Cambridge Policy Shop

The past year witnessed protests against police brutality, racism and injustice across the world. Despite growing scrutiny, harassment and violence at the hands of the police is a dark reality for people in many countries. Hosts Mantasha Husain and Jiven Sandhu delve into the issues of police brutality and reform along with guests Dexter Dias, an award-winning barrister working on human rights, crimes against humanity, terrorism, war crimes and genocide, Hakeem Yusuf, professor in Global Law and Head of the Law School at the Open University, and Safiya Mawusi, co-founder of the Movement Against Racism campaign.

As countries emerge from the COVID-19 crisis, focus is being drawn towards physical spaces and community facilities that convene people and create a sense of belonging. In this episode, hosts Ugo Dino Fonda and Mantasha Husain discuss with Tom Kelsey his new report called "The Value of Social Infrastructure." Co-authored by Dr. Michael Kenny, it is 7th in a series of Policy Reports called ‘Townscapes’ by the Bennett Institute of Public Policy at the University of Cambridge.

Climate change has detrimental effects on one of our most fundamental resources, water, with low and middle income countries disproportionately impacted. Increased frequency of extreme weather events - floods, droughts, groundwater depletion, and water insecurity - affect agriculture and infrastructure. They can also have a domino effect leading to economic disruption, forced migration, and national security threats worldwide. Hosts Morgan King and Jiven Sandhu speak to Dr. Mats Eriksson, Senior Manager, Stockholm International Water Institute, Indra Singh, Director, Green India, and Virginia Somers and Holly O’Neill of the Cambridge Development Initiative to further examine the issue and offer policy solutions.

As the world grapples with competing demands of re-opening and ensuring safety in wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, vaccine passports have emerged as a possible solution. Hosts, Hannah Marazzi and Anmol Singh, delve into the various nuances of the issue with guests Juan Fernando López Aguilar, MEP and Chair of Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs, Dr. Flavio Toxvaerd, Lecturer with a specialisation in economic epidemiology at the University of Cambridge and Dr. Nerea Irigoyen, Research Group Leader of the Division of Virology at the University of Cambridge.

Welcome to the Cambridge Policy Shop! This season, we bring you episodes on vaccine passports, climate change, police brutality, the refugee crisis, data privacy, and brain drain amongst much more!