Is too much choice a bad thing? Comparing the experience of parental choice in English and Scottish education
Writer and campaigner Melissa Benn in conversation with Aveek Aveek Bhattacharya about his new research comparing the different approaches to secondary school choice in England and Scotland.
Writer and campaigner Melissa Benn is in conversation with Aveek Aveek Bhattacharya about his new research comparing the different approaches to secondary school choice in England and Scotland.
Successive governments in England have emphasised the importance of school choice and encouraged parents to choose between different schools for their children. Contrastingly in Scotland, the government has limited the amount of choice with most children going to their local school.
Despite the difference, Scottish families are no less satisfied or empowered by their level of school choice - an equal share of parents are happy with the amount of choice they have over the school their child will attend. Another lively policy insights discussion from The David Hume Institute, which provides plenty of food for thought.
Jonathan Portes on Immigration policy: challenges for the UK and Scotland
Professor Jonathan Portes is a Senior Fellow of the Economic and Social Research Council's "UK in a Changing Europe" initiative spoke at the David Hume Institute about immigration policy and challenges for the UK and Scotland.
Professor Jonathan Portes spoke at the David Hume Institute on “Immigration policy: challenges for the UK and Scotland”.
Professor Jonathan Portes is a Senior Fellow of the Economic and Social Research Council's "UK in a Changing Europe" initiative, based at King’s College London, which promotes high quality research into the complex and changing relationship between the UK and the European Union. His current research concentrates on issues related to immigration and labour mobility, both within the European Union and outside; and the economic implications of Brexit. Jonathan's latest book is called 'What Do we Know and What Should We Do About Immigration?'.
He has spent most of his career working as a civil servant, serving as Chief Economist at the Department for Work and Pensions from 2002 to 2008 and Chief Economist at the Cabinet Office from 2008 to 2011. He led the Cabinet Office’s economic analysis and economic policy work during the financial crisis and on the G20 London Summit in April 2009. From 2011 to 2015, he was Director of the National Institute of Economic and Social Research.
A copy of the slides from Jonathan’s presentation is available for download here: