Mental health and the COVID-19 pandemic
24th June 2021
As lockdown measures begin to ease, what evidence is there about the impact that COVID-19 has had on our mental health? The COVID-19 pandemic has
Latest Articles
Browse all the articles published on the Research Matters blog, with the most recent articles appearing at the top.
Part-time pandemic
23rd June 2021
Recent figures show a decline in part-time work in Northern Ireland (NI) since the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic.[1] This article describes recent job losses
How has COVID-19 emergency funding for individual artists been distributed in Northern Ireland? (Updated)
22nd June 2021
By James Bamford & Karen McCallion This visualisation provides a snapshot of £11.1 million in emergency funding provided to over 2824 individual artists in Northern
What’s next for public service broadcasting in Northern Ireland?
21st June 2021
This article explores how our viewing habits are changing the landscape for public service broadcasting and what this might mean for audiences in Northern Ireland.
The Protocol on Ireland/Northern Ireland and Committee scrutiny
18th June 2021
The Protocol on Ireland/Northern Ireland and Committee scrutiny By Emma Dellow-Perry & Aidan Stennett The Protocol on Ireland/Northern Ireland is part of the Withdrawal Agreement
Gibraltar after the UK’s exit from the EU: A comparison with Northern Ireland
8th June 2021
Gibraltar Following the United Kingdom’s (UK) exit from the European Union (EU), much debate was focussed on Northern Ireland’s unique position as part of the
Update – Data Protection Adequacy after the UK’s Exit from the EU
7th June 2021
This post updates a previous article considering the complexities around data protection after the UK’s exit from the EU. Under the Trade and Co-Operation Agreement,
OBA: The potential of performance accountability
2nd June 2021
Welcome to the third blog article in our series on Outcomes Based Accountability (OBA) and the Programme for Government (PfG). In our first blog article,
High street regeneration: What can we learn from other cities?
28th May 2021
Data recently released by the footfall-counter Springboard highlights how the number of shoppers in the United Kingdom’s (UK’s) town centres was down by a third
OBA Population Accountability: A critical perspective
26th May 2021
In the first blog article in this series, we explained the key basic concepts and theory of Outcomes Based Accountability (OBA). In this post, we
Northern Ireland’s post-Brexit goods trade
25th May 2021
This blog article complements the Assembly Research and Information Paper Internal Market Act 2020 and the Protocol on Ireland/Northern Ireland. It explains Northern Ireland’s post-Brexit
Union connectivity: What does it mean for Northern Ireland?
25th May 2021
Transport links between Northern Ireland and the rest of the United Kingdom (UK) have entered the spotlight in recent months. The realities of the UK
Outcomes Based Accountability: A refresher
20th May 2021
This blog post is the first in a series which will consider Outcomes Based Accountability, or ‘OBA’, in the context of the draft Programme for
Alcohol-specific deaths in Northern Ireland
7th May 2021
Overview The latest figures published by the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA) (February 2021) show that the number of alcohol-specific deaths in 2019
Peatlands: What are they, where are they and why do they matter?
6th May 2021
Peatlands are the UK’s most extensive semi-natural habitat, but are often thought of as muddy, wet and useless wastelands. This has led to many calling
Snapshot of COVID-19 Funding: Department for Communities
14th April 2021
This visualisation provides a series of interactive graphs compiled by the Assembly’s Research and Information Service (RaISe), which offer a snapshot of government funding allocated
The UK’s exit from the EU – Data protection, adequacy and divergence
14th April 2021
This article examines the UK’s exit from the EU in the context of data protection, and highlights the considerations that will apply as the UK
Eating disorders during the COVID-19 pandemic
13th April 2021
Following the Eating Disorders Awareness Week, which took place in the United Kingdom in March 2021, this article examines the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic
Dispute resolution under the Ireland/Northern Ireland Protocol
23rd March 2021
The Ireland/Northern Ireland Protocol is part of the Withdrawal Agreement, and was designed to deal with the effect of the UK’s exit from the EU
How is Brexit changing things for our artists?
18th March 2021
This article examines some of the potential implications for artists in Northern Ireland (NI) following the United Kingdom’s (UK’s) exit from the European Union
Decarbonising road transport – The challenge is set
12th March 2021
When the UK Government became the world’s first major economy to legislate for a ‘net zero’ target for carbon emissions by 2050, it acknowledged it
How has Arts Council NI COVID-19 emergency funding been distributed to arts organisations?
9th March 2021
By James Bamford, Karen McCallion & Thomas Procter The Arts Council of Northern Ireland (ACNI) has the role of distributing arts funding for the Department
Northern Ireland Gender Pay Gap: a 2021 update
8th March 2021
By Michael Scholes & Aidan Stennett To highlight International Women’s Day, the following article updates our previous blog article examining the Gender Pay Gap in
Social media spread of misinformation and COVID-19 vaccine uptake
4th March 2021
As the COVID-19 vaccination programme progresses in Northern Ireland and the rest of the United Kingdom, this article considers the causes and consequences of misinformation
COVID-19: Vaccines and other potential treatments
18th December 2020
This article considers a number of recent medical developments in relation to COVID-19 and the implications of the new vaccine for Northern Ireland. Coronaviruses are
Foodbank distribution in Northern Ireland
11th December 2020
Foodbanks are an increasingly useful resource for many in Northern Ireland. They provide a valuable service to communities and are continually helping to feed those
A snapshot of COVID-19 funding (updated)
10th December 2020
This visualisation provides a series of interactive graphs compiled by the Assembly’s Research and Information Service (RaISe), which offer a snapshot of government funding allocated
How has COVID-19 Emergency Funding for the arts and culture Sectors in Northern Ireland been distributed?
25th November 2020
By James Bamford & Karen McCallion This visualisation provides a snapshot of emergency funding provided to the arts and culture sectors in Northern Ireland. This
Every child deserves a real chance in life: A renewed government focus on solving educational underachievement in Northern Ireland?
12th October 2020
Young people have faced unprecedented changes to their childhoods and futures due to COVID-19. A significant part of this disruption has been to their education.
Northern Ireland economy: Autumn 2020 update
8th October 2020
As Northern Ireland (NI) emerges from the widespread COVID-19 public health crisis into a phase of more localised outbreaks and disruption, there have been numerous
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