47 results
Search Results
2. Beyond fare evasion: the everyday moralities of non-payment and underpayment on public transport.
- Author
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Muñoz, Daniel, Lee, Kris, and Plyushteva, Anna
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PUBLIC transit , *TRANSPORT workers , *ETHICS , *SOCIAL media - Abstract
In attempting to understand and prevent fare evasion, existing research and policy have often categorised fare evaders based on passenger 'types' or profiles. However, such categorisations of 'malicious' or 'virtuous' behaviours rely on underlying moral claims which often go unexamined. In this paper, we study how different actors construct such moral claims as part of everyday interactions. We demonstrate that the everyday moralities of not or under-paying are diverse, locally occasioned, and emotionally charged. Drawing on social media and video data from Chile and the UK, we examine interactions between passengers, by-standers, transport workers, and transport operators. We highlight the diverse resources that actors draw upon to construct moral claims around fare evasion, including the mobilisation of alternative moral categories; attempts to produce exceptions to formal rules; and the foregrounding of moral emotions. The paper engages with an interdisciplinary body of work which reassesses existing policies and societal responses to fare evasion, while also contributing to a nascent literature on everyday morality and mobilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2024
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
3. Fast, slow, ongoing: Female academics' experiences of time and change during COVID‐19.
- Author
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Carruthers Thomas, Kate
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COVID-19 pandemic , *SLOW violence , *ACCESS to archives , *EDUCATORS , *OPEN access publishing - Abstract
This paper reports on an investigation into female academics' experiences of living and working through the COVID‐19 pandemic in the United Kingdom (UK). A diary, diary‐interview method (DDIM) was used to gather qualitative data from 25 participants about their lives during the period March 2020–September 2021 and diary and interview data have since been curated and published in an open access digital archive. The paper argues firstly that in recording and interpreting change over time in the context of the COVID‐19 pandemic, the methodology constitutes a qualitative longitudinal research (QLLR) approach. Secondly, that the method has the capacity to convey temporal disruption and complexity, aligned with notions of crisis as fast, slow and ongoing. Thirdly, that Nixon's theorising of 'slow violence' can be used to frame the impacts of the pandemic as gradual, unseen and banal despite potentially negative implications for female academics' career progression. Finally, the paper argues that gathering this data through DDIM and publishing it in a publicly accessible digital archive represents a necessary form of witness with the potential to be utilised for future interventions. This paper reports on an investigation using a diary, diary‐interview method (DDIM) into female academics' experiences of living and working through the COVID‐19 pandemic in the United Kingdom (UK). The paper argues that DDIM has the capacity to convey temporal disruption and complexity, aligned with notions of crisis as fast, slow and ongoing. Nixon's theorising of 'slow violence' is used to frame a consideration of the pandemic's longer‐term, negative implications for female academics' career progression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2024
- Full Text
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4. Diversity and inclusion in UK Higher Education: staff perspectives on institutional representations and their reality.
- Author
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Richards, Kendall, Pilcher, Nick, Galbrun, Laurent, Forster, Alan, and Richards, James
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HIGHER education , *POSTSECONDARY education , *SURVEYS , *DIVERSITY in education - Abstract
This paper examines staff perspectives on institutional representations of a range of areas of diversity and inclusion in a key post-compulsory education sector: that of UK Higher Education (HE). The paper focuses on comparing representational statements made by institutions with the reality of their lived experiences as perceived by staff. The paper first reviews literature around key issues of promoting and progressing in these areas, and how these areas are represented by institutions and the sector as a whole. It presents and discusses data from a survey (n = 300) to show strong agreement with representational statements as mirroring those of institutions, yet statistically significant differences between representations and the reality of lived experiences, particularly in relation to the lived experiences of staff. These data are discussed in the light of progress made by institutions, and the challenges faced in translating representations into real lived experience. Suggestions for institutions and policy makers are made to help better align reality with these representations in the UK Higher Education sector and, theoretically, for post-compulsory education sectors elsewhere. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2023
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5. Business cycle transmission between France and United Kingdom.
- Author
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Dadej, Mateusz
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BUSINESS cycles , *IMPULSE response , *GRANGER causality test , *VECTOR autoregression model , *GROSS domestic product - Abstract
Purpose: The literature mostly investigates the business cycle transmission of the United Kingdom (UK) and France as a part of a wider group (e.g. European Exchange Rate Mechanism or G7), despite their historical links and regional significance. Thus, herein paper aims to analyse the inter-dependence of these economies and how a shock from one of them affects the other for the data since 1978 to 2019. Design/methodology/approach: In this paper, first, preliminary statistics were calculated in order to describe the historical relationship between these countries. The econometric part estimates the vector auto-regression model (VAR) to assess the inter-dependence of the economies. VAR model allows further to inspect the impulse response functions that shows the shock dynamics from one country to another. In order to verify if a shock from one of the economies is important to another, the study uses granger causality test. Findings: The study establishes a strong link between these countries. A business cycle is transmitted significantly between the economies of France and UK, with a single standard deviation shock from France resulting in a long term effect of 0.4% change in gross domestic product (GDP) of UK and 1% vice versa. Additionally changes in GDP of both of the countries significantly Granger-cause change to GDP of the corresponding economy. Originality/value: This is the first empirical study investigating the business cycle transmission between France and UK and providing a quantitative assessment of their inter-dependence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2023
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6. Emerging artists in transition: What role does information play in negotiating success and failure?
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Cooper, Maud
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LITERATURE reviews , *COLLEGE student adjustment , *INFORMATION professionals , *INFORMATION literacy , *ART education - Abstract
The purpose of this paper is to better understand how emerging artists use information to navigate the transition out of university, using their changing ideas of failure, success, information literacy (IL), and transition to frame the qualitative data. A literature review is used to frame the current understanding of emerging artists and feed into the creation of the interview questions. Four emerging artists participated to elicit qualitative accounts. Descriptive and process coding was used to analyse the interviews to form the findings. The findings present how emerging artists use information to shape their criteria for success and failure during the transitional period after leaving art school education. Three core information practices -- sharing, feeding, and balancing -- were observed within the interviews. With this framing insights into the emerging artists' past (learning from historic failings) and the future (envisioning future success) begin to be formed. Furthermore, this paper contributes to the knowledge of emerging artists' information practices, including the impact of their digital media usage and self-referencing as IL. The study uses the work of other IL scholars with the information practices of emerging artists and frames them through three key ideas: IL, transition, and success and failure. This intersection of study has not been explored previously. The results will provide direction for information professionals serving emerging artists, and for art educators preparing their students for their careers outside of university. It also deepens the understanding of the field of transition and information practices of new practitioners across fields. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
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- 2023
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7. A brief review of Secondary School Food Policy (SSFP) approaches in the UK from 2010 to 2022.
- Author
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Lalli, Gurpinder, Smith, Kim, Woodside, Jayne, Defeyter, Greta, Skafida, Valeria, Morgan, Kelly, and Martin, Christopher
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NUTRITION policy , *SCHOOL rules & regulations , *SECONDARY schools , *SCHOOL food , *EDUCATIONAL sociology , *ACHIEVEMENT gains (Education) , *LUNCHEONS - Abstract
Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to provide a snapshot of secondary school food policy (SSFP) across the devolved nations (England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland) to offer insights into a growing area of policy concern. The selected context of research is school food policy (SFP), an area of research which has received little attention in terms of policy approaches. The review is focused on 2010 to 2022. Design/methodology/approach: This work combines interdisciplinary perspectives spanning across food policy, public health, psychology, education and sociology. This combination has merit as it offers different perspectives in terms of understanding SFP. The study was conducted between August 2021 and March 2022, using a desk-based review, analysing policies on food in secondary schools. Data collection was conducted through the Web using key search terms. The READ (Read, Extract, Analyse, Distil) approach was used as a systematic procedure to analyse policy and evaluation documents. Findings: To all levels of government, it is recommended that a coherent policymaking approach be used to tackle SSFP improvements, to progress a whole school approach to food, supported by long-term dedicated resources while engaging children in SSFP development. For education departments, it is recommended that a food curriculum review, connected to school meals alongside a refocus on school food standards monitoring and reporting is crucial in serving the future generations. The current economic crisis has had an impact on public spending. Universal Free School Meals has been said to make an enormous difference to well-being. Originality/value: The current findings suggest that researching SFP across nations has merit. There is a relative lack of focus on secondary schools, in light of England's focus on the National Food Strategy (focus on children), post-pandemic, economic crisis – together this makes school food and food policy a topic of real urgency and importance. Lessons can both be learned, particularly in promoting healthier and more educationally inclusive school food practices. Research in this area can inform curriculum design and school food environment and system changes from the perspective of learnings around taking a whole school food approach to education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2024
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8. International education 'here' and 'there': geographies, materialities and differentiated mobilities within UK degrees.
