Seizing Sevastopol: What to do with Russia’s French Warships?

23^rd July 2014

Alphen, Netherlands. 23 July. Predictably the EU fell apart yesterday over what to do about Russia. Naturally, they all pretended otherwise but the only winner yesterday was President Putin. There was a motley extension to the motley collection of asset freezes and travel bans and some talk of future sanctions covering the energy, financial services and defence sectors.

We Need a Stronger Carbon Price to Justify Shale

15^th July 2014

Much is being written about shale gas, both in its favour and against. The main controversies concern its impact on the local environmental. Like all big developments, shale gas exploration imposes costs, risks and disturbances on local communities.

Reciprocity: A foundation of financial economics

4^th July 2014

Both UK and US legislators have highlighted a degradation in commercial ethics as a significant cause of financial crises since 2007. This might suggest that mathematics has a limited role in addressing the problems the crises have thrown up.

Community power can revolutionise our energy system

25^th June 2014

As the International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has made clear, we urgently need to change how we generate, use and think about energy. Pressures brought on by the need to mitigate climate change, increasing energy demands and energy security concerns require that we move towards a decarbonised and more efficient system.

Healthcare must embrace digital methods of delivery

12^th June 2014

In the 19th century four musicians could beautifully play a Beethoven string quartet for their audience. The same is of course true today. However, today the musicians will be paid much more for their time.

Creating apps to combat mental health

11^th June 2014

Mental health problems affect 1 in 4 of us during our lifetimes. The World Health Organisation estimates that around the world approximately five hundred million people are diagnosed with depression, anxiety and related disorders every year.

The Sharing Economy: Using Technology to Change the World

10^th June 2014

Identified by TIME Magazine as ‘one of the 10 Ideas that will change the world’, hailed by the Economist as a big trend with ‘immense potential’ and cited by Forbes as a new ‘disruptive economic force’; there’s no question that the Sharing Economy is making waves.

The explosive growth in medical tourism

9^th June 2014

Medical tourism, when people travel to another country to obtain medical treatment, is not a new concept. The first record of medical tourism dates back thousands of years to when pilgrims travelled to the Saronic Gulf in Greece.

Can our generation save rural heritage in Europe?

8^th June 2014

This year FRH Europe’s international conference is on the subject of rural historic churches, synagogues, chapels and other places of worship and their relevance to 21st Century communities. It’s an important time to be thinking about this because thousands of these buildings across Europe are at risk of being lost forever.

Queen’s Speech 2014: Will the Transparency Reforms really bring more control and greater scrutiny?

3^rd June 2014

The nature of company ownership can be a murky business. Obscure structures and impenetrable trails of paperwork can often keep the public in the dark over who’s really in charge of the 3 million firms registered in the UK.

2014 + Queen's Speech + Responsible Capitalism