship report from Afrobarometer, a pan African research network, delivers a powerful warning. Citizen Engagement, Citizen Power, released in July 2025, reports that over 60% of Africans are dissatisfied with how democracy works in their countries. Support for democracy remains high, but belief in its…
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By Francesc Xavier Gomez-Olive Casas, Research Manager at MRC/Wits Agincourt Research Unit, University of the Witwatersrand
Luicer Anne Ingasia Olubayo, Postdoctoral fellow, University of the Witwatersrand
Ageing with HIV is now a global public health reality, especially in sub-Saharan Africa, and the response must evolve to reflect that.
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By Omid Memarian
“I envision the audience as humans of all backgrounds, interested in the human condition, yearning for better times, and struggling, as I do, to imagine those futures.”
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By Priya Bhide, Clinical Reader Women’s Health Research Unit, Centre for Public Health and Policy, Queen Mary University of London
Nelima Hossain, Academic Trainee, Public Health, Queen Mary University of London
During pregnancy, the placenta is the lifeline between mother and baby. It supplies the foetus with oxygen and nutrients, removes waste products and acts as a partial shield against harmful substances…
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By Joseph Janes, Senior Lecturer in Criminology, Swansea University
The cheap, addictive yaba pill is at the heart of a public health crisis in Thailand, with trafficking networks expanding across southeast Asia.
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By Dafydd Townley, Teaching Fellow in US politics and international security, University of Portsmouth
Over the past few months, the governor of California, Gavin Newsom, has increasingly become a focal point for the Democratic party’s resistance to the US president, Donald Trump.
And a poll taken in August 2025 gave Newsom a bump in support from Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents, going from 11% in June to 19% in August. He was the only potential 2028 Democratic presidential candidate who saw gains in the survey.
Touted…
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By Paty Paliokosta, Associate Professor of Special and Inclusive Education, Kingston University
For many pupils, the move to secondary school is a moment of anticipation – new friends, new subjects, and a growing sense of independence. But research in England shows this transition often comes with a hidden cost: a sharp and lasting decline in wellbeing.
Data from a 2024-2025 survey carried out by education support and research company ImpactEd Group with over 80,000 pupils shows a drop in children’s wellbeing between year…
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By Clare Downham, Professor, University of Liverpool
The reign of Æthelstan (924 to 939) has excited a significant amount of study in recent years. In 2004 there was The Age of Athelstan, by Paul Hill. In 2011, Sarah Foot published Æthelstan: The First King of England, and in 2018, Tom Holland released Athelstan:…
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By Thiruni Kelegama, Lecturer in Modern South Asian Studies, Oxford School of Global and Area Studies., University of Oxford
Ranil Wickremesinghe becomes the first former Sri Lankan head of state to be arrested in a country deeply damaged by corruption and lack of accountability.
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By Alex Bryson, Professor of Quantitative Social Science, UCL
David Blanchflower, Professor of Economics, Dartmouth College
Xiaowei Xu, Senior Research Economist, Institute for Fiscal Studies
The rapid rise in despair before the age of 45, and especially before the mid-20s, has fundamentally changed the lifecycle profile of despair.
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