World Book Day - some free academic resources on the power of reading.

23rd April is World Book day

Read the UN statement and links to resources it has created for the lockdown period

according to the Reading Agency's most recent survey more people are reading in self isolation

How much do people normally read in the UK?

in 2014 the Book Trusts survey of 1500 adults found

early a fifth (18%) never read physical books, and 71% never read e-books.

How does this compare with elsewhere?

In the USA the Pew Center conducts a regular annual survey on who doesnt read.

27% recorded not reading a book in the last year. Higher figures recorded for poorer and hispanic adults.

On a global scale UNESCO records literacy statistics


However reading does have the power to change lives. in 2018 Demos published a report called a society of readers. which summarised research on a variety of factors including well being and social mobility.

The National Literacy Trust has conducted a number of surveys on the link between reading and positive mental well-being

Children who are the most engaged with literacy are three times more likely to have higher levels of mental wellbeing than children who are the least engaged (39.4% vs 11.8%) The Reading Agency also conducted a 2015 literature review on reading for empowerment and wellbeing

Chocolate some fun and academic links

Just for Easter!

some fun and academic links

How much chocolate do we eat?

According to a 2020 poll of the Uk public by the British Heart foundation in January 2020.
"The average Brit will consume 7,560 chocolate bars, 2,268 slices of chocolate cake and 8,316 chocolate biscuits in a lifetime"

However According to Statista Switzerland was the nation which consumed the most chocolate in 2019
For more scientific studies try the ONS which has a Family food survey . In 2017 it has a graph on expenditure on different types of food it maps purchases by income and region.

The National Diet and Nutrition survey provides details of food intake and calories.


Favourite chocolate bars!

The Heart Foundation survey found Snickers was the favourite brand
Campaign live has revealed the success of its marketing campaigns

It was first made in 1930 and originally marketed as Marathon in the Uk. The manufacturers website archive has some details of changes. this original ad from 1990 (found on youtube) talks about the new change!

Maundy thursday - what happens worldwide?

Today is Maundy Thursday. 

It is the Christian holy day falling on the Thursday before Easter. It commemorates the Washing of the Feet (Maundy)
Maundy is the name of the Christian rite of footwashing,
In the UK special coins are usually distributed by the monarch. The Royal Mint has details on the coins which are the value of the monarch's age! The official Royal Family website has details of the service and some old video clips including one from 1952

What happens in other parts of the world?

In Malta Holy Thursday is known as Ħamis ix-Xirka (Communion Thursday) and there is a tradition of visiting 7 churches. In Germany a special dish is eaten called Gründonnerstagssuppe — a green soup made of spinach, parsley, green onions, cucumber and dill. Green foods specifically are eaten because the word green is associated with grief or weeping.
In Brazil Hooded penitents attend the "Procession of the Torches" during Holy Week in Cidade de Goias, Brazil

World Autism Awareness day - why is it important?

This week charities are calling for awareness of Autism 

Autism uk  quotes the figures that "There are around 700,000 people on the autism spectrum in the UK – that's more than 1 in 100"

 however awareness and understanding of autism  is needed because in 2019 Autism UK found that only 16% of autistic adults  were in paid employment

In 2014 research by the LSE found that this  led to a total loss to the UK economy of £32 billion per year in treatment, lost earnings, care and support for children and adults with autism.one of the most costly conditions  impacting the economy. More information on LSE researchonline

This 2019 systematic review also reviewed the evidence that informal caregivers suffered poorer mental health and stigma

other children's charities in different countries have done studies which shows higher evidence of bullying linked with autism

To locate high quality research  try the National Autistic Society Its library catalogue indexes books, reports and journal articles. It also provides free access to Autism update its listing of items added toi the Library catalogue recently.

International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade -links to academic resources

We must not forget even at this time the victims of the slavery trade. Read the UN declaration and associated documents.

UCL Legacies of slave owning in Britain database
it shows how widespread the trade was not just large landowners.
At the core of the completed project is this online Encyclopaedia of British Slave-ownership containing information about (1) every slave-owner in the British Caribbean, Mauritius or the Cape at the moment of abolition in 1833; lists of estates all the slave-owners, attorneys, mortgagees and legatees for the estates between 1763 and 1833. Entries for individuals include information about the activities, affiliations and legacies of these men and women,

The Trans-Atlantic and Intra-American slave trade databases is an international project which offers detailed background information on the trade and slave voyages. It has timelines and 3d maps.


For information on Britain and the abolition.

The UK Parliament site has some primary resource documents

The National Archives has educational resources it has a good lesson with original documents and links
as well as more detailed research guides and digitised documents

The British Library learning website also has some original anti-slavery materials from the 19th century

The Remembering slavery and mapping project archive is also worth exploring it took place in 2007 and includes activities and resources from museums in the North East. Anti-Slavery.org which hosts the site includes materials relating to modern day slavery.

Today is budget day - follow our free links

Today is Budget day 2020! Follow the news and predictions with our  recommended links.

The budget will take place on March 11th. Live coverage on parliamentary TV channel

Transcripts will be made available later in the day on Hansard

LSE members can watch archived materials (since 1997) via the Box of Broadcasts

Read the full text papers on the UK Government website

The Office for Budget Responsibility will publish an accompanying economic outlook on its website. it also has an economic and fiscal outlook

The House of Commons Library also has a good background briefing. They also have some historic facts and figures giving a list of chancellors and lengths of speeches from 1968 onwards.

News reports

BBC news

Telegraph

Guardian

Independent 

FT

Daily mail

Financial analysis from accountancy and financial services, tax firms

IFS budget analysis

Deloitte

PWC

EY Club Budget

Saffery Champness

Grant Thornton

BDO

KPMG

RSM

Industry and think tank submissions to the Chancellor.

CBI
Institute Directors
CityUk

Make UK manufacturers 

Federation of Small Businesses 
TUC

National Housing Federation
Shelter

ICAEW accountancy

Other organisations

Local government association

International women's day some free statistics which show why it is necessary

On International women's day here are some free statistics which show why the fight for gender equality is necessary

The Office for National Statistics records the current gender pay gap as 17.3% in 2019. This is declining but still high

Global Gender Gap report 2020Published annually by the World Economic Forum since 1996. It benchmarks over 140 countries on their progress towards gender parity across four general themes: economic participation, educational attainment, health, and political power. in 2020 it recorded across all measures a gap of over 30%

The OECD Gender Data Portal includes selected indicators shedding light on gender inequalities in education, employment, entrepreneurship, health, development and Governance, they cover  OECD member countries, as well as partner economies including Brazil, China, India, Indonesia, and South Africa.

the Social Institutions and Gender Index (SIGI) also from the OECD has cross-country measures of discrimination against women in social institutions.  

World Bank Gender Data Portal

Free access to this excellent source which focuses upon demography, education, health, economic opportunities, public life and agency. Search and download data, country reports and data visualisations.

UN women data reports

includes Progress of the world's women reports 

It also has an interesting report on gender data gaps statistics.