At a time when public policy is overwhelmingly shaped by short-term pressures, Prof. Shlomi Segall, from the Department of Political Science and the Philosophy, Economics and Political Science program at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, challenges readers in his new book, The Future of Equality, to confront a fundamental moral question: what do principles of distributive justice say about people who do not yet exist?

Nearly two million children in the UK experience early language delays, with rates significantly higher among children from disadvantaged backgrounds. A major new research project led by the University of East London’s Institute for the Science of Early Years, supported by the Nuffield Foundation, will investigate whether background noise in nurseries is a hidden but critical factor affecting early language development. Using wearable technology to track children’s communication in real time, the first-of-its-kind study will explore how everyday nursery sound environments influence learning and test simple, low-cost interventions to improve outcomes. The research aims to inform Early Years practice, nursery design, workforce training, and national policy—helping to give every child the best possible start in life.

In 2024, global temperatures exceeded 1.5°C for the first time, signaling that the world is on track to pass this limit within the next decade. In a new commentary, IIASA experts and collaborators argue that this new reality requires a rethink of accountability in climate policy.