Search

This document was developed by a group of over two dozen pain clinicians and investigators from Austria, Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany Ireland, Israel, Italy, The Netherlands, Norway. Poland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom and funded by an educational grant form Mundipharma International, Limited. The stated aim of the White Paper is to identify inequalities in government policies towards opioids that contribute to inadequate treatment of pain. It calls for their replacement with policies that will support doctors and patients in their efforts to relieve pain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents comments of the author on the transport White Paper. The British Deputy Prime Minister's proposals, as revealed in the July 1998 White Paper, fall far short of the rhetoric one recalls from the 1997 general election campaign, or even of the promises that followed it. The railways are not to be renationalized; the buses are not to be re-regulated and area-wide local authority franchising is not even mentioned. All the same, the politicians' urge to meddle runs throughout the document and the liberty of entrepreneurs to seek out and satisfy demand is still to be overseen by those whom scholar Deepak Lal calls the Platonic guardians. The search for a definitive meaning of the word integration is abandoned in favor of a list of four possible interpretations. There is to be a new Commission for Integrated Transport and there are to be local transport plans will be the key to the delivery of integrated transport locally. So the Commission and the local authorities will have to work out the meaning of the word for themselves. The White Paper is being followed by a collection of daughter papers which might, just possibly, throw more light on the question. A policy based upon an indeterminate concept such as this can hardly be expected to make things better for everyone.

This article enquires into the connections between gender and discourses of the nuclear weapons state. Specifically, we develop an analysis of the ways in which gender operates in the White Paper published by the UK government in 2006 on its plans to renew Trident nuclear weapons (given the go-ahead by the Westminster Parliament in March 2007). We argue that the White Paper mobilizes masculine-coded language and symbols in several ways: firstly, in its mobilization of techno-strategic rationality and axioms; secondly, in its assumptions about security; and, thirdly, in its assumptions about the state as actor. Taken together, these function to construct a masculinized identity for the British nuclear state as a “responsible steward.” However, this identity is one that is not yet securely fixed and that, indeed, contains serious internal tensions that opponents of Trident (and of the nuclear state more generally) should be able to exploit. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Comments on the political importance of public parts in light of the British government's White Paper program. Problems in achieving ideals for parks and open spaces; Impact of the neglect of public open spaces; Sources of funding for the development of public open spaces according to the White Paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Social and environmental justice across generations is a fundamental attribute of sustainable development. In this article, which is also a call for papers for a future theme in Public Money & Management (PMM), we develop our case for further research on how governments and public service organizations seek to address sustainable development in their decision-making processes. We believe that accounting for social and environmental aspects is an underdeveloped area of research and practice that is worthy of further critical enquiry. We therefore call on researchers and practitioners to submit their research to a themed issue of PMM on managing and accounting for sustainable development in public services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An introduction is presented in which the editor discusses papers in the issue on topics including impact of curriculum choice on the social aspects of education in Great Britain, choice of subject and assessment method in Northern Ireland and Wales, and effect of education on labor market.

