107159 research outputs found
Sort by
Narratives in the wild: from conversation analytic research on community mediation to UK policy impact
No full textConflict and dispute often manifest as competing stories. The ‘facts’ of the matter are constructed through narrative, but once established, the ‘construction yard’ of unfolding stories falls away (1). As Roberts points out, ‘(f)acts are inert without narratives and worldviews to render them legible’ (2). One setting in which narratives compete is mediation, where two or more parties in dispute tell their stories, facilitated by a mediator, with the aim of resolving things without going to court. However, for mediation to be effective, disputing parties must first agree to mediate, and engagement can be a challenge. In this article, I describe a project in which I identified what works to engage potential clients of mediation in the initial conversations they have on the telephone with mediators. Not only do callers’ stories about their dispute matter greatly in these first conversations, but mediators’ own narrative descriptions of the process itself are crucial to whether callers become clients. Based on identifying and describing effective mediation narratives, I report how the work was used to change the way the UK Ministry of Justice explained mediation across a national communication campaign
The NHS 10-year plan: between aspiration and implementation
No full textIn July, 2025, the UK Government published the long-awaited National Health Service (NHS) 10-year plan for England centred on three major shifts:1 from hospital to community; analogue to digital; and sickness to prevention. The plan contains an aspirational list of policies, ambitions, and targets, with an expected implementation chapter yet to be published
Market perceptions of ESG reputational risk in the US pharmaceutical industry
No full textNegative ESG‐related reputational events generate significant corporate risks, particularly within sensitive sectors such as the pharmaceutical industry. Using novel reputational data, this research investigates investor perceptions of the consequences of experienced ESG breaches among US pharmaceutical firms. Specifically, we consider the magnitude, timing, and persistence of abnormal returns, testing whether firm‐specific characteristics and event‐related attributes moderate and account for identified market response differentials. Results indicate the presence of significant negative abnormal returns before the identified media release date, suggesting market anticipation or information leakage, followed by a pronounced negative shock upon formal announcement, with firm size the most robust mitigating factor. Market response shows substantial heterogeneity, while environmental incidents generate significant, delayed negative returns, whereas social and governance events show negligible investor response, indicating a lack of market concern. Companies experiencing recurring incidents experience further deterioration of returns than first‐time offenders. Neither the initial news source's reach nor the assessed severity significantly affects the magnitude of market response. These findings highlight the context‐dependent nature of ESG materiality in the pharmaceutical sector
The changing dynamics in global metal market: how the energy transition and geofragmentation may disrupt commodity prices
No full textThe energy transition and the increase in trade restrictions driven by geofragmentation present significant risks to critical mineral markets. This paper examines a subset of essential transition-critical minerals – aluminium, cobalt, copper, lithium and nickel – to assess how metal commodity markets may be impacted by shifting global economic dynamics. The study explores the key long-term drivers of commodity price formation, the medium-term effects of trade interventions on price expectations, and the short-term volatility triggered by trade announcements. The results indicate that metal commodity markets are primarily influenced by demand-related shocks, with copper and aluminium prices being primarily driven by aggregate demand, whereas nickel prices are influenced by a more diverse set of shocks. Similarly, in the short term, nickel, cobalt and lithium prices are more sensitive to trade announcements compared with copper and aluminium prices. The findings and discussion focus on the risks to the energy transition and financial markets
Why paternalism is wrong (when it is wrong)
No full textThis paper proposes a novel reinterpretation of the familiar, if inchoate, thought that paternalism offends against an ideal of personal sovereignty. The central idea is that (competent) persons have a particular kind of normative power. Just as each of us has the right to control how others are permitted to use our bodies or property, we each have a structurally similar right to control how others are permitted to use our good. When others seek to benefit us without adequately consulting our will, they trespass into a domain that is ours to control, treating us as lacking rights that we in fact have. The paper argues that this theory of anti‐paternalism is superior to existing accounts, is independently attractive, and rests on deeper foundations
Better Together. Understanding the 2022 violence in Leicester. A report by the Independent Commission of Inquiry into the 2022 Leicester violence
No full text
Bullying explained by bullies: understanding school violence in Mexico from the aggressors' perspective
No full textThis study contributes to the understanding of bullying in Mexico by centering an often-overlooked perspective: that of the aggressors. Employing a deconstructive approach, it examines the retrospective testimonies of thirteen former bullies to explore the complex motivations behind their behavior. The findings reveal that bullying is driven by dysfunctional family and institutional dynamics and exposure to violence. Additionally, the research uncovers poorly managed group identities and power dynamics within school environments, as well as the role of intolerant discourses that normalize social exclusion and violence. These insights underscore the need for interventions beyond punitive measures, emphasizing the importance of active parental involvement and better-trained educators to address the underlying conditions that sustain bullying
Why liberals should embrace the demise of the 'Liberal International Order'
No full textThe decline of the Liberal International Order is increasingly acknowledged by observers of international relations. This decline has left liberals struggling to respond to the rise of a more realist “might is right” world order. For liberal value pluralists, the Liberal International Order which emerged from Enlightenment rationalism was inherently flawed. This is because it is a monist doctrine—according to which every question only has one true answer which attempts to impose itself on human affairs. Isaiah Berlin argued that monism was likely to be ruinous for a society, hence, the Romantic reaction to the Enlightenment taught humanity an important lesson—the necessity of preserving an imperfect equilibrium in human affairs. Berlin’s value pluralism can potentially provide liberals with an alternative normative theory of international relations from which it is possible to derive three important principles of foreign policy. These principles include national security, state-to-state relations, and international trade. As liberal democracies are increasingly threatened across the world, the search for a new theoretical framework to safeguard freedom appears to be increasingly relevant
Mind over bias: how is cognitive control related to politically motivated reasoning?
No full textPeople often favour information aligned with their ideological motives. Can our tendency for directional motivated reasoning be overcome with cognitive control? It remains contested whether cognitive control processes, such as cognitive reflection and inhibitory control, are linked to a greater tendency to engage in politically motivated reasoning, as proposed by the "motivated reflection" hypothesis, or can help people overcome it, as suggested by cognitive science research. In this pre-registered study (N = 504 UK participants rating n = 4963 news messages), we first provide evidence for motivated reasoning on multiple political and non-political topics. We then investigated the associations of the two cognitive control variables cognitive reflection and inhibitory control with motivated reasoning. We find that associations between cognitive control processes and motivated reasoning are likely small. On political topics specifically, we find that a negative association with cognitive reflection is more likely than a positive association. This finding is contrary to predictions from the popular motivated reflection hypothesis. Results for inhibitory control are inconclusive. We discuss how these findings relate to interdisciplinary literature from cognitive and political psychology. [Abstract copyright: Copyright © 2025. Published by Elsevier B.V.