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The Digital Journal
The Wilberforce Society's Digital Journal publishes articles on current affairs and policy matters that are 800 to 1500 words in length. Submissions are considered on the basis of originality, quality and contribution to current discourse on the matter examined. If you have a proposal for an article you wish to be considered, please submit it here. If you have any queries, please email policy@wilberforcesociety.co.uk.
The TWS Digital Journal exists to provide any student at the University of Cambridge with a platform to publish their independent policy research, in the hope that it will be of informative and educational value. Inclusion of a piece in the Digital Journal does not imply that TWS endorses the views expressed by the author(s).
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Sizing Up Small Modular Reactors
Written by Juno Chowla-Song Edited by Shreya Devani Interest in nuclear energy is rebounding after a long decline, and small modular reactors (SMRs) have stolen the spotlight.[1] There are more than 120 SMR designs at different stages of development, with most being targeted for the early 2030s.[2] These modern nuclear generators are intended to be compact, factory-built and scalable, allowing them to decarbonise energy systems and build energy resilience while meeting rapidl
The Wilberforce Society Cambridge
11 hours ago
The GDP trap: why Starmer cannot change what he will not question.
Written by Billy Gilbey Edited by Bhing Turongpun The core of Starmer’s government can be found in the Labour Party’s 2024 manifesto. The front-cover contains only a picture of Starmer and the word “change”. More precisely, change for Starmer is the recovery of “two fundamental beliefs"[1] - “first, that politics should be driven by a sense of service"[2], and secondly that Britain must “respect your contribution and give you a fair chance."[3] Workers’ ‘fair chance’, the man
The Wilberforce Society Cambridge
Mar 18
Facing Constraints: Risks of Rising Debt Levels
Written by Max Bardong Edited by Bhing Turongpun Government debt can be something extremely useful. Most notably, debt helps finance government spending that goes beyond tax revenues, i.e., spending that would otherwise require higher taxes. The most well-known application of this goes back to John Maynard Keynes: in economic crises with high unemployment, Keynes advocated for increased government spending to make up for low aggregate demand and stimulate private consumption
The Wilberforce Society Cambridge
Mar 15
Modern Monetary Theory in the UK
Written by Paolo Parisi-Bush Edited by Mehmet Yusuf Temur and Abigail Ng Over the last decade, many Western economies have experienced a steady increase in the ratio of national debt as a proportion of total output [1]. Whilst slowing per-capita GDP growth may reflect a longer-term trend [2], governments have increasingly utilised deficit spending to address a series of global shocks following the Covid-19 pandemic. In the United Kingdom, chronically low productivity growth a
The Wilberforce Society Cambridge
Feb 25
Addressing the Crisis in NHS Maternity Care: A Policy Prescription for Reform
Anita Ukaenwe Recent investigations into NHS maternity units have uncovered alarming levels of inadequate care, putting the lives of mothers and babies at risk. In an inspection of 131 locations between August 2022 and December 2023, almost half were rated as either "requiring improvement" (36%) or "inadequate" (12%). A mere 4% of services were rated as outstanding, while 48% achieved a "good" rating. The most troubling findings centred around staffing shortages, poor facilit
The Wilberforce Society Cambridge
Feb 23, 2025
Beyond GDP: the unhappiness pandemic in the Global West
Ayush Verma ‘’Running the same system harder or faster will not change the pattern as long as the structure is not revised’’ (Meadows et al 2004). Post Developmentalism is a school of thought rooted in questioning the conventional paradigm of progress. Arturo Escobar locates the use of post-development thinking in criticizing the European hubris of economic modernity, arguing that economic growth and material accumulation are insufficient tools to measure societal developme
The Wilberforce Society Cambridge
Jan 23, 2025
Teaching About Race and Identity in a Global Classroom
This article explores innovative pedagogical approaches to teaching about race and identity in a global classroom.
The Wilberforce Society Cambridge
Jan 20, 2025
UN-NGO partnerships: paving the way for stronger global development
Bernard Shiu The United Nations (UN) has been a wellspring of bold agendas in the 21st century. From the Millennium Development Goals in 2000 to the Sustainable Development Goals in 2016, it has been vocal in articulating the flaws of our world and the solutions required. Yet, in an age of unresolved conflict and inequality, it’s hard to agree that the UN has been effective at implementing its agendas. Why is this the case and is there a remedy available? The Status Quo Even
The Wilberforce Society Cambridge
Jan 14, 2025
Arms Embargos to Israel: The UK must go further
Gwen Beetham Introduction On the 2nd of September 2024, David Lammy finally announced that Britain would suspend some arms sales to Israel. This came after a government review into Israel’s actions in Gaza determined that some British items were at risk of being used “in violations of International Humanitarian Law (IHL)”.[1] This was the product of tireless campaigning from a variety of groups and should be celebrated as Britain taking a stand against Israel and the Israeli
The Wilberforce Society Cambridge
Jan 14, 2025
Navigating Neoliberalism, AI, and SDG 4: Toward Equitable Global Education
Aanchal Kapur Edited by Ansh Barot Introduction In the discourse surrounding education, neoliberalism emerges as a complex and multifaceted phenomenon that deeply influences global educational policies. It is underpinned by ideological principles that include Western economic strategies such as trade liberalisation, market deregulation, individual empowerment, self-interest, competitiveness, decentralisation, minimal state intervention, and extensive privatisation of state-ow
The Wilberforce Society Cambridge
Sep 7, 2024
If Three Became Two: Strengthening the EU-Japanese Strategic Partnership in a World of Uncertain Alliances
Leonas Pausch Edited by Evan Burgess As NATO's leaders gathered in Washington to celebrate what President Joe Biden hailed as “the greatest military alliance in the history of the world,” the mood was far from jubilant.[1] Marking 75 years of peacekeeping on the European continent, the alliance now faces a series of daunting challenges. Russia appears to be gaining ground in Ukraine, and internally, NATO might soon need to re-acclimate to the presence of Donald Trump. While t
The Wilberforce Society Cambridge
Sep 3, 2024
Degrowth: A Path to Prosperity in the Climate Crisis?