- Author
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Lee, Jihyun and Waters, Johanna
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GEOGRAPHY , *STUDENT mobility , *PHYSICAL mobility , *SOCIAL reproduction , *HIGHER education , *SOCIALIZATION - Abstract
This paper explores how mobility is experienced differentially in international education, through a comparison of two ostensibly very distinct student groups. Both groups have non-UK citizenship and have studied, or are studying, for a British higher education degree – one in the UK, the other in Hong Kong. Through a dual focus on the materialities and mobilities within international higher education, we consider the extent to which physical mobility across borders is a defining feature of the experiences and outcomes of those engaging in international education. We argue that combining perspectives of mobilities and materialities challenges simplistic dichotomies of im/mobility amongst students and unsettles the boundaries between onshore and offshore international education. Our paper provides a more granular and nuanced understanding of the relationship between im/mobility, international higher education and social reproduction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2023
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9. Is a PhD worth more than a Master's in the UK labour market? The role of specialisation and managerial position.
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Marini, Giulio and Henseke, Golo
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DOCTOR of philosophy degree , *LABOR market , *EFFECT of education on wages , *WAGES , *EMPLOYMENT , *GRADUATE education - Abstract
This paper examines the potential earnings premium associated with a doctoral degree (PhDs, ISCED9) over postgraduate degrees (PGs, or Masters, ISCED7) in the UK. We assess this premium using a decade-worth of UK Labour Force Survey data (2011–2020). To explore the possible endogenous choice of post-graduate tracks, this paper deploys linear regression, (ordinary least squares, OLS), propensity score matching (PSM), and inverse probability weighting (IPWRA) to estimate the pay premium under varying identifying assumptions. The estimates show a positive return in terms of gross hourly pays in all models, along with a relevant role of managerial positions and degree of specialisation in employment position. Therefore, although a PhD is arguably mostly driven by taste for scientific pursuit, a PhD has on average also an economic pay-off. However, much of it depends on one's capacity to acquire leadership positions – the most relevant factor disentangling those fulfilling or not their potential in terms of wages. We also provide a cost–benefit analysis over a life course showing that such a premium is overall modest, but subject to positive spikes for those in Science & Technology (STEM disciplines), getting managerial positions, and for women. Our findings suggest investigating further those personal and organisational factors that are conducive of unleashing highly educated potential. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2023
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10. Trust and temporality in participatory research.
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Armstrong, Andrea, Flynn, Emma, Salt, Karen, Briggs, Jo, Clarke, Rachel, Vines, John, and MacDonald, Alistair
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MEETINGS , *PROFESSIONAL practice , *MINORITIES , *TIME , *RESEARCH methodology , *DIGITAL technology , *SOCIAL media , *SOCIAL justice , *INTERVIEWING , *ACTION research , *RESEARCH funding , *INTERPERSONAL relations , *SOUND recordings , *COMMUNICATION , *THEMATIC analysis , *POVERTY , *TRUST , *ADULT education workshops - Abstract
This paper argues that trust cannot be taken for granted in long-term participatory research and promotes greater consideration to conceptualizing the trusting process as fluid and fragile. This awareness by researchers can reveal to them how the passing of time shapes and reshapes the nature of trusting relationships and their constant negotiation and re-negotiation. The paper draws together literature from different disciplines on the themes of trust, temporality and participatory research and outcomes from interviews and workshops undertaken for The Trust Map project to focus on two key moments that reveal the fragility of trust. These are the subtlety of disruption and trust on trial and trust at a distance. We discuss how trust was built over time through processes of interaction that were continually tested, incremental and participatory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2023
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11. The impact of recessions on fundraising: A systematic review of the literature.
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Godfrey, John and Williamson, Alexandra
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LITERATURE reviews , *CORPORATE giving , *GLOBAL Financial Crisis, 2008-2009 , *NONPROFIT organizations , *FINANCIAL crises , *FUNDRAISING - Abstract
The impact of economic crises on philanthropic funding to, and fundraising by, nonprofit organisations is a surprisingly under-researched field. Internationally, data is scant and comparisons are impeded by different categorisations and definitions of funders and sectors, different timeframes and the dominance of the US in the body of published research. A search and review of the literature identified 60 journal articles and professional reports that we analysed by theme. This paper brings together, reviews and analyses what is known from four national contexts - the US, the UK, Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand. Analysis covers the impact of multiple recessions, with a particular focus on the Global Financial Crisis (GFC) of 2008-09. Key findings include that losses of funding are not as uniform nor as sustained as media coverage would suggest and that different sectors are impacted in different ways. Philanthropic sources including individuals, trusts and foundations, and corporate philanthropy vary in the timing of their responses to economic crises, and though the impact of economic crises on nonprofit sectors is variable, giving as a whole is better sustained than popularly supposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2023
12. Covid-19 lockdowns and the precarity of South Asian key workers' families in the United Kingdom.
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Yousaf, Rizwana
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STAY-at-home orders , *COVID-19 pandemic , *PRECARITY , *RACIAL inequality , *COMMUNITIES - Abstract
With growing concern in the lives of individuals and communities during COVID-19, there is growing consensus across the globe that the pandemic had a disproportionate impact on different segments of society. It is of pertinent significance to understand the differential impact of pandemic on diverse groups. The concept of 'intersectional vulnerability' has been used in this paper to understand the unequal impact of the pandemic. Using an intersectional lens of ethnicity, this paper aims to understand the lived experiences of South Asian key workers' family members (women) during the COVID-19 lockdowns through narratives of precarity and vulnerability, this study brings out the challenges faced by families of key workers. Vulnerable family members' fear, stress, economic pressures, persistent inequalities in society, and gendered experiences shape the narratives of these families. The pandemic exacerbated existing precarious positions of families by creating a situation where ethnic inequality and inequitable gendered impacts were further reinforced. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2023
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13. INTERNATIONAL AND INTERDISCIPLINARY ∙ A Working Definition of 'Barriers' to Small Business in Public Procurement: From Fair Treatment of Suppliers to Fair Share of the Market.
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Thomas, Jamie
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GOVERNMENT purchasing , *MARKET share , *PUBLIC contracts , *SMALL business , *INTERVENTION (Federal government) , *DEFINITIONS - Abstract
Measures to open up public procurement opportunities for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) are often justified by a perceived need to remove 'barriers' to participation in the world of public contracting. The word 'barrier' features extensively in the literature on this topic, and in the speeches and policy papers of politicians advocating for various 'pro-SME' measures. However, the language used is often inconsistent when it comes to expressing just what 'barrier' means in this context. Any business may experience a range of advantages or disadvantages as it tries to succeed in the market, but what makes a particular factor a 'barrier' that justifies government intervention? This paper explores the language of 'barriers' in the context of public procurement in the EU single market and the UK (as a jurisdiction that was, until very recently, a full participant in that market). Some relevant cases of the Europan Court of Justice (ECJ) are considered that shed light on the court's view on the difference between an unfair obstacle that should be put right, and a natural disadvantage that does not justify intervention. Finally, in light of these observations, a working definition of an 'SME procurement barrier' is suggested. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2023
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14. UK Public's Views and Perceptions About the Legalisation of Assisted Dying and Assisted Suicide.
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Pentaris, Panagiotis and Jacobs, Lucy
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ASSISTED suicide laws , *EUTHANASIA laws , *SAMPLE size (Statistics) , *CROSS-sectional method , *SENSORY perception , *T-test (Statistics) , *INTELLECT , *QUESTIONNAIRES , *DESCRIPTIVE statistics , *STATISTICAL sampling , *SOCIODEMOGRAPHIC factors , *STATISTICAL correlation , *PUBLIC opinion , *ATTITUDES toward death - Abstract
Current debates about assisted dying and assisted suicide cover a series of medical, legal, moral, ethical and religious aspects. Yet, public views on the subject remain underexplored and, therefore, not always accounted for in the formation of public policy. This paper reports on empirical data from a cross-sectional study in the UK in 2019, which examines public views about the legalisation of assisted dying and assisted suicide, by means of a self-administered Qualtrics-based survey (self-devised vignettes). A combination of simple random and convenience sampling was used. Participants (n = 297) state their preference that both assisted dying and assisted suicide should be legalised in the UK (n = 70%), while doctors should be legally allowed to support such wishes of patients with an incurable and painful illness from which they will die (n = 62.22%). The paper concludes that public opinion needs to be further accounted for in policymaking and discourses regarding patient autonomy and dignity of care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2022
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15. Impact of COVID‐19 on digital practice in UK paediatric speech and language therapy and implications for the future: A national survey.
