News & views

We collate and provide links to news and views from around the world to help share ideas and thinking for policy makers, procurers, providers, and any other organisations working in the public sector sphere to deliver better public services.

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News: Consortium signs contract for two monorail lines in Egypt
Perfect for congested cities needing a fast and cost-effective mass transit solution, the monorail project in Cario will provide greater mobility for Egyptian citizens. (Source: https://www.intelligenttransport.com/transport-news/85850/consortium-contract-monorail-lines-egypt/)
12th August 2019
Story: prison choirs are transforming lives
Liberty Choir has inspired hundreds of Wandsworth prisoners through 250 weekly sessions where volunteers and prisoners sing alongside one another. Many of those have since escaped the cycle of crime and punishment. (Source:https://www.theguardian.com/theobserver/2019/jun/15/prisons-prisoners-reform-choir-rehabilitation-singing-liberty)
12th August 2019
New thinking: California Prisons try Rehab Before Release
California tries new rehabilitation programme before inmates are released. The educational process participants undergo has many parts, with participating inmates acknowledging wrong choices and the value of "self-work." Source: https://www.citywatchla.com/index.php/375-voices/18092-california-prisons-rehab-before-release
7th August 2019
Story: Prisoners Unlearn The Toxic Masculinity That Led To Their Incarceration
A former inmate (in North California) is a facilitator of a prison rehabilitation program that teaches men about gender roles and how ingrained ideas of masculinity have contributed to their violent crimes. GRIP, or Guiding Rage into Power, started at San Quentin State Prison in 2013 and has expanded to five state prisons across California. Source: https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/incarcerated-men-gender-roles-recidivism_n_5d378544e4b004b6adb78912
7th August 2019
News: Group to leverage AI, supercomputers for smart city planning
As the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in governments evolves, researchers are looking to supercomputer modeling to assess how the technology can help predict smart city innovations and impact the future. Source: https://www.smartcitiesdive.com/news/group-to-leverage-ai-supercomputers-for-smart-city-planning/560168/
7th August 2019
Story: Ghanaians asked to embrace local community justice systems
Ghanaians and Africans encouraged to embrace local community justice systems as an alternative in resolving disputes. (Source: https://www.ghanabusinessnews.com/2019/07/28/ghanaians-asked-to-embrace-local-community-justice-systems/)
5th August 2019
News: Scottish transport strategy to be a catalyst for change
The Scottish Government has published a new National Transport Strategy for consultation, which it described as a step-change in the country’s approach to transport for the next 20 years. (Source: http://smarthighways.net/scottish-transport-strategy-to-be-catalyst-for-change/)
5th August 2019
View: Prison reform group calls for end to ‘long-term’ solitary confinement
Two-dozen prison reform activists recently rallied at Department of Corrections headquarters in Mechanicsburg, Cumberland County, pushing for changes to solitary confinement and calling for an inquiry into alleged “abuses” at one corrections facility. (Source:https://papost.org/2019/08/05/prison-reform-group-calls-for-end-to-long-term-solitary-confinement/)
5th August 2019
View: What Britain’s private prisons can teach public ones
Nearly two-fifths of jails are assessed as “of concern” or “serious concern”, the lowest of four ratings, in the latest figures. None are privately run. (source: economist.com)
2nd August 2019
New Thinking: 5G - The catalyst connected cities have been waiting for?
Each new evolution in technology inevitably brings about a chicken-and-egg scenario: will the capability spur application development, or will the development drive demand for increased capability? (source: smartcitiesworld.net)
1st August 2019
News: Dubai introduces VR technology to train drivers
Dubai has become the first government body in the Middle East to use VR technology in driver training and rehabilitation in bid to improve the passenger experience. (source: intelligenttransport.com)
1st August 2019
News: UK’s first secure school to be run by academy trust
The UK’s first secure school – an education-focused alternative to youth jails – is to be run by an academy trust that specialises in schools in deprived areas. (source: theguardian.com)
25th July 2019
New Thinking: New wave of smart cities has arrived - and they’re nothing like science fiction
An abandoned mine shaft beneath the town of Mansfield, England is an unlikely place to shape the future of cities. But here, researchers from the nearby University of Nottingham are planning to launch a “deep farm” that could produce ten times as much food as farms above ground.(source: theconversation.com)
22nd July 2019
View: In a world of autonomous vehicles, this is why we'll need more public transport than ever
The media is fascinated by autonomous vehicles (AVs), in particular their safety and when or if they will arrive en masse. A bigger and more important question is how AVs will work together as fleets and whether they work with public transport to move more people with fewer vehicles to solve our urban congestion and pollution challenges. (source: weforum.com)
22nd July 2019
UK Science Minister Speech: Becoming an Innovation Nation - Driving up private investment into research and development
"It is a great pleasure to be here at this event, to celebrate the successes of the UK Research Partnership Investment Fund, and to reveal the winners of the latest round of the scheme"
19th July 2019
View: Cutting crime and the skills gap - taking the risks for big rewards in prison education
Earlier this week, I shared a radio studio with a colleague from HMPPS who was explaining the work of the New Futures Network (NFN), a key driver within the Ministry of Justice’s Education and Employment Strategy for adult prisoners, which links employers and prisoners to find staff for one and work for the other. (source: fenews.com)
19th July 2019
News: U.S., U.K. embrace autonomous robot spy subs that can stay at sea for months
Unmanned robot spy submarines that are able to stay at sea for months at a time may be coming to both the United States and its ally across the pond, the U.K. According to a pair of new reports, both nations are hard at work on developing technology for carrying out future underwater data-gathering surveillance missions, without any risk to human personnel.(source: digitaltrends.com)
18th July 2019
View: Global health security requires cooperation between the public and private sectors
Global health security requires cooperation between the public and private sectors in order to properly manage the economic, security, health, and social disruption of epidemics and pandemics, according to World Economic Forum global health security expert Ryan Morhard.(source: devex.com)
18th July 2019
View: Playing catch-up, how the public sector can embrace digital transformation
In the UK, the public sector is heavily reliant on older IT infrastructure, which can significantly hamper the ability of staff to deliver the high-level of service that we have come to expect thanks to pioneering industries such as retail and logistics.(source: itproportal.com)
17th July 2019
News: Trump administration pushes U.S. at-home kidney care, transplant availability
The Trump administration on Wednesday set goals to move more kidney disease treatment into patients’ homes and increase transplants while reducing the U.S. reliance on more costly dialysis clinics. (source: reuters.com)
17th July 2019

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