Data-driven strategic research
Technology and innovation
What role for Government in keeping the lights on?
What role for Government in keeping the lights on?
We face an ever-increasing demand for energy. As a result, Governments have an instinctive desire to keep the lights on, and to do so in a way which is affordable and environmentally sustainable. But, understandable though this instinct certainly is, what role should Governments actually take in encouraging new technologies designed to address the problem? Should they be active backers and promoters, or is it better to be more circumspect?
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Aid in Africa
Aid in Africa
For at least the last two decades, Africa has been a major priority for the UK’s foreign aid. Over half of that budget is spent on the continent, yet the fight against poverty and hunger is still to be won. How can that aid best be targeted to ensure meaningful outcomes? How can investment and development by companies large and small be encouraged and sustained? What role is there for technology – both new and established – to secure Africans a prosperous, healthy future?
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Hostility to genetically-modified organisms
Hostility to genetically-modified organisms
Few agricultural technologies have proven more emotive or been more derided that genetically-modified organisms. Are these new techniques merely the natural development of the kind of husbandry that mankind has been practising for millennia, or are they a cause for concern? Does the passion surrounding this argument help, or does it have the potential to cloud our judgement?
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Justice and Artificial Intelligence
Justice and Artificial Intelligence
A robust, enforceable regulatory framework in which commerce and enterprise can flourish is among the necessary conditions for a prosperous society. But this foundational principle can be undermined if delays and costs present barriers which make securing justice prohibitive. What role can technology, and AI in particular, play in bringing those barriers down?
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