The well-being economy framework provides a comprehensive lens to analyse the intersection of economic, social, and ecological sustainability, ensuring the well-being of people and the planet both now and for future generations.

The commercial determinants of health offer a key area where the well-being economy framework can be applied to guide decision-making. Industries such as tobacco, alcohol, gambling, and the production of highly processed foods illustrate how economic interests can conflict with long-term social and ecological sustainability. While these industries generate employment and tax revenues, they impose significant costs on public health, healthcare systems, and environmental sustainability.

The well-being economy framework allows for a more holistic assessment of these industries, encouraging policymakers to look beyond immediate economic benefits and consider the broader implications for public health and environmental well-being. By integrating commercial determinants of health into decision-making, governments can design policies that mitigate harmful industry practices while promoting economic activities that align with long-term societal well-being.

This seminar was delivered by Professor Heikki Hiilamo on 25 March 2025.

According to The Rivers Trust’s State of Our Rivers 2024 report, just 15% of England's river stretches achieved good ecological health and none are in good overall status. Failures can be attributed to multiple sources, including agriculture and rural land management activities, treated and untreated sewage discharge, and urbanisation and transport pollutants.

Mark Lloyd (CEO, The Rivers Trust) and Helen Wakeham (Director of Water, Environment Agency) discuss what needs to be done to tackle the problems and restore our waterways to health. How can we address monitoring and policy gaps, and how do we make sure that the solutions and policies put in place are fit for the future as new threats emerge? Chaired by Dame Fiona Reynolds.

This University of Bath IPR event took place on 19 March 2025.

In the University of Bath's A Place for Possible podcast, you can hear current undergraduate and postgraduate students share their experiences of studying at Bath.

In episode 1, our students talk about their experiences of living in Bath and the different kinds of accommodation on offer.

Join Katherine Bright, Placement Officer for the Faculty of Science at the University of Bath, to discuss Top Tips for Interviews. In this episode, Katherine is joined by Jo Rouse from the careers service.

For more information on going on placement, please contact your Placement Officer or email [email protected]

Join Katherine Bright, Placement Officer for the Faculty of Science at the University of Bath, to discuss the Benefits of going on a 12 month industrial placement. In this episode, Katherine is joined by Jonny Hodgson, plus interviews with students who have returned from their placement, and several employers who regularly host our science students.

For more information on going on placement, please contact your Placement Officer or email [email protected]

Join Katherine Bright, Placement Officer for the Faculty of Science at the University of Bath, to discuss the common mistakes students make when applying for placement. In this episode, Katherine is joined by Jo Rouse, careers consultant for the Faculty of Science, and Shyan, a physics student who has recently returned from his own placement.

For more information on going on placement, please contact your Placement Officer or email [email protected]

Democracy is future-oriented and self-correcting: today's problems can be solved, we are told, in tomorrow's elections. But the biggest issues facing the modern world – from climate collapse and pandemics to recession and world war – each apparently bring us to the edge of the irreversible. What happens to democracy when the future seems no longer open?

Jonathan White explores how politics has long been directed by shifting visions of the future, from the birth of ideologies in the nineteenth century to Cold War secrecy and the excesses of the neoliberal age.

He is in conversation with Professor Peter Allen, University of Bath.

About the speaker: Jonathan White is Professor of Politics at the London School of Economics. Based at LSE's European Institute, he has published widely on democracy and the politics of emergency. He has written for the Guardian and New Statesman, and received the British Academy Brian Barry Prize for Excellence in Political Science. He is the author of In the Long Run: The Future as a Political Idea.

This IPR event took place on 5 February 2025.

University of Bath Vice-Chancellor, Professor Phil Taylor, introduces the State of Disappearance exhibition.

The Void by University of Bath

Realm of Words by University of Bath