DEMOS

• Reactions to Cultural Interventions in Russia In the wake of recent events involving the British Council's offices at Yekaterinburg and St Petersburg, it's interesting to see commentators once again pointing to the importance of culture in international relations, the theme of our Cultural Diplomacy pamphlet last year. I thought it was worth posting a selection. In last week's Guardian, Simon Jenkins argued that 'culture and lifestyle are the diplomacy of the 21st Century' - very much an echo of his earlier article in response to our... continue reading Posted by Samuel Jones on 21st January 2008 in Cultural Diplomacy
• Groundblog day I don’t know why I keeping blogging about school choice, but I can’t help it. Today Matthew D’Ancona writes over on the Spectator blog that the announcement yesterday on school admissions is ‘an old fashioned public sector rationing system doing its bleak work’. continue reading Posted by Duncan O'Leary on 17th January 2008 Comments (2)
• Ever so Hidden Dragon Literature, the arts and cultural production are one of the most crucial means by which we learn about norms, behaviours, outlooks and attitudes.  In Cultural Diplomacy, we argued that  we need to start thinking about cultural literacy, and how we build not only greater awareness of the many cultures that we encounter, but also to take that beyond simply informing of facts to providing skills to accommodate and respond to them in every situation, everyday or institutional, in which... continue reading Posted by Samuel Jones on 17th January 2008 in Cultural Literacy
• President. Period. Is there a reason why every single article I read on BBC News that mentions Barack Obama, says that he 'aims to become the first black US president'?Two points:Surely Obama is aiming to become President, rather than a black President. Did he ever have an alternative option of aiming to be a white President?Beyond grammar, I wonder whether this also highlights how he is viewed in the media as an 'other'. The BBC don't seem to feel it neccessary to highlight that Clinton will be the first female... continue reading Posted by Faizal Farook on 16th January 2008 Comments (1)
• Innovation in platforms In our Public Value of Science and Atlas of Ideas reports, we explored the role of science-based innovation in addressing big global challenges. Looking at science globally, we are faced with the question of what sort of innovation applies to what scale of problem. It seems that the bigger the challenge, the more innovative the solution needs to be. It's something that the new Technology Strategy Board are looking at. They are interested in how to get business and the government working... continue reading Posted by Jack Stilgoe on 15th January 2008
• Trust me, I'm almost one We in wonkworld are always ready to give credit where it is due. In 2003, the IPPR trumpeted Gordon Brown's adoption of their nice asset-based welfare idea in the form of the Child Trust Fund. A week ago,  my 11-month old son received a letter updating him on the progress of his fund. I clarified some things for him, such as why the database appeared to know his name but not his gender. But I couldn't tell him how the 250 quid invested on his behalf by the government had mushroomed into... continue reading Posted by Jack Stilgoe on 15th January 2008 Comments (1)
• Battle of the 'isms This was the most interesting thing I read over the weekend. It’s a piece looking at the furore going on in Australia over an alleged racist remark in an international cricket match. The accused player has now offered his defence: he says it was a comment about another player’s wife, not about his race. So, asks the article, why is this a defence? Which ‘isms have become acceptable? continue reading Posted by Duncan O'Leary on 14th January 2008 Comments (2)
• Sir Brian McMaster's Excellent Adventure The DCMS has just released the McMaster review of excellence under the rubric “from measurement to judgement”. Demos has been arguing for years, starting with our Valuing Culture conference in 2003, that it is vital to reintroduce discussions of quality and excellence into cultural policy. Many of our publications and speeches have emphasised the point (have a look at Capturing Cultural Value and Cultural Value and the Crisis of Legitimacy). So we very much welcome this move on the... continue reading Posted by John Holden on 10th January 2008 Comments (3)
• The meaning of modernisation The Times’ Comment Central is one of my favourite blogs and I enjoy Daniel Finkelstein’s writing, but something irks me about this post on welfare reforms. continue reading Posted by Duncan O'Leary on 8th January 2008 Comments (3)
• english language video This is celia and susan. They were interns at Demos last summer, when they  reinterpreted As You Like It and made this video about the future of the English Language. Seems to have inspired some rather odd comments on our youtube page. continue reading Posted by Charlie Tims on 8th January 2008

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