Expert comment

The WHO and the future of international public finance

Dr Simon Reid-Henry, Reader in Queen Mary’s School of Geography and Jonathan Glennie, Principal Associate at the Joep Lange Institute, argue in their latest work that the current Covid-19 crisis has highlighted massive underfunding of global public health bodies. However, the pandemic also presents an opportunity to rectify this.

Coronavirus pandemic could hit the billions migrant workers send home in cash

Professor Kavita Datta, Professor of Development Geography in Queen Mary's School of Geography has co-written an opinion piece in The Conversation in which she explores how the current pandemic could hit migrant workers.

It's time to rally behind the WHO

Catherine Fieschi, Director of Queen Mary's Global Policy Institute and a leading expert on populism, and Professor David McCoy, Professor of Global Public Health, argue that now is the time to rally behind the World Health Organisation in the wake of Trump's recent attacks on the institution.

Greece: despite a decade of health cuts, coronavirus death rates appear comparatively low

Dr Stella Ladi, Senior Lecturer in Public Management in Queen Mary's School of Business and Management has written an opinion piece for The Conversation in which she discusses the response to the coronavirus in Greece.

The medieval history of Passover: libel, conspiracy, and hope for freedom

Professor Miri Rubin, Professor of Medieval and Early Modern History Queen Mary's School of History has written an opinion piece for The Conversation where she explores the history of Passover.

The world had the tools to prevent the coronavirus pandemic – why weren’t they used?

Professor Sophie Harman, Professor of International Politics with the School of History, wrote an opinion piece for New Statesman, about the lack of political will and investment in preparing for a pandemic like coronavirus.

How pandemic shattered the harmony of medieval Europe’s diverse cities

Professor Miri Rubin, Professor of Medieval and Early Modern History with the School of History, wrote an opinion piece for The Conversation, about the impact of historic pandemics on medieval Europe.

What exactly is the government’s coronavirus strategy?

Professor David McCoy, Professor of Global Public Health, wrote an opinion piece for the Centre for Health and the Public Interest about the government's strategy against COVID-19 and whether it is taking the right approach. It is republished here on behalf of the Queen Mary Global Policy Institute.

Coronavirus: country comparisons are pointless unless we account for these biases in testing

Dr Magda Osman, Reader in Experimental Psychology, with the School of Biological and Chemical Sciences, and Professor Norman Fenton, Professor of Computer Science, Professor Martin Neil, Professor of Computer Science and Statistics, and Mr Scott Mclachlan, Postdoctoral Research Assistant, with the School of Electronic Engineering and Computer Science, co-wrote an opinion piece for The Conversation, about the flaws in comparing countries on coronavirus.

Don’t worry about cancelled exams – research shows we should switch to teacher assessment permanently

Dr Margherita Malanchini, Lecturer in Psychology, with the School of Biological and Chemical Sciences, co-wrote an opinion piece for The Conversation, about the positive evidence supporting a switch from exams to teacher assessments permanently.

Covid-19 and the transition period

Professor Tim Bale, Professor of Politics, with the School of Politics and International Relations, wrote an opinion piece for The UK in a changing Europe, about the lack of support for an online petition to delay the Brexit transition period following the coronavirus pandemic.

Coronavirus: to avoid major humanitarian fallout, UK must act urgently

Professor Sophie Harman, Professor of International Politics, with the School of Politics and International Relations, wrote an opinion piece for The Conversation about the vulnerability of the UK's welfare system in facing up to the coronavirus.

Coronavirus: sequencing the DNA of patients screened for coronavirus might save lives

Professor Richard Buggs, Professor of Evolutionary Genomics, and Professor Richard Nichols, Professor of Genetics, both with the School of Biological and Chemical Sciences, co-wrote an opinion piece for The Conversation about sequencing the DNA of patients screened for coronavirus to help save lives.

Brexit has made town twinning a battleground – but it’s always been political

Dr Holly Ryan, Lecturer in International Political Sociology with the School of Politics and International Relations has written an opinion piece for The Conversation about the concept of twinning towns and cities.