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Patel, Rafiah, Loraine, Elena, and Gréaux, Mélanie
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SPEECH therapy , *CONFIDENCE , *FOCUS groups , *MOTIVATION (Psychology) , *MEDICAL care , *VIDEOCONFERENCING , *QUANTITATIVE research , *SURVEYS , *COMPARATIVE studies , *RESEARCH funding , *HEALTH care teams , *DESCRIPTIVE statistics , *THEMATIC analysis , *STATISTICAL sampling , *DATA analysis software , *COVID-19 pandemic , *TELEMEDICINE , *REFLECTION (Philosophy) , *CHILDREN - Abstract
Background: The COVID‐19 pandemic and subsequent measures to reduce transmission risk has led to unprecedented digital transformation across health, education and social care services. This includes UK paediatric speech and language therapy (SLT), which sits at the crossroads of these services. Given the rapid onset of this pandemic‐induced digital transition, there is now a need to capture, reflect and learn from the SLT profession so that benefits can be sustained, and barriers addressed. Aims: To survey the impact of COVID‐19 remote working on UK paediatric SLTs' digital views and experiences using the Capability, Opportunity, Motivation and Behaviour (COM‐B) model. Methods & Procedures: An online survey was conducted from May to October 2020. Respondents were asked to rate their use of technology in service delivery before and during the pandemic, to select factors facilitating digital practice, and to provide open‐response aspirations for the future role of technology in paediatric SLT which were analysed thematically using the COM‐B behaviour change model. Outcomes & Results: A total of 424 UK paediatric SLTs responded to the survey. Findings indicate a marked increase in clinicians' perception of their frequency, convenience and confidence with digital practice during COVID‐19 compared with before the pandemic. Respondents identified that specialist training (27%), funding for workplace devices (22%) and supportive leadership (19%) were most likely to facilitate sustained digital practice. Clinicians hoped for a blended approach going forward with technology enhancing existing best practice. Further prominent themes included digital accessibility for all and maintaining the increased opportunity for multidisciplinary working that videoconferencing has afforded. More service‐specific aspirations were bespoke technological solutions as well as parents/carers being able to engage remotely with school‐based provisions. Conclusions & Implications: During COVID‐19, paediatric SLTs' recognition and acceptance of how technology can augment practice has accelerated, with particular value being placed on inclusivity, choice, training, resources, leadership and indication of effectiveness. These are important considerations to help guide the profession towards the long‐term digital enhancement of SLT services. WHAT THIS PAPER ADDS: What is already known on the subject: The COVID‐19 pandemic led to an unprecedented interest in the use of technology across SLT practice. Studies are emerging nationally and internationally to identify the digital priorities of the SLT workforce, the areas of digital SLT provision that are thriving or lacking, and the evidence to guide clinical practice and service development. What this study adds to existing knowledge: This is the first UK‐wide COVID‐19 survey solely focusing on the digital practice of paediatric SLTs. The findings provide critical insights into SLT perception of how practice has been impacted in the early stages of the COVID‐19 pandemic, including digital trends that are service, condition and demographic specific. Tools and channels required to support sustained beneficial change are also discussed. What are the potential or actual clinical implications of this work?: This paper demonstrates the potential for digital solutions to enhance SLT practice, as long as implementation is guided by clinicians' experiences and perspectives. The findings lay groundwork for service development work, such as the creation of training packages, updating of clinical guidelines and care pathways, and development of processes to ensure equitable allocation of evidence‐based resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2022
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16. Governing plant‐centred eating at the urban scale in the UK: The Sustainable Food Cities network and the reframing of dietary biopower.
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Morris, Carol, Kaljonen, Minna, and Hadley Kershaw, Eleanor
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SUSTAINABLE urban development , *FRAMES (Social sciences) , *INGESTION , *FOOD habits , *FOOD consumption , *SEMI-structured interviews - Abstract
Recent years have seen an increase in actions to address a key feature of food in the Anthropocene: the over‐production and consumption of animal‐based foods or "animalisation" of diets. However, it is unclear whether such efforts can be understood as a coherent institutional level response that will challenge hegemonic dietary biopower, a regime of governance that normalises and reproduces animal‐based food consumption. Building on scholarship that explores food governance initiatives in urban contexts and dietary biopower across a range of empirical cases, this paper explores whether, how, and with what consequences governance actors within urban food partnerships (UFPs) of the UK Sustainable Food Cities (SFC) network are working to reframe dietary biopower so that humans are disciplined to eat less animal‐based food and instead to adopt a more plant‐centred diet. Document analysis and semi‐structured interviews with SFC representatives suggest the breadth and depth of current UFP actions do not add up to a sustained challenge to hegemonic, animal‐based dietary biopower. Rather, they reveal a plant‐centred dietary biopolitical project in the making, while specific cases suggest that this project is more accurately conceptualised as arrested due to the pursuit of food system actions that are counter to and in tension with the promotion of plant‐centred eating. We suggest that a more coherent reframing of dietary biopower would entail urban food governance actors engaging consistently and robustly with the debates surrounding animal‐based foods, as well as identifying and enacting synergies between plant‐centred eating, food poverty, and local economic development agendas. The paper explores whether, how and with what consequences governance actors within the urban food partnerships of the UK Sustainable Food Cities network are working to reframe dietary biopower so that humans are disciplined to eat less animal‐based food and instead to adopt a more plant‐centred diet. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2022
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
17. Decoration or Mutilation? Female Genital Piercing and the Law.
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Gaffney-Rhys, Ruth
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BODY piercing , *FEMALE reproductive organs , *FEMALE genital mutilation , *PROSECUTION , *FEMALES , *COMMUNITIES - Abstract
This article assesses the legality of Female Genital Piercing (FGP), which refers to the piercing of female genitalia to adorn it with jewellery, for decoration or sexual enhancement. The position in the UK is uncertain because the World Health Organisation regards piercing as a form of FGM, which is a criminal offence in all parts of the UK. After analysing the stance adopted by the international community, the paper examines the legislation that criminalises FGM and considers whether FGP could fall within its scope. The paper concludes that female genital piercings could constitute FGM in limited circumstances, but even then, it may not be in the public interest to initiate a criminal prosecution. This lack of certainty is problematic for professional piercers who would welcome legislation providing an express exemption for genital piercings performed on consenting adult women. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2022
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18. COVID-19 vaccine perceptions among South Asian communities in the UK: An application of the theory of planned behavior.
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Akbar, M. Bilal, Singh, Lakhbir, Deshpande, Sameer, and Amoncar, Nihar
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QUALITATIVE research , *CONTROL (Psychology) , *DRUG side effects , *VACCINATION , *PLANNED behavior theory , *INTERVIEWING , *VACCINE refusal , *COMMUNITIES , *COVID-19 vaccines , *FAMILIES , *SOUTH Asians , *ATTITUDE (Psychology) , *THEMATIC analysis , *RESEARCH methodology , *DRUG efficacy , *HEALTH education , *HEALTH promotion , *COVID-19 - Abstract
Based on the Theory of Planned Behavior, this paper explores the perceptions of the COVID-19 vaccine among South Asian communities residing in the UK. Thirty-eight semi-structured interviews were conducted using a qualitative approach and analyzed using thematic analysis. Participants represented Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi, Sri Lankan, Afghani, and Nepali backgrounds. The participants revealed that family and community influence their perceptions of the COVID-19 vaccine. The results suggest that normalizing vaccine acceptance, addressing unknown side effects, and popularizing vaccine efficacy data will increase vaccine uptake within the South Asian community in the UK. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2023
- Full Text
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19. Millions of digitized historical sea‐level pressure observations rediscovered.
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Hawkins, Ed, Alexander, Lisa V., and Allan, Rob J.
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ISLANDS , *TWO thousands (Decade) , *WEATHER , *TRANSCRIPTION - Abstract
Millions of sub‐daily sea‐level pressure observations taken between 1919 and 1960 over the British and Irish Isles were transcribed from paper records in the early 2000s but were not published and subsequently forgotten. A chance discussion led to the rediscovery of the transcribed data and 5.47 million observations from 160 locations are now made available, although the data have not been fully quality‐controlled. Much of the data are 3‐hourly, allowing for detailed examinations of synoptic weather variations for this region and time period, and will be invaluable for constraining future reanalyses. We illustrate the value of the data using a stormy period during October and November 1928 and discuss the remaining quality‐control issues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2023
- Full Text
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20. Solid Organ Donation and Transplantation in the United Kingdom: Good Governance is Key to Success.
