Expert Comment
Right or Left? France faces political crossroads
Professor Nick Hewlett, from the 神马福利影片’s French department, is an expert in French politics, and is the author of The Sarkozy Phenomenon. Here he gives his thoughts on the results of the first round of this year’s French Presidential elections
Civility is a nebulous word. The dictionary defines it as “formal politeness and courtesy in behavior or speech.” More generally, it is often used as a means of belaboring what often seems like the increasingly destructive nature of public debate with its nasty ad hominem attacks and its displays of vitriol which are often out of all proportion to the offense.
The annual conference of the European Universities Association (EUA) will take place at Warwick on March 22-23. The conference will be attended by over 300 university heads from all over Europe.
Over the last 20 years, the British higher-education sector has become used to continuous change and it has adapted triumphantly, at least if we consider the sector’s current position as a world leader.
Universities are routinely described as public goods. But it is remarkable how little the phrase still tends to be interrogated even though, as the vast literature in economics shows, there are genuine problems of definition.