by Raphael J. Heffron

New economic thinking is needed in the UK energy sector. The mainstream economic approach to the electricity sector needs to be radically altered, and two new approaches are discussed in this article. The first focuses on restructuring the electricity market, and the second on achieving parity for low carbon energy sources in terms of subsidies received in comparison to the oil and gas sector.

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by Zaria Gorvett

The race to out-tech the enemy has been fuelling scientific discovery for thousands of years, generating some extraordinary inventions and thrusting humanity forwards into a modern age. In the wake of a succession of defence budget cuts in the UK and abroad, this article considers the legacy of military research.

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by Mark Goodwin

The global financial crisis has resulted in much soul-searching for economists. The discipline has been challenged to revisit its most fundamental principles and practices in the light of the crash. As a result, increasing pressure is being put on economics to modify its teaching curricula and research priorities. Yet in the field of policy advice, it is less clear that the dominance of pre-crash economics is being reconsidered. Developments in rival disciplines in the behavioural and neurological sciences may present a greater threat to the continued dominance of economics than any inherent failings.

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by Claire Weiller

Claire’s research focuses on how new business models can help overcome the obstacles typically presented by electric vehicles, including high battery costs, current range limitation, and the lack of infrastructure. The piece highlights the fact that much remains unknown about what business models will look like in future. Will customers even own their batteries? How will companies make money from these systems beyond selling cars? What are the opportunities for electric vehicles to be connected to the electricity grid? Claire discusses these issues which are central to her PhD research.

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by Kai Ruggeri

What are the policy implications of patients who travel abroad to receive required medical care? Is there the possibility for a coordinated international response? These questions and many more are discussed by Kai, who highlights the clear lack of evidence on what is referred to as Global Health Access Policy (GHAP) to address the multitude of political, medical, and ethical issues surrounding this phenomenon. Kai suggests that dealing with the situation requires an understanding of its consequences for human welfare and outlines how his research group at Cambridge is engaging with the debate through evidence.

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