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Johnston-Webber, Charlotte, Mah, Jasmine, Prionas, Apostolos, Streit, Simon, Wharton, George, Forsythe, John, Mossialos, Elias, and Papalois, Vassilios
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TRANSPLANTATION of organs, tissues, etc. , *ORGAN donation , *LITERATURE reviews , *SOUND systems - Abstract
The United Kingdom(UK) supports a highly successful organ donation and transplantation program. While the UK originally had one of the lowest organ donation rates in Europe, sustained reforms have resulted in steady improvement. Of note, the UK nearly doubled its rate of deceased donations between 2008 and 2018. In this report, we present a case study of the UK organ donation and transplantation program as an example of a complete system with sound and inclusive governing structures that are strongly integrated with critical programs focused on training and research. This study was based on an initial targeted review of the literature led by a UK expert that included guidelines, national reports, and academic papers. Feedback solicited from other European experts was incorporated into our findings via an iterative process. Overall, the study highlights the stepwise evolution of the UK program that ultimately became successful largely due to ongoing collaborative efforts carried out at all levels. Centralized coordination of all aspects of the program remains a key driver of improved rates of organ donation and transplantation. The designation and empowerment of expert clinical leadership have helped to maintain focus and promote ongoing quality improvement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2023
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21. Tasting as a social practice: a methodological experiment in making taste public.
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Jackson, Peter, Evans, David, Truninger, Mónica, Baptista, João, and Nunes, Nádia Carvalho
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TASTE testing of food , *FAMILY relations , *RECORD stores , *CONSUMPTION (Economics) , *PARTICIPANT observation - Abstract
Based on fieldwork in the UK and Portugal, this paper considers the relationships between cultural analyses of taste and the embodied activity of tasting. As part of a wider project on the multiple ontologies of 'freshness', the paper conceptualises taste as an emergent effect of tasting practices. Drawing on evidence from a series of 'tasting events' (where research participants were recorded shopping, cooking and eating a meal with friends and family), the paper explores the multiple dimensions of taste concluding that even the most personal and sensory aspects of tasting food involve a social dimension which we interpret through the lens of practice theory. The paper identifies three specific dimensions of tasting as a social practice involving food's material and visceral qualities; the links between embodiment and emotion; and the contextual significance of family and social relations. Our findings contribute to recent debates about 'making taste public', even in the apparently private context of household consumption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2022
- Full Text
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22. Attitudes towards immigration: responses to the increased presence of Polish migrants in the UK post 2004.
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Harris, Catherine, Gawlewicz, Anna, and Valentine, Gill
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EMIGRATION & immigration , *IMMIGRANTS , *JOB security , *ATTITUDE (Psychology) ,EUROPEAN Union membership - Abstract
Based on a large-scale research project conducted in a northern English city, this paper focuses on the attitudes towards, and experienced by, Polish migrants as a result of increased immigration following the 2004 enlargement of the European Union. We pay attention to the ways in which people justify their negative attitudes towards this migrant group through competition for resources, particularly in terms of job security and the receipt of benefit payments. However, we also consider meaningful encounters between these migrants and the 'local' population, and how through these encounters attitudes can sometimes be transformed from negative to positive. Crucially, we demonstrate how Polish migrants themselves respond to these attitudes. In doing so, we show that by drawing upon the very same discourses of job security and social benefits they develop complex understandings of the 'local' population. Through its attention to immigration, the paper contributes to debates about the relationships between different social groups and processes of exclusion, highlighting the importance of encounters on the process of attitude formation. By giving voice to representatives of both the 'local' population and migrants, it further provides a rare perspective on social responses to immigration-driven diversity in European societies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
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- 2022
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23. Reaching Out: Using Social Media to Recruit 'Invisible Groups': The Case of South Asian Women in the UK Experiencing Gender-Related Violence.
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Sandhu, Kalwinder, Brady, Geraldine, and Barrett, Hazel
- Subjects
- *
SOUTH Asians , *ARRANGED marriage , *INTIMATE partner violence , *SOCIAL media , *SOCIAL marginality , *COVID-19 pandemic , *SOCIAL science research , *SOCIAL norms - Abstract
The rise of social media use has been phenomenal, particularly during the recent COVID-19 pandemic. Furthermore, Facebook has also seen its share of users rise at a meteoric rate. At the same time, the academy is producing a growing body of literature concerning the use of online methods for primary data collection. Yet, despite the increase in the use of the internet as a research tool, very little still exists on the use of social media to recruit research participants, particularly those deemed "socially invisible". This paper addresses this gap. Another research project explored the experiences of South Asian women who had departed the social norms of arranged marriage to form an intimate relationship with a partner of choice and who then experienced forms of gender-related violence (GRV). The project encountered difficulties in recruiting participants from this marginalised and often invisible group in UK society, who are often too frightened or ashamed to come forward. This study demonstrates how to use Facebook ethically and methodologically, highlighting some of the methods used to overcome the challenges that were presented. The research was undertaken before the COVID-19 pandemic (which prompted a widespread use of social media in social science research). We argue that, despite the ethical challenges, the advantages of using social media to recruit participants when researching a highly sensitive topic such as GRV with 'invisible groups' was highly beneficial. We therefore suggest that social media should be an integral part of the research recruitment process, alongside non-digital methods, so that other 'invisible groups' are not created comprising those who cannot access technology. We share the lessons learned for the benefit of researchers using a similar approach today when recruiting research participants from invisible and marginalised groups. The authors caveat their recommendation of using social media with suggesting that those who do not have high levels of experience of data collection with such cohorts instead consider working with gatekeepers to facilitate the recruitment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2023
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24. 'We thank you for your sacrifice': Clinical vulnerability, shielding and biosociality in the UK's Covid-19 response.
- Author
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Herrick, Clare
- Subjects
- *
COVID-19 pandemic , *RESPONSIBILITY , *PRESS conferences , *COVID-19 - Abstract
The UK response to Covid-19 has been unusually complex in its ever-shifting classifications of clinical vulnerability. By May 2020, 2.2 million people had been identified as 'clinically extremely vulnerable' (CEV) and were asked to 'shield' at home for over four months. To adhere to this strict guidance, they were enfolded within the patchy infrastructure of the 'shielding programme'. However, membership of the 'shielded list' has changed—often without warning or explanation—through time and across space. Drawing on policy and evidentiary documents, government speeches, reports, press conferences and media analysis of Covid-19 coverage between March 2020 and April 1, 2021, this paper traces the shifting delineations of clinical vulnerability in the UK response across three lockdowns. It argues that the complexities and confusions generated by the transience of the CEV category have fed into forms of biosociality that have been as much about making practical sense of government guidance as a form of mutual support amid crisis. This uncertainty has not eased as restrictions have been relaxed and vaccines rolled out. Instead, tracing individual immune response has become a burgeoning industry as 'the shielded' navigate the uneasy demands of taking 'personal responsibility' rather than being protected by 'the rules'. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2023
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25. Full-time hours, part-time work: questioning the sufficiency of working hours as a measure of employment status.
- Author
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Stovell, Clare and Besamusca, Janna
- Subjects
- *
PART-time employment , *FULL-time employment , *LABOR supply , *WORKING hours , *EMPLOYMENT , *WORKING mothers , *CORPORATE culture - Abstract
Although distinctions between full-time and part-time work are vital for understanding inequalities at work and home, consensus and critical reflection are lacking in how employment status should be defined. Full-time and part-time work are often represented as a binary split between those working under or over a specific number of hours. However, this paper, using exploratory mixed methods, evidences problems with assumptions based on working-hour thresholds and highlights the importance of workplace culture and household contexts. Using the UK Labour Force Survey we reveal ambiguities in the reporting of employment status for 12% of workers when comparing definitions based on number of working days, working hours and self-assessment. Ambiguities are particularly prevalent among working mothers with almost a third, who would be regarded as working full-time using hour-based measures, classified as ambiguous according to the measures used here. In-depth interviews with parents who self-classify as part-time workers, despite working over 35 hours a week, reveal mechanisms behind ambiguity within this group linked to organisational norms, previous working hours and divisions of household labour. The paper therefore argues workplace and household contexts are crucial to understanding employment status and recommends this should be taken into account in new multidimensional measures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2022
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26. Partnership or franchising to improve bus services in two major English urban regions? An institutional analysis.
