Health & Society Blog Archive
Here you will find an archive of Health & Society Blog articles published before 1 January 2020, divided into their relevant categories.
Children & Families
Is coercive control a crime?
Reading Time: 4 minutes In 2016 a man called Lance Hart shot his wife Claire and daughter Charlotte outside a swimming pool in Lincolnshire, England, before turning his shotgun on himself. Some of the media coverage of the murder
Childhood obesity and inactivity – a lifelong problem?
Reading Time: 6 minutes By Lesley-Ann Black & Dan Hull This article examines levels of childhood obesity and inactivity in our children in Northern Ireland and asks what more can be done to address this public health problem. A
Cross-border child protection in the EU
Reading Time: 4 minutes A significant number of European Union laws and policies have a direct role in protecting and promoting children’s rights. What has the EU achieved in the area of cross-border child protection?
Community Relations
‘Good Relations’ in Northern Ireland
Reading Time: 3 minutes Are we still sectarian, or the ‘race-hate capital’?
Dealing with the past in Northern Ireland
Reading Time: 3 minutes One area that has created considerable political division in Northern Ireland is how to deal with a contested past. Broadly, ‘dealing with the past’ tends to refer to issues relating to people affected by the
Culture & Sport
Is Northern Ireland ‘Open’ for business? Examining the social and economic impact of sporting events
Reading Time: 7 minutes This article draws on recent experiences of Government-funded sporting events in Northern Ireland (NI), highlighting a number of those events, in particular their economic and social benefits. Such past events have helped to develop NI’s
Measuring museum success: How and why?
Reading Time: 7 minutes Northern Ireland (NI) currently has 44 Accredited museums. But how does this compare with elsewhere and how should we go about assessing whether our museums are performing well? This article looks at some of the
Childhood obesity and inactivity – a lifelong problem?
Reading Time: 6 minutes By Lesley-Ann Black & Dan Hull This article examines levels of childhood obesity and inactivity in our children in Northern Ireland and asks what more can be done to address this public health problem. A
Equality
What is the Gender Pay Gap in Northern Ireland in 2019?
Reading Time: 5 minutes By Michael Scholes & Aidan Stennett To highlight International Women’s Day, this blog article updates a previous one examining the Gender Pay Gap in Northern Ireland, by presenting the latest 2018 data. The UK Government
Who runs Northern Ireland? Taking stock of gender and power in Northern Ireland
Reading Time: 4 minutes Please note that more up-to-date statistics on gender representation can be found in the RaISe research paper Who Runs Northern Ireland? A Summary of Statistics Relating to Gender and Power in 2020. The late feminist
What is the gender pay gap in Northern Ireland?
Reading Time: 6 minutes By Michael Scholes & Aidan Stennett Please note: we have posted a new version of this blog article using the most recent data, see here. To highlight International Women’s Day, the following article updates our
Health & Social Care
Suicide statistics and strategy in Northern Ireland: Update
Reading Time: 10 minutes By Lesley-Ann Black and Keara McKay This article is an updated version of a piece which was published on Research Matters in February 2019. It includes statistics updated with 2018 figures, a revised distribution map,
Free periods? Period poverty, its impact on education, and policy responses to the issue
Reading Time: 7 minutes Period poverty is a topical issue, globally and within the United Kingdom (UK). Recently, there has been some concern about the relationship between period poverty and school attendance. In addition, the reduction of taxation on
Farmers and mental health
Reading Time: 5 minutes In this Mental Health Awareness Week, which also coincides with this year’s Balmoral Show, this article examines an issue which has received comparatively little attention and on which, so far, not much research has been
Housing
Is it appropriate ‘to let’ residential letting agents in Northern Ireland away with lighter touch regulation?
Reading Time: 5 minutes The private rented sector plays a vital role in the Northern Ireland housing market. There has been a focus on the regulation of the sector in recent years in the form of landlord registration, tenancy
‘Housing First’: An alternative approach to addressing homelessness?
Reading Time: 4 minutes Homelessness strategies across Europe have traditionally focused on a housing-led approach. This approach prioritises treatment and addiction recovery. Service users transition through stages of temporary accommodation before permanent housing is made available. In contrast, the ‘Housing
The many faces of homelessness in Northern Ireland
Reading Time: 5 minutes Homelessness is a highly emotive issue and attention on the plight of those who are homeless in Northern Ireland has gained particular momentum over recent months with housing, homelessness and many other organisations working determinedly
Immigration
A demographic profile of Northern Ireland in 2017
Reading Time: 6 minutes This paper presents a brief demographic profile of Northern Ireland, updating a previous article on this subject in 2016. It shows emerging trends in the population, and comparisons with other UK countries, Ireland, and the
Fleeing from conflict: Refugees and Northern Ireland
Reading Time: 3 minutes The most recent Global Report from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) states that over 71 million people were ‘of concern’ in 2017. This includes refugees, asylum seekers, internally displaced persons and stateless
A demographic profile of Northern Ireland in 2016
Reading Time: 5 minutes Please note: we have posted a new version of this blog article using the most recent data, see here. This article presents a brief demographic profile of Northern Ireland, showing emerging trends in the population,
Third Sector
Testing times ahead for the Third Sector
Reading Time: 3 minutes The Third Sector makes a substantial, but at times unrecognised, contribution to society in Northern Ireland. It is a key provider of health/social care; housing/housing support; education and training; environmental protection; childcare; youth services; sport,
Welfare
The challenge of implementing welfare reform in Northern Ireland
Reading Time: 3 minutes The Welfare Reform Bill was undoubtedly one of the most contentious pieces of legislation to come before the Assembly in the last mandate. Where have we got to and what challenges lie ahead?
