Expert opinion and discussion

Juries need direction and explanations

Professor Penny Darbyshire comments on the direction given to jurors in light of the collapse of the Vicky Pryce trial. The jury in the trial of MP Chris Huhne's former wife Vicky Pryce failed to reach a verdict on a charge relating to speeding points she allegedly took for the ex-minister 10 years ago.

Rising inequality, wages and the economic crisis

Professor Engelbert Stockhammer of Kingston University's School of Economics, History and Politics comments on the way wealth inequality has contributed to the current global economic crisis as part of his current research, Rising Inequality as a Structural Cause of the Financial and Economic Crisis.

Investigating the experiences of carers

It is estimated that in the UK there are approximately six million carers – families or friends who without payment look after someone, often a spouse or elderly parent. By 2037 this figure is expected to rise to nine million.

Minding the gap: bringing health and social care together

As a senior and top manager for 20 years within local government social services one of my responsibilities was to seek to bridge the gaps between social care services provided by local councils and the services for people with illness and impairment provided by the National Health Service.

Handmade spaces: an exploration of built space, practices, memory and affect in a South London former squatting community

Handmade spaces is a collaborative project we have been working on since 2009. The aim was to explore how urban spaces, rather than just being the 'fixed' outcome of formal urban design, are the result of social and relational processes: for example, people's activities, uses of and attachment to a space.

Navigating the information highway and serious crime: a research road less travelled

Use of the internet has grown exponentially in recent years; information technology now forms a core part of the formal education system in many countries, ensuring that each new generation of internet users is more adept than the last. Whilst there are significant economic benefits to governments and businesses from increasing the take-up of online provision, the internet also provides more opportunities for criminal activity enabling the commission of identity theft, fraud, phishing and the abuse of children.