- Author
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Rye, Tom, Hrelja, Robert, Monios, Jason, and McTigue, Clare
- Subjects
- *
BUS transportation , *DEREGULATION - Abstract
This paper analyses two differing approaches to the improvement of local bus services, using the analytical lens of formal and informal institutions. Both formal and informal institutions govern the behaviour of authorities and operators, but they do it in different ways and they have advantages and disadvantages. In so doing we seek to understand both how the informal institutional approach (e.g. voluntary partnership working) can be used effectively, but also to assess its limits; and to understand why a formal institutional approach (e.g. franchising), in spite of its strong underlying basis in law, may nonetheless not always function. Through doing so, this paper contributes to the current understanding of how to handle the unintended consequences of a deregulated market through the different (formal and informal) ways available. • Compares two differing approaches to the improvement of local bus services. • Contrasts informal (voluntary partnership) with formal (franchsing) models. • Explores how to handle the unintended consequences of a deregulated market. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2021
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27. A qualitative investigation of the digital literacy practices of doctoral students.
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Bell, Diane Louise
- Subjects
- *
COMPUTER literacy , *DOCTORAL students , *MEDIA literacy , *HIGHER education research , *DIGITAL technology - Abstract
Academic libraries are currently part of a landscape where there is a rapid growth of digital technologies and electronic resources and they have responded to this by developing their research services. Some of the most specialised and complex research in higher education is conducted by doctoral students and the effective use of digital tools and skills is often crucial to their research workflow and success. The need for digital literacy has been further emphasised during the global pandemic of 2020-21 which has required the maximisation of online working and digital skills to ensure the continuation of education, services and research productivity. This paper presents the findings of a qualitative research study in a UK university exploring factors influencing differences in the digital literacy skills of doctoral students. The literature included has been updated as digital skills and technologies are a constantly changing area of research. Due the complex nature of doctoral research, it was difficult to draw definite conclusions about the many factors which influence the digital literacy practices of research students. Students interviewed in the study discussed their approaches to and understanding of information, digital and media literacy (Jisc, 2016) but the influence of demographic factors such as age, discipline and gender could not easily be evaluated. All students in the study appeared to be under time pressure and required a high level of organisation and this was assisted by digital skills and proficiency and access to robust hardware and software. They believed they were largely selftaught and some required appropriate training at the point of need to increase their research productivity. This paper will explore how evidence-based practice and engagement may be used to understand the digital practices of doctoral students and to inform the development of research services within academic libraries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2021
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28. The implementation and embedding of digital skills and digital literacy into the curriculum considering the Covid-19 pandemic and the new SQE: A case study from inception to implementation and continual development of the Digital Academy.
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Carl, Matthew and Worsfold, Louise
- Subjects
- *
COMPUTER literacy , *COVID-19 pandemic , *MACHINE learning , *COURSEWARE , *INFORMATION literacy - Abstract
This paper focuses on the introduction of a new model of digital teaching and resource provision for the University of Law (ULaw) Library Service, during the Covid-19 pandemic. It details the processes and steps we took to achieve the three core aims of: a new mode of online skills delivery, the creation of self-directed, independent learners in the various student cohorts at the university and the creation of a flexible self-assessment platform to provide an incremental learning journey for both students and staff. This paper also highlights some of the challenges and difficulties we faced, arising from a project of this size and nature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2021
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29. Not just muddy and not always gleeful? Thinking about the physicality of fieldwork, mental health, and marginality.
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Tucker, Faith, Waite, Catherine, and Horton, John
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- *
MENTAL health , *FIELD research , *HUMAN geography , *ENVIRONMENTAL sciences , *EARTH sciences - Abstract
This paper acknowledges that geographical fieldwork and fieldtrips can be deeply stressful, anxiety‐inducing, troubling, miserable, hard and exclusionary for many colleagues, students and pupils. Building on the critical insights of Bracken and Mawdsley's (Area, 36, 2004) 'Muddy Glee' we empirically extend disciplinary reflections on fieldwork, drawing on qualitative data from research with UK university‐based Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences (GEES) academics who self‐identify as having mental health conditions which substantially affect their daily lives. These data prompt reflection on the nature and experience of fieldwork in two ways. First, they require acknowledgment of fieldwork as not just 'muddy', widening disciplinary imaginaries of fieldwork accessibility to encompass marginalities in/of Human Geography fieldwork practice. Second, contrary to pervasive disciplinary idealisations, these data demand recognition that fieldwork and fieldtrips are not necessarily gleeful but can be sites of intense latent anxiety and intersectional marginality. They evidence how fieldwork can often be experienced as sites of anxiety, isolation, marginalisation, and often silent or hidden distress. These data are not easy to read, and we argue that they require us to widen our disciplinary senses of what fieldwork is like. In conclusion we offer some prompts for reflection to think‐with this unease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2022
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30. Balancing cost and justice concerns in the energy transition: comparing coal phase-out policies in Germany and the UK.
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Bang, Guri, Rosendahl, Knut Einar, and Böhringer, Christoph
- Subjects
- *
COAL , *JUSTICE , *POLITICAL participation , *COMMUNITIES ,PARIS Agreement (2016) - Abstract
Europe's two largest economies – Germany and the UK – are phasing out coal from electricity production as part of European efforts to fulfil increased climate policy ambitions that require comprehensive energy system transitions. German and UK governments varied in the ways they sought support from diverse societal interests to make the transition socially acceptable and politically feasible. Drawing on 22 expert interviews and process-tracing methods, this paper compares and explains how political and economic institutional differences influenced efforts to balance energy transition concerns, like speed and cost-effectiveness with justice for companies, workers and communities most adversely affected by the transition. We find that the increasing attention to just transition perspectives after the Paris Agreement affected the design of coal phase-out processes in different ways in the two countries. Just transition concerns were given priority by policymakers in Germany, but more so if they overlapped with the interests of incumbents. In the end, politically powerful stakeholders dominated the policy outcome. In the UK, policymakers and stakeholders gave only weak attention to just transition concerns, mainly because coal's market position had collapsed. Coal interests did not have strong representation in the decision-making process. But we find that just transition concerns are likely to gain more attention in the UK because a more challenging transition away from gas will take place over the next two decades. Key policy insights Policymakers must balance the objective of a fast decarbonization process against two other important concerns: cost-effectiveness and a just transition. Political-economic institutional design and capacity shape the extent to which just transition concerns are given weight in coal phase-out processes. State capacity for including just transition concerns in coal phase-out processes is higher when political and economic institutions strongly mediate government-stakeholder interaction in the policy process, and broad stakeholder participation increases the political feasibility and legitimacy of policy change. In Germany, the government's attention to just transition concerns was strong because broad stakeholder representation in the formal process, and transition assistance policies to target potential losers in the transition, became crucial to enhance the legitimacy of coal phase-out policies. In the UK, cost-effectiveness trumped just transition concerns in the coal phase-out process, but just transition issues have increasing salience and will likely become pertinent in the upcoming gas phase-out process because more jobs and key economic interests are at stake. Our findings are relevant for policymakers in countries struggling with balancing speed, cost-effectiveness and just transition concerns in similar transition processes: phasing out coal, gas, or oil from their energy system. The findings may also inform future energy transition research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2022
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31. Major Differences in Minors' Contracts: A Comparative Analysis into the Validity of Contracts with Minors in the Sport and Entertainment Industry.
- Author
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Star, Shaun and Dhankar, Divyangana
- Subjects
- *
CONTRACTS , *MINORS , *SPORTS , *CULTURAL industries , *LEGAL status of children - Abstract
In Australia and the UK, contracts with minors in sports and entertainment are not uncommon. Generally, such contracts are voidable at the option of the minor. However, when contracts fall within the category of beneficial service, as is the case with most professional sports or entertainment contracts, they will be enforceable against the minor. Indian courts do not prescribe to this view holding contracts with minors, void ab initio and unenforceable against contractual parties, with few exceptions. The policy rationale is embedded in protecting minors from their own rash decisions and preventing unscrupulous parties from taking advantage of a minor's nascent mental capacity. By analysing divergent approaches on the validity of minors' contracts in three common law jurisdictions—Australia, India and the UK—the authors highlight inadequacies in legal pronouncements by Indian courts. In India, the legal non-existence and unenforceability of service contracts with minors renders it futile for them or their representatives from negotiating favourable contractual terms beyond welfare measures provided by law as these are unlikely to be upheld. This paper argues that India's narrow approach fails to acknowledge practical realities of minors' participation in the increasingly commercialised sports and entertainment industry. In light of more practical approaches in other common law jurisdictions, the authors set out policy recommendations and suggest reforms to the legal position on minors' capacity to contract in India. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2022
- Full Text
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32. Nurse Migration in Australia, Germany, and the UK: A Rapid Evidence Assessment of Empirical Research Involving Migrant Nurses.