Molly Young Edited by Ansh Barot It has long been assumed that high economic growth is the best means of enhancing socioeconomic development, the wellbeing of persons and transitions to cleaner energy sources.[1] Yet there is increasing evidence to suggest that it is incompatible with sustainability objectives. Perpetual growth and limitless extraction beyond planetary boundaries sustain what Naomi Klein calls a logic of ‘extractivism’, or a ‘nonreciprocal, dominance-based r
The Wilberforce Society Cambridge
Jul 1, 2024
The need for new metrics in sustainable development: how alternative frameworks are more fit for purpose.
Molly Young Edited by Evan Burgess Introduction This article begins with a simple premise: our current frameworks for sustainable development are no longer fit for purpose. As economist Kate Raworth describes in her landmark text, Doughnut Economics: ‘For over 70 years economics has been fixated on GDP, or national output, as its primary measure of progress. That fixation has been used to justify extreme inequalities of income and wealth coupled with unprecedented destruc
The Wilberforce Society Cambridge
Jun 29, 2024
Restoring financial confidence in the Commonwealth Games
Cameron McIntyre | The Wilberforce Society | 11th February 2024 Edited by Jessica Alder Victoria’s withdrawal from hosting the 2026 Commonwealth Games, citing cost concerns, is the continuation of a trend of financial uncertainty around the event. It comes after Durban withdrew from hosting in 2022 and would likely be followed by the cancellation of all standing bids for 2030, leaving the 100th-anniversary edition uncertain. The Games have not been able to expand viewership s
The Wilberforce Society Cambridge
Feb 20, 2024
To what extent have the conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East impacted the Bank of England post-Covid?
C.G.E. Bulmer | The Wilberforce Society | 4th February 2024 Edited by Jessica Alder The 2020s have seen two major conflicts in two years: Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and the escalation of the Israel-Hamas conflict to include Iranian-backed groups like the Houthis. As US hegemony diminishes, China looks increasingly towards Taiwan, and Russia forges links with anti-Western interests, Western central bankers need to place greater emphasis on global conflict amidst an emerging
The Wilberforce Society Cambridge
Feb 4, 2024
The Perils of NHS Reform
Ansh Barot | The Wilberforce Society | 21st January 2024 Edited by Jessica Alder The NHS appears to be in a perpetual state of crisis. Skyrocketing waiting lists for hospital treatments, chronic staff and resource shortages and unprecedented rounds of strike action are familiar issues for the British public. This is partly a result of austerity policies which have allowed the NHS to gradually deteriorate. Whilst NHS spending was ringfenced, it still grew at a relatively low r
The Wilberforce Society Cambridge
Jan 22, 2024
TWS x CSEP - An Overview of the UK Economy
Norpell Wilberforce & Manuel Lara Aguado 09/11/2022 The Wilberforce Society and the Cambridge Society for Economic Pluralism are presenting a joint forum on the UK economy, the difficulties it faces, and the conflicting economic philosophies encapsulated in Liz Truss's mini-budget and the Bank of England's previous actions and response to it. This forum splits the UK economy into five sections: declining productivity; inequality; trade, agriculture, Brexit, and energy; inflat
The Wilberforce Society Cambridge
Nov 8, 2022
A Democratic Outlook on Progressive Tax: Friend or Foe?
Ekaterina Pushnaya Progressive tax is usually implemented to make wealth more uniform. When a system is introduced to this policy, one observes that workers with higher income take on a bigger responsibility in financing the government, while lower income households are relieved from the certainty of tax partially or entirely. But is this obvious alleviation of inequality actually reducing it long term, especially with the spread of remote working? In this essay, we will argu
The Wilberforce Society Cambridge
Mar 24, 2022
The Wilberforce Society Cambridge
Sep 10, 2019
Non-partisanship and Centrism in Policy Today
By Haley Rice
The Wilberforce Society Cambridge
Mar 20, 2019
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