‘Irrefutable evidence’ that lung cancer screening works

Professor Stephen Duffy, Professor of Cancer Screening at the Wolfson Institute of Preventive Medicine, and Professor John Field, from the University of Liverpool’s Department of Molecular and Clinical Cancer Medicine, comment on recently published results from a lung cancer screening trial.

Reflections on releasing political polling results into the big wide world

Professor of Politics, Professor Tim Bale comments on the reaction to survey results on the Labour leadership race. 

British people still think some accents are smarter than others – what that means in the workplace

Professor Devyani Sharma, Professor of Sociolinguistics with the School of Languages, Linguistics and Film has written an opinion piece for The Conversation about accent perceptions.

Five reasons to vote in this election

Dr Rainbow Murray, Professor of Politics with the School of Politics and International Relations has written an opinion piece for The Conversation about why people should vote this election.

The Pope and the Pill: how Catholic women got creative with the Church’s teaching on sex

Dr David Geiringer, Associate Lecturer with the School of Geography has written an opinion piece for The Conversation about his latest book 'The Pope and the Pill'.

Nigel Farage will fight Labour seats after pact with Boris Johnson fails – so what’s he up to?

Professor Tim Bale, Professor of Politics with the School of Politics and International Relations has written an opinion piece for The Conversation about Nigel Farage's election strategy.

Bolivia in crisis: how Evo Morales was forced out

Mr Angus McNelly, Lecturer in Latin American Politics and International Development with the School of Politics and International Relations has written an opinion piece for The Conversation about the Eva Morales crisis.

The ground war: Conservatives likely to be outgunned

Professor Tim Bale, Professor of Politics with the School of Politics and International Relations has written an opinion piece for The UK in a Changing Europe about the campaigning capabilities of the UK's political parties.

These are the pros and cons of every Brexit option left on the table

Professor Rainbow Murray, Professor of Politics with the School of Politics and International Relations has written an opinion piece for The Conversation about the pros and cons of each Brexit option.

The real danger that Brexit poses for Israel

Dr Toby Greene, Marie Skłodowska-Curie Research Fellow with the School of Politics and International Relations has written an opinion piece for The UK in a Changing Europe, about the real impacts Brexit will have on Israel.

Argentina elections: is frontrunner Alberto Fernández a populist?

Dr Sam Halvorsen, Lecturer in Human Geography from Queen Mary University of London has written an opinion piece for The Conversation about Argentina's presidential election. He explores whether one of the candidates, Alberto Fernández, can be seen as a populist. 

Labour conference: Jeremy Corbyn battles it out with members over Brexit

Tim Bale, Professor of Politics from Queen Mary University of London has written an opinion piece for The Conversation about Jeremy Corbyn's leadership of the Labour Party and their stance on Brexit. He argues that Corbyn – supposedly a very different leader of the Labour Party and one who promised to be guided by its members – will probably get away with ignoring them when it comes to Brexit.

Alberto Fernández – who is the frontrunner for Argentina’s presidency?

Dr Sam Halvorsen from Queen Mary's School of Geography has published an opinion piece for The Conversation about the forthcoming presidential elections in Argentina. His analysis sets out explanations for Alberto Fernández’s shock success in the recent primaries and what a victory would mean for politics in the country.

There is no great salt debate: we should be consuming less

Feng He, Sonia Pombo and Monique Tan from Queen Mary's Wolfson Institute of Preventive Medicine published an article for The Conversation about their research into salt consumption.

It’s no wonder the military likes violent video games – they can help train civilians to become warriors

Professor Neve Gordon from Queen Mary's School of Law has written an opinion piece for The Conversation about violent video games. In the context of recent massacres in the United States, he argues that there is an ethical impact of violent games on society.

What Love Island can tell us about the history of love

Dr David Geiringer from Queen Mary's School of Geography has written an opinion piece for The Conversation about the hit ITV show Love Island. He argues that the TV programme can tell us a lot about the history of love and the framing of youth culture.