- Author
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Smith, Jamie B, Herinek, Doreen, Woodward-Kron, Robyn, and Ewers, Michael
- Subjects
- *
LABOR mobility , *CINAHL database , *MEDICAL databases , *ONLINE information services , *MEDICAL information storage & retrieval systems , *SYSTEMATIC reviews , *MIGRANT labor , *FOREIGN nurses , *LABOR supply , *NURSE supply & demand , *PSYCHOSOCIAL factors , *QUALITY assurance , *DESCRIPTIVE statistics , *RESEARCH funding , *MEDLINE , *GREY literature - Abstract
Forecasts predict a growing shortage of skilled nursing staff in countries worldwide. Nurse migration is already a common strategy used to address nursing workforce needs. Germany, the UK, and Australia are reviewed here as examples of destination countries for nurse migrants. Agreements exist between countries to facilitate nurse migration; however, it is not evident how nurse migrants have contributed to data on which these arrangements are based. We examined existing primary research on nurse migration, including educational needs and initiatives to support policymakers', stakeholders', and health professions educators' decisions on measures for ethical and sustainable nurse migration. We conducted a rapid evidence assessment to review available empirical research data which involved, was developed with, or considered migrant nurses to address the research question: what are the findings of research that directly involves migrant nurses in producing primary research data? A total of 56 papers were included. Four main themes were identified in this research data: Research does not clearly define what is meant by the term migrant nurses; discrimination is often reported by migrant nurses; language and communication competencies are important; and structured integration programs are highly valued by migrant nurses and destination healthcare employers. Migrant nurses continue to experience discrimination and reduced career opportunities and therefore should be included in research about them to better inform policy. Structured integration programs can improve the experience of migrant nurses by providing language support (if necessary), a country-specific bridging program and help with organisational hurdles. Not only researching migrant nurses but making them active partners in research is of great importance for successful, ethical, and sustainable migration policies. A broader evidence base, especially with regard to the views and experiences of migrant nurses and their educational support needs, should be promoted to make future immigration policy more needs-based, sustainable and ethically acceptable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2022
- Full Text
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33. CASE STUDY: THE IMPACT OF BREXIT ON DOMAIN NAMES RIGHT.
- Author
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WAHDANI, Fahed, Mahady FALOURY, Mohammed Abed, and MASHAQBEH, Ayed
- Subjects
- *
NAMING rights , *BRITISH withdrawal from the European Union, 2016-2020 , *BREXIT Referendum, 2016 - Abstract
The EU is considered one of the biggest financial and political blocks globally. Besides unity of geography, the EU seeks to unify the EU digital space by establishing domain name suffix for all European union domain names where all EU domain names end with .eu. This development will create rights and obligations for all EU member states. The question here is to which extent Brexit would affect such rights and obligations. This paper will shed light on the Brexit impact has on the domain names industry in the EU, besides the geographical unit separation over the borderless digital space of the EU. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2022
34. Assessing the post-COVID prospects for the energy transition in the Netherlands and the UK, using a policy barriers approach.
- Author
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Todd, Iain, Bulder, Cas, McCauley, Darren, and Burns, Mary-Kate
- Subjects
- *
COVID-19 pandemic , *COVID-19 , *RENEWABLE energy transition (Government policy) , *ENERGY industries , *POLICY analysis - Abstract
Before the COVID crisis, the Netherlands and the UK were embarking on national energy transitions away from fossil fuel systems. However, the arrival of the pandemic unequivocally altered the trajectory of energy transitions on a global scale. Every country in the world is now grappling with the twin challenges of the COVID crisis and the climate crisis, and there is a grave risk that the short-term demands of the former could eclipse the vital long-term actions needed to address the latter. While there is optimism that green economic recoveries will propel energy transitions through investments, there is an urgent need to assess and address any new policy barriers which COVID poses to achieving them. To do so, in the summer of 2020, researchers conducted pairs of interviews with 30 experts within the social and energy sectors, involving government, industry and third sector stakeholders. Key research questions sought to identify the policy barriers acting – inadvertently or otherwise – to disrupt that balance between tackling COVID and the energy transition, and the mechanisms available to restore the necessary equilibrium. Through a structured analysis of policy barriers to the energy transition post-COVID, we assess its delivery in both countries. We derive a new taxonomy and definition of policy barriers. We also generate a suite of 10 policy recommendations, which were placed in priority order by the interviewees themselves. The paper concludes with observations on those recommendations, the differences noted between the two countries, and the validity of using policy barriers for policy analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2022
- Full Text
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35. Using supermarket loyalty card data to measure the differential impact of the UK soft drink sugar tax on buyer behaviour.
- Author
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Fearne, Andrew, Borzino, Natalia, De La Iglesia, Beatrix, Moffatt, Peter, and Robbins, Margaret
- Subjects
- *
SWEETENED beverage tax , *POOR people , *LOYALTY , *SUPERMARKETS , *CONSUMPTION tax - Abstract
This paper explores the impact of the soft drinks sugar tax introduced in the UK in 2018 on the purchasing behaviours of different geo‐demographic consumer segments. We analyse data for a composite good comprising the most popular sugar‐sweetened drinks (SSDs) using loyalty card data from one of the UK's largest supermarkets. We use pre‐levy data to predict the effect of the tax and corroborate our predictions by analysing actual consumption of the composite good in the first 5 months post‐levy. The results show that the impact of the sugar tax is likely to have the desired effect of reducing the purchase of SSDs. Moreover, though the impact of the tax is likely to vary across different geo‐demographic segments, the evidence suggests that its impact is likely to be greatest on the most vulnerable market segments – families on low incomes – who are among the highest consumers of SSDs in the UK. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2022
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
36. Resilience and transformation: Lessons from the UK local food sector in the COVID‐19 pandemic.
- Author
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Jones, Stephen, Krzywoszynska, Anna, and Maye, Damian
- Subjects
- *
SOCIAL capital , *LOCAL foods , *COVID-19 pandemic , *SOCIAL marginality , *MIDDLE class - Abstract
How to ensure resilience of food systems is a key concern in the wake of the COVID‐19 pandemic. Notably, there is a renewed interest in the role of local food systems from policy, academic, and third‐sector actors, who see those systems as a source of "bounce‐back" resilience, supporting existing structures, but also as sources of "bounce‐forward" transformative resilience. Both perspectives move debates around local food systems beyond the dominant focus on social exclusion (defensive localism). The capacity of the local food sector to provide either form of resilience depends on the resilience of the local food actors themselves, which has been little investigated to date. This paper addresses this important gap in scholarship through an investigation of the "bounce‐back" and the "bounce‐forward" resilience of local food actors in the UK during the first wave of the COVID‐19 pandemic. We advance resilience scholarship by developing an analytical framework which combines attention to resilience characteristics ("what is there") and to the systemic forces that enable and constrain their development ("how things work"). Attention to social capital, we argue, is crucial to understanding transformative resilience. We present rich qualitative data to illustrate the multi‐faceted impacts of the COVID‐19 pandemic on local food system actors in the UK. This is complemented with a review of relevant policy and third‐sector publications which contextualise local food system efforts. We conclude that while strong bonding and bridging capitals support the local food sector's persistence and adaptability, a lack of linking social capital, most visible as a "middle‐class image problem," is preventing it from achieving a transformative role. We argue that the local food sector needs to form alliances which would move it beyond a single‐issue topic, and articulate local food as part of place‐centred community resilience strategies that foster social capacities. In the wake of the COVID‐19 pandemic there is a renewed interest in the role of local food systems from policy, academic, and third sector actors, who see those systems as a source of "bounce‐back" resilience, supporting existing structures, but also as sources of "bounce forward" transformative resilience. The capacity of the local food sector to provide either form of resilience depends on the resilience of the local food actors themselves, which has been little investigated to date. Drawing on 31 in‐depth interviews and analysis of 26 key policy and third sector reports, this article concluded that while strong bonding and bridging capitals support the local food sector's persistence and adaptability, a lack of linking social capital, most visible as a "middle class image problem", is preventing it from achieving a transformative role. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2022
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
37. When the world is your oyster: international students in the UK and their aspirations for onward mobility after graduation.
