As the new academic year approaches, we’ve curated a powerful selection of open access books and articles tackling some of the key global social challenges our time –from climate grief and AI ethics to food insecurity, migration and political representation.
Spanning research from the UK, the Global South, Gaza and beyond, these titles offer critical insight into how inequality, power and solidarity shape our world.
Whether you’re researching, teaching or getting ready for the new term, these critical insights will help you engage with today’s most urgent debates.
What about older persons in Palestine? A call for recognition, rehumanising and solidarity in gerontology
Amid the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, this article calls out the systemic neglect of older Palestinians. It urges gerontologists to adopt a more political and justice-driven stance, recognising the violent erasure of ageing populations in conflict zones. A powerful provocation linking human rights and ageing research with global solidarity.
Navigating visa inequities: Mobility as privilege in academia
How does mobility shape who gets to produce and share knowledge? Drawing on lived experience, this article critiques the geopolitical gatekeeping of academia and the toll of restrictive visa regimes on Global South scholars. A must-read for institutions striving to support truly global research collaboration.
Rethinking Migration
As governments reinforce borders and anti-immigration rhetoric rises, this book reframes migration as a force that connects rather than divides. Spanning centuries and species, it offers a fresh, global lens on movement, mobility and the racialised roots of migration politics. A vital read in a year of renewed migration crackdowns.
Ecological grief: How can we bear this together?
Climate disasters are global – but so is the grief they cause. This article explores two forms of ecological grief: mourning ecosystem loss and fearing the lifestyle changes needed to reverse it. Offering a hopeful, ecosocial framework, it speaks to anyone grappling with climate anxiety and in search of community-based action.
Everyday circularities: Rethinking consumption in circular transformations
As sustainability becomes mainstream, this article calls for deeper reflection on the complexities of everyday circular practices. Moving beyond consumer behaviour, it explores the social, material and economic dimensions that shape participation in the circular economy across different geographies.
Competent and influential: How do voters evaluate women prime ministers?
Are gendered biases keeping women from the top political jobs? Based on a six-country survey, this article finds that voters generally see women leaders as equally competent and influential as men – challenging assumptions about the public’s role in maintaining gender gaps in political leadership.
Getting Better
Health inequality isn’t just a local problem – it’s a global injustice. This book draws on successful public health interventions from Brazil, Germany, the US and the UK to show that reducing health disparities is possible with political will. A roadmap for tackling injustice in global health systems.
The Ethics of AI
As AI transforms lives around the world, this book asks who holds power and who bears the cost. Rejecting sci-fi scenarios, it focuses on real-world harms and advocates for AI governance rooted in justice, accountability and collective responsibility – essential reading as global AI debates intensify.
How can working conditions for online crowdworkers be improved?
AI depends on invisible labour – often precarious, cross-border and poorly paid. This article introduces a voluntary wage pledge aimed at improving conditions for crowdworkers. Timely and practical, it challenges researchers and developers worldwide to consider the ethics of the digital labour they rely on.
Capitalism Reloaded
Surveillance. Control. Profit. This book introduces the ‘Authoritarian-Financial Complex’, a new capitalist model where social repression becomes a growth industry. From predictive policing to digital surveillance, the author examines how this shift threatens democratic life – globally.
The Personal Life of Debt
In a world where personal debt is skyrocketing, this ethnographic study from southern England uncovers how indebtedness shapes daily life, identity and self-worth. While UK based, its themes resonate globally in a time of inflation, austerity and widening financial precarity.
Food Banks in Schools and Nurseries
Reflecting broader global struggles with food insecurity, this book examines how UK schools and nurseries are becoming de facto welfare providers. It raises urgent questions about responsibility for child poverty – issues echoed in communities far beyond the UK.
Explore more free and open access content from our Global Social Challenges publishing programme.
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