- Author
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Lee, Jihyun
- Subjects
- *
FOREIGN students , *GLOBALIZATION , *HIGHER education , *EDUCATIONAL mobility - Abstract
A recurrent narrative in the recent literature on international student mobility is that overseas study is motivated by a desire for onward international mobility or oriented towards specific goals such as an international career. However, the way in which transnational mobility after graduation is perceived and experienced by international students is largely unexplored. Drawing on in-depth interviews with 55 current and graduated international students from three UK universities, this paper employs Bourdieu's central concepts of habitus and capital to explore differentiated mobility aspirations and experiences. In so doing, this article nuances, and calls for a need to problematise, the meaning and power associated with post-study mobility across borders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2022
- Full Text
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38. The Role of Religiosity on Information Asymmetry Concerns and Search Behaviour In UK's Convenience Food Market: A Focus on Muslim Minorities.
- Author
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Ijaz, Aisha
- Subjects
- *
CONVENIENCE foods , *MUSLIMS , *INFORMATION asymmetry , *RELIGIOUSNESS , *RELIGIOUS behaviors - Abstract
In situations where information asymmetries exist in the convenience food market, little is known about how such knowledge failures shape the purchase behavior of religious minorities living in a non-dominant religious context. The purpose of this paper is to understand Muslim religiosity's connection with information asymmetry concerns and search behavior when buying convenience food products. Cross-sectional survey data were collected from 141 Muslims in Liverpool, UK, using a face-to-face contact approach. Data were analyzed by a means of descriptive statistics and Pearson's correlations. In the purchase of convenience foods, findings show that Muslim religiosity did positively correlate with halal importance. There was no relationship found between religiosity and information asymmetry concerns based on safety, quality, selection uncertainty and labeling inadequacies when selecting appropriate convenience foods. Also, religiosity was associated with information search intensity and sources used by Muslims. Results and implications are discussed for policy-makers and advertisers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2022
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
39. International mobility of students in Italy and the UK: does it pay off and for whom?
- Author
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d'Hombres, Béatrice and Schnepf, Sylke V.
- Subjects
- *
STUDENT mobility , *FOREIGN students , *LABOR market , *FOREIGN study , *YOUNG adults , *HIGHER education - Abstract
More and more European higher education students decide to take part in international student mobility (ISM). However, not much is known about the actual benefits of studying abroad. This paper assesses UK and Italian students' returns from ISM. Three research questions are addressed. First, does international student mobility increase graduates' employment probability and postgraduate study uptake? Second, do the returns to ISM differ according to the socio-economic background of graduates? Third, do the returns to ISM vary between two countries with contrasting labour market and education systems? Results, based on propensity score matching, indicate that mobility is positively associated with a higher employment probability. Mobility abroad is likewise linked with a higher likelihood of enrolling in postgraduate studies in Italy. The benefits of mobility in terms of employment do not differ significantly across socio-economic groups. However, mobility is particularly effective in boosting the uptake of postgraduate studies among mobile Italian graduates with a low socio-economic background. In Italy, ISM returns are substantially higher than in the UK, which could reflect that the skills accumulated and the signals sent to potential employers through ISM are greater in Italy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2021
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
40. Tenure transitions at the edges of ownership: Reinforcing or challenging the status quo?
- Author
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Ong ViforJ, Rachel, Clark, William A.V., Smith, Susan J., A. Wood, Gavin, Lisowski, William, Truong, N.T. Khuong, and Cigdem, Melek
- Subjects
- *
HOME ownership , *RENTAL housing , *LANDLORD-tenant relations , *ECONOMIC equilibrium , *GLOBAL Financial Crisis, 2008-2009 - Abstract
This paper provides an empirical overview of housing tenure transitions in Australia, the UK and the USA during a period of unprecedented economic instability in 2001–2017. Focusing on the neglected theme of episodic homeownership, we profile those who straddle the tenure divide by moving into and out of renting from time to time. Using panel data we model this 'churn' in three jurisdictions, showing that even the dislocation of a global financial crisis does not eclipse the independent impact of life events during rental spells. We find that whatever individuals bring from prior ownership, shocks occurring during a rental spell – unemployment, loss of a partner, additional dependent children – can be sufficient to prevent return. Churning is also health- and age-selective, adding 'drop-out' among the old to 'lock-out' for the young as a policy concern. Even those who successfully regain owner-occupation increase their credit and investment risks without necessarily improving their housing position. Overall 'churners' are a diverse constituency whose life chances are powerfully shaped by episodic ownership: what they share is time spent in an unacknowledged, under-instituted space between tenures where there is latent demand for innovative financial services and untapped potential for radical policy shifts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2021
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
41. Routes to credible climate commitment: the UK and Denmark compared.
- Author
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Lockwood, Matthew
- Subjects
- *
GOVERNMENT policy on climate change , *CLIMATE change mitigation , *PROPORTIONAL representation , *COMPARATIVE government , *CONFLICT management - Abstract
Credible commitment is central to regimes for climate mitigation policy. In the climate policy literature, it is widely argued that the solution to the credible commitment problem is legislation and delegation of goal-setting to a technical body insulated from political incentives, and the UK's Committee on Climate Change is in part modelled on this approach. However, drawing on the comparative politics literature, this paper argues that the focus on legislation and delegation as the solution to the credible commitment problem is too narrow. Seen within the context of comparative political institutions, it is a response that fits the political logic in countries with majoritarian electoral systems. By contrast, in countries with electoral systems based on proportional representation, while legislation plays a role, an important element in the creation of credible commitment comes in the form of negotiated long-term agreements between political parties. This contrast is explored through a comparison between the Climate Change Act and associated Committee on Climate Change in the UK on the one hand, and a series of Energy and Climate Agreements in Denmark over the 2010s. Both approaches appear to have worked to date. However, while negotiated long-term agreements typically have an internal process for managing conflicts that inevitably arise after the respective mechanisms have been put in place, disputes arising following legislation and delegation must be resolved within the more informal processes of intra-party politics. Mechanisms of accountability also differ between the two approaches. Key policy insights Legislation and delegation is widely seen as the key route to credible commitment for climate policy, but other routes are possible. Legislation and delegation is particularly suited to countries with majoritarian, or first-past-the-post electoral systems and resulting political dynamics. In countries with proportional representation, an alternative route to credible commitment is possible via formal agreement between political parties. Both routes can work well, but political agreements tend to have internal mechanisms for mediating conflicts that subsequently arise, whereas delegation relies on intra-party politics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2021
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
42. Queer mobilities: critical LGBTQ perspectives of public transport spaces.
- Author
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Weintrob, Amos, Hansell, Luke, Zebracki, Martin, Barnard, Yvonne, and Lucas, Karen
- Subjects
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PUBLIC transit , *LGBTQ+ people's travel , *SEXUAL minorities , *SEX discrimination , *TRAVEL safety - Abstract
This paper combines two case studies from the UK and Israel to question/'que(e)ry' LGBTQ people's travel and mobility behaviours, to explore the issue of 'queer mobilities' and related exclusions from heteronormative public transport spaces. Our research demonstrates how the fear of anti-LGBTQ discrimination and violence have profound impacts on LGBTQ people's travel options and activity spaces. Using a mix of qualitative and quantitative methods, we examine how LGBTQ identity/'queerness', visibility, and safety perceptions affect mobility opportunities and choices. We pursue feminist and queer approaches to expose how LGBTQ people embody a complex, intersectional set of mobility considerations. The study reveals grounded experiences of different LGBTQ travellers and their coping strategies to feel able to travel safely. It identifies how LGBTQ participants are not necessarily physically excluded from mobility opportunities. Rather, they pay hidden costs to travel safely, which take the shape of identity and visibility compromises and heightened levels of fear while travelling. They also use more expensive travel alternatives, such as taxis, or take less direct routes to overcome their experiences of unsafe and inaccessible public transport alternatives. Thereby, we advocate a view of mobility as another important dimension of the discrimination and exclusion of sexual and gender minorities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
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- 2021
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
43. Populism, Politicization and Policy Change in US and UK Agro-food Policies.
- Author
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Sheingate, Adam and Greer, Alan
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CLIMATE change & health , *RIGHT-wing populism , *NEW democracies - Abstract
This paper compares the effects of right-wing populism on agro-food policy in the US and UK. In both countries, populist campaigns politicized agro-food issues but the effects on policy have been variable. In the United States, policy has remained relatively stable despite the politicization of agro-food issues under Trump. In the UK, amid the uncertainty over Brexit, an opportunity exists to incorporate a wider range of goals around the environment, climate change and public health. These differences reveal how features of the policy process and the party system mediate the effects of politicization on policy change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2021
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
44. From non-runner to parkrunner: Subjective athletic identity and experience of parkrun.
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Bowness, James, McKendrick, John, and Tulle, Emmanuelle
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SPORTS events , *PHYSICAL activity , *SOCIAL movements , *OLDER athletes , *SUBJECTIVITY , *SPORTS participation - Abstract
Parkrun is a mass sporting community event which presents itself as a global social movement that aims to create a healthier and happier population. Existing research has explored the impact of parkrun on physical and mental wellbeing, and the mechanisms through which it may change physical activity behaviours. This paper draws upon a UK-wide survey of 8157 parkrunners to explore the subjective athletic identities of those who initially self-identified as non-runners. We examine how identity change is associated with perceptions and experiences of parkrun and demonstrate that parkrun has facilitated subjectivity change that leads many former non-running parkrunners to engage in running outside of the event. Using a Bourdieusian framework we argue that those who frequently engage in parkrun perceive a variety of health and performance changes that become legitimising factors for new health/sport behaviours. Our data add to existing research by demonstrating that parkrun provides a platform for individuals to become 'runners', whilst also offering a sociological explanation of how behaviour change may occur. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2021
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
45. A temperature dependent extreme value analysis of UK surface ozone, 1980–2019.
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Gouldsbrough, Lily, Hossaini, Ryan, Eastoe, Emma, and Young, Paul J.
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- *
EXTREME value theory , *AIR quality indexes , *TROPOSPHERIC ozone , *OZONE , *SURFACE analysis , *AIR pollution , *HOT weather conditions , *AIR quality standards - Abstract
Elevated surface ozone during heatwaves and recent hot summers raises concerns over the potential for climate change to exacerbate ozone air pollution in the UK. In this paper, we perform a robust statistical analysis of four decades worth of daily maximum 8-h (MDA8) ozone measurements from the UK's Automated Urban and Rural Network. A temperature dependent extreme value model is developed to characterise the magnitude and frequency of extreme ozone events and to determine probabilities for ozone exceeding health thresholds, as defined in the UK's air quality index. Our model is found to describe the tails of the MDA8 ozone distributions well at all 119 monitoring sites considered. For the decade 2010–2019, we estimate that >90% of sites have a 1-year MDA8 ozone return level greater than the 'moderate' ozone threshold of 100 μg/m3. We also find that 33% of sites are currently expected to breach the UK government's national air quality objective that MDA8 ozone should not exceed 100 μg/m3 more than ten times per year. We estimate the present overall probability of MDA8 ozone exceeding 100 μg/m3 on a given day to be between <0.1% and 5.4%, depending on site, with averages of 2.7% (rural) and 1.6% (urban background locations). Our analysis reveals a significant decline over time in the likelihood of the UK experiencing extreme ozone episodes, with 1-year return levels in the 1980s now roughly comparable to 10-year return levels in the present. Similarly, probabilities of MDA8 ozone exceeding 100 μg/m3 have decreased by a factor of ∼2–6 since the 1980s in some locations. However, our results also highlight a strong positive temperature dependence to the risk of ozone exceedances. In consequence, increasingly hot summers due to climate change may offset some of these gains. • Extreme value analysis used to quantify probability of UK extreme ozone episodes. • Considerable decline in likelihood of UK experiencing extreme ozone episodes. • Reduced probability of ozone exceeding 'moderate' health threshold (100 μg/m3). • Non-linear increase in risk of extreme ozone with unusually high temperatures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2022
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
46. How does a carbon tax affect Britain's power generation composition?
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Atherton, John, Xie, Wanni, Aditya, Leonardus Kevin, Zhou, Xiaochi, Karmakar, Gourab, Akroyd, Jethro, Mosbach, Sebastian, Lim, Mei Qi, and Kraft, Markus
- Subjects
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CARBON taxes , *EMISSIONS trading , *CARBON offsetting , *COAL gas , *TAX rates , *CLEAN coal technologies , *CELL aggregation - Abstract
The purpose of this paper is to determine the effect of different carbon tax rates on the power generation composition of Britain. This was accomplished via a regional, geospatial model, accounting for regional loads, transmission losses and generators of Britain's current energy infrastructure. This regional model is also compared to a pure dispatch, nationally aggregated model which considers only costs on the generator side inclusive of the carbon tax, thus allowing the effect of including geospatial conditions to be identified. The effect of this tax (in both the geospatial and nationally aggregated cases) is a transition from coal to combined cycle gas turbine (CCGT) generated power to fulfil demand unmet by nuclear or renewable sources. The more sophisticated regional model, however, differs from the nationally aggregated case by having a significantly larger window of carbon tax rates over which this coal to CCGT transition occurs. Due regional differences in demand and installed capacity technology types it is determined that more than 50% of this transition occurs prior to CCGT becoming more economical than coal from a pure dispatch (nationally aggregated) perspective. Primarily due to CCGT generators typically being closer to larger southern loads than northern coal, transmission losses and the economic disincentive of a carbon tax combine in encouraging this transition. The transition window, therefore, is not only broadened by the consideration of geospatial effects, but furthermore, this broadening significantly and disproportionately occurs by decreasing the lower bound of this transition window. These findings validate the significance of utilising a geospatial model, particularly of regional resolution. They further identify the deployment of current energy infrastructure in Britain under differing carbon tax regimes and by extension, the transition window (found to be from coal to CCGT) an increasing carbon tax rate would create. These results bear not only significance in understanding the UK's currently incrementing (top-up) carbon tax rate, but also shed light on future policies due to the UK's leaving of the EU's Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS), with immediate plans to continue with a domestic carbon tax and trading scheme. Thus, these results hold importance in the understanding the effect of carbon taxation on existing infrastructure, energy modelling and national policy in the UK. [Display omitted] • OPF modelling performed at national and regional levels. • Effect of different carbon tax rates on generator composition determined. • Transmission losses accelerate coal to gas transition due to generator placement. • Differences in regional generator compositions and loads found to be significant. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2021
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
47. Caring for care: Online feedback in the context of public healthcare services.
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Mazanderani, Fadhila, Kirkpatrick, Susan F., Ziebland, Sue, Locock, Louise, and Powell, John
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INTERNET , *SOCIAL media , *PUBLIC health , *INTERVIEWING , *NATIONAL health services , *QUALITATIVE research , *QUALITY assurance , *THEMATIC analysis , *PUBLIC opinion - Abstract
People increasingly provide feedback about healthcare services online. These practices have been lauded for enhancing patient power, choice and control, encouraging greater transparency and accountability, and contributing to healthcare service improvement. Online feedback has also been critiqued for being unrepresentative, spreading inaccurate information, undermining care relations, and jeopardising professional autonomy. Through a thematic analysis of 37 qualitative interviews, this paper explores the relationship between online feedback and care improvement as articulated by healthcare service users (patients and family members) who provided feedback across different online platforms and social media in the UK. Online feedback was framed by interviewees as, ideally, a public and, in many cases, anonymous 'conversation' between service users and healthcare providers. These 'conversations' were thought of not merely as having the potential to bring about tangible improvements to healthcare, but as in themselves constituting an improvement in care. Vital to this was the premise that providing feedback was an enactment of care – care for other patients, certainly, but also care for healthcare as such and even for healthcare professionals. Ultimately, feedback was understood as an enactment of care for the National Health Service (NHS), as symbolically encompassing all of the above. Putting these findings in dialogue with STS scholarship on care, we argue that, in this context, the provision of online feedback can be understood as a form of care that is, simultaneously, both directed at healthcare (in the round, including patients, professionals, services, organisations, and, of course, health itself) and part of healthcare. We conceptualise this as 'caring for care'. This conceptualization moves beyond dominant framings of online feedback in terms of 'choice' and 'voice'. It embeds online feedback within pre-existing healthcare systems, relations and moral commitments, foregrounds the mutuality of care relations, and draws attention to the affective labour of feedback practices. • Explores the relationship between online healthcare feedback and care improvement. • Focuses on the perspective of people providing online feedback in the UK. • Feedback framed as 'care' and 'conversation', rather than 'choice' and 'voice'. • Foregrounds the (potentially) anonymous and public dimensions of online feedback. • Conceptualises online feedback as 'caring for care' in context of public healthcare. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2021
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
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