Despite the identification of social inclusion as a key objective of age-friendly policies and programs, there is limited research evidence as to either the extent to which this has been achieved or how it might be realized. Gaps remain in our understanding of how age-friendly programs might involve different groups of older people and the possible barriers that might be encountered. This paper seeks to address this gap by drawing on evidence from the Ambition for Aging program in Greater Manchester, UK, which implemented a range of projects designed to tackle social isolation in later life. The paper argues that due to its co-production approach and spatial lens, Ambition for Aging was able to involve sections of the older population that otherwise might have remained excluded. In providing further insights relevant to age-friendly programs, the paper also considers some of the barriers experienced by the Ambition for Aging program and builds a case that taking a spatial justice perspective to age-friendly work may help identify and overcome obstacles to achieving social inclusion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper shows how Karen Barad's agential realism provides a powerful analytical framework for assessing higher education accountability. It takes the example of the UK 'National Student Survey' (NSS), a questionnaire, which purports to ascertain student course satisfaction in universities. The paper demonstrates how agential realism offers the opportunity to make visible (and theorise) three suggested effects of the NSS: (i) affective dimensions of lecturer experience; (ii) boundary creations between lecturers and students; and (iii) the marginalisation of experimental conceptualisations of practice. Analysing narrative data from six university lecturers, it will be shown how agential realism has a capacity to theorise the sociological realms of classroom encounters, institutional practices and national policy in their very entanglement. That is, university lecturers' practice is analysed as 'apparatuses of bodily production' that are enfolded into larger institutional and national apparatuses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

International tax justice issues, such as corporate tax avoidance, have gained particular salience over the past decade in an environment of financial instability and government austerity. Civil society involvement has ranged from trade unions and NGOs calling for parliamentary inquiries to civil disobedience by less established actors. Since the international financial crisis, how have levels of contentious collective action around these issues waxed and waned? Is contentiousness associated most with domestic politics or global media events like the Panama Papers? This paper uses an original hand-coded dataset from five national newspapers in the United Kingdom and Australia between 2008 and 2016. Political claims analysis (PCA) was used to collect all instances of claims around international tax justice and compare the types of actions and the different frames used by civil society actors. In both countries, mobilising grievances are generated most strongly in the period after domestic austerity policies are introduced. The qualitative coding provides evidence of accompanying frame alignment in these periods, as international taxation is problematized in terms of national revenue, demonstrating scale shift from the global to the national political stage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the new multi-level relationships that exist in the UK postdevolution. In focusing on Wales, it uses two case studies to test some key propositions around system weaknesses; namely, poor intelligence and inadequate collaboration and communication between the ‘centre’ and the devolved nations. The paper suggests that this has resulted in unbalanced relationships and underdeveloped policy learning between the nations of the UK. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This article talks about the aim of the "Journal of Social Work Practice" of providing a focus on therapeutic social work at a time of ongoing policy change in Great Britain. The authors anticipate that the increased frequency of the journal will advance the psychodynamic and relationship-based practice and provide an active forum for related scholarship and research. The authors contend that theirs is a specialized journal and its viability depends on the rate and quality of appropriate submissions of research papers, which continue to increase. The authors also wish to stimulate dialogue between different therapeutic approaches and the academic and clinical traditions that inform them while maintaining the balance in favor of the psychodynamic and cognate orientations. Papers that address some of the key current themes in social welfare are introduced.

This article looks at the British government policy document or White Paper, which focused on the issue of poverty. Concerns about globalisation is also included in the White Paper. It was said that globalisation can be seen as the third in a series of White Papers on poverty over 25 years. The first White Paper was presented to the Parliament in 1975 by Judith Hart. In the said White Paper, a basic needs approach was adopted and the rural poor was identified as the dominant group to be brought out of poverty. The 1975 White Paper promises more aid. The 2000 White Paper on globalisaation promises a new international development act. It was said that the latest White Paper marks the beginning of political maturity.

Across the four UK jurisdictions, there are distinct disparities in exclusion rates of school students. Northern Ireland, alongside Scotland and Wales, has demonstrated over time, lower rates of permanent exclusions and temporary exclusions compared with England. This paper examines these disparities from the perspectives of representatives from various system-level educational bodies and third sector organisations representing children and families who experienced the exclusion process. The paper will also present policy and legal frameworks associated with exclusion in Northern Ireland. We interviewed 9 stakeholders, associated with practices of school exclusion in Northern Ireland, from a range of system-level education bodies and advocacy groups. Findings include positive strategies perceived to keep exclusion levels low, types of obstacles or resistance to anti-exclusion policy, participants' perspectives on unofficial exclusion practice, and perspectives on official exclusion data. What emerges from interviews is a series of tensions between implementing a child-centred approach and diminishing support services and resources. We conclude that those working within the Northern Ireland education system, are committed to an inclusive approach. However, the development and implementation of effective supporting frameworks take time and consultation, and there is evidence of tension between the perceptions of those working at a system-level and those working in schools. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes the historical emergence of an accountable quality in public policies and reforms of the UK National Health Service: that is a notion of quality which is expressed through accounting and other formal measurement and management devices. It also specifies the idealized subject of an accountable quality, homo qualitus, and attends to instances of his/her incomplete realization. Doing so contributes to the problematization and rethinking of the way that accounting, professionalism, and the relationship between the two, are often understood. It shows that an accountable quality involves attempts to transform accounting from something external to, and imposed upon, or selectively adopted by, medical professionals into a measure of, in principle, any healthcare workers' individual enthusiasm for, and commitment toward, quality itself. The incomplete nature of this transformation offers insights into complex ways in which discourse and practice may interact. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a comparison of time delays in the awarding of public sector contracts in the Czech Republic and the United Kingdom. The problem of these time delays has not been adequately addressed in the academic literature. The authors analysed the factors impacting on time delays in each country. A significant portion of GDP, in all countries, is allocated via public procurement. This paper compares the length of procurement procedures in the Czech Republic and the UK and the reasons for delays. The authors highlight the absence of public policies on procurement in the Czech Republic. A basic prerequisite for improving the results of public procurement is for all actors in the process to be involved and committed: officials and politicians and the public. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper analyses conflicts associated with policies to protect the built heritage. Such conflicts relate to a host of tensions between private and public concerns and specifically between pro-development and pro-conservation approaches. To examine these cleavages, the paper operationalises private and public concerns over heritage by asking if there is a recognisable set of justifications that policy-makers use for supporting a pro-conservation or alternatively a pro-development approach? To do this, the paper looks at appeals decided by Her Majesty’s Planning Inspectors in London. The findings show that although they are not dichotomous, public and private interests in heritage development can be factually recognised in the setting of appeals. Moreover, the paper finds that Planning Inspectors often channel conflicts through the prism of certain public interests, namely, protecting architectural and physical attributes of the building and its surroundings. Although inspectors are instructed to actively weigh in other (potentially overriding) considerations in heritage appeals, such as socio-economic and proprietary issues, these considerations do not appear to have the same standing within the decision-making process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The UK has seen little progress in reducing road death over the last decade and as a result, the government has been criticised by industry stakeholders for a lack of leadership, including the removal of national targets in 2011 and the devolution of powers to a municipal level. The aim of this paper is to understand how decision-making at a municipal level takes place from a systems perspective, using the case study of Cambridgeshire. Actors involved were mapped using a STAMP control structure analysis and highlighted a key role for formal and informal partnerships between local and national government agencies and non-government organisations at the same level in the control structure. The changing international context of the model for the UK is also discussed in relation to the UK's withdrawal from the European Union and provides a useful tool for future analysis of its effect on policy and decision-making. Practitioner summary: This paper uses a STAMP control structure analysis to understand how decision-making at a municipal level takes place from a systems perspective, using the case study of Cambridgeshire. It highlights a key role for formal and informal partnerships between organisations at the same level in the control structure. Abbreviations: STAMP: System Theoretic Accident Model and Processes; STAMP-CAST: Systems-Theoretic Accident Model and Processes – Causal Analysis using Systems Theory; FRAM: Functional Resonance Analysis Method; HFACS: Human Factors Analysis and Classification Scheme; NGO: Non-Government organisation; iRAP: International Road Assessment Programme; EuroRAP: European Road Assessment Programme; NCAP: New Car Assessment Programme; CCG: Clinical Commissioning Group; GP: General Practitioner; PPE: Personal Protective Equipment; SD: standard deviation; Beds: Bedfordshire; Cambs: Cambridgeshire; Herts: Hertfordshire; Pboro: Peterborough. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Docherty I. and Mackie P. Planning for transport in the wake of Stern and Eddington, Regional Studies. The recent Stern and Eddington Reports for the UK Treasury emphasize the significance of the linkages between transport, land use, the environment, and the economy. Against that background, the purpose of this paper is to consider the future of transport planning in England given the liberalizing thrust of the Barker Review on land-use planning and the subsequent White Paper Planning for a Sustainable Future (2007). In reviewing the demographic and economic assumptions of the White Paper, it is concluded that in certain respects there are important mismatches between the emerging government policy on strategic planning and the Stern and Eddington Reports. [image omitted] Docherty I. et Mackie P. Planifier le transport a la suite des rapports de Stern et d'Eddington, Regional Studies. Les recents rapports Stern et Eddington, rediges au nom du ministere des Finances au Royaume-Uni, soulignent l'importance des liens qui existent entre le transport, l'occupation du sol, l'environnement et l'economie. Sur un tel fond, cet article cherche a considerer le futur de la planification du transport en Angleterre etant donne l'impulsion liberalisee donnee par la Barker Review sur l'occupation du sol et vu le projet de loi ulterieur Planifier un avenir durable (2007). En faisant la critique des suppositions demographiques et economiques du projet de loi, on conclut qu'il y a a certains egards d'importantes disparites entre la politique gouvernementale sur la planification strategique et les rapports Stern et Eddington. Transport Planification Avenir durable Occupation du sol Docherty I. und Mackie P. Verkehrsplanung im Anschluss an Stern und Eddington, Regional Studies. In den jungsten Berichten von Stern und Eddington fur das britische Finanzministerium wird die Bedeutung der Verknupfungen zwischen Verkehr, Landnutzung, Umwelt und Wirtschaft betont. Vor diesem Hintergrund soll mit diesem Beitrag die Zukunft der Verkehrsplanung in England untersucht werden, insbesondere im Hinblick auf die Liberalisierungsbemuhungen im Barker-Gutachten zur Planung der Landnutzung sowie in der anschliessendem Weissbuchplanung fur nachhaltige Zukunft (2007). Nach einer Uberprufung der demografischen und wirtschaftlichen Annahmen des Weissbuchs ziehen wir den Schluss, dass die entstehende Regierungspolitik zur strategischen Planung hinsichtlich bestimmter Aspekte erheblich von Sterns und Eddingtons Berichten abweicht. Verkehr Planung Nachhaltigkeit Landnutzung Docherty I. y Mackie P. Planificacion para el transporte tras Stern y Eddington, Regional Studies. En los recientes informes de Stern y Eddington para el Ministerio de Hacienda del Reino Unido se pone de relieve la importancia de los vinculos entre transporte, uso del suelo, medio ambiente y economia. Con estos datos, en este articulo analizamos el futuro de la planificacion del transporte en Inglaterra, teniendo en cuenta el empuje liberal del Informe Barker sobre la planificacion del uso del suelo y la posterior Planificacion del Libro Blanco para un Futuro Sostenible (2007). Al revisar las hipotesis demograficas y economicas del Libro Blanco, concluimos que en ciertos aspectos existen importantes incompatibilidades entre la nueva politica gubernamental sobre la planificacion estrategica y los Informes de Stern y Eddington. Transporte Planificacion Sostenibilidad Uso del suelo [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper provides an overview of the Home‐School Knowledge Exchange Project and an introduction to this special issue on home–school knowledge exchange. The paper starts by situating the project within a number of contexts—those of UK educational research, national and international interest in home–school relationships, national and local priorities around literacy, numeracy and primary/secondary transfer, and theoretical work on ‘funds of knowledge’. The paper then goes on to show how these contextual factors influenced the project's aims and design. The paper ends by identifying a number of important themes and issues in the area of home–school knowledge exchange, and shows how these are illuminated by the papers presented in this volume. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the UK a 'crisis' has been manufactured around the so-called baby boomer generation. It has been claimed that this demographic (those born between 1946 and 1964) have benefitted from supportive public policies throughout their lives and are still continuing to access advantages but at some cost to younger generations. For example, policies that offer protection against age discrimination coupled with the end of mandatory retirement have offered baby boomers the opportunity to extend their working lives. In choosing to remain in paid work when they could have retired, it has been claimed that older workers limit employment opportunities for younger people. This paper explores the perceptions and experiences of twelve older academics from the baby boomer generation who have stayed on in their posts and asks questions about social justice issues; that is, issues of distribution, inclusion and recognition. We argue that discourses that malign and/or exclude older academics need to be disrupted and that a kinder alignment between employers, managers, and differently-aged university employees may go some way to dispelling any concerns about intergenerational unfairness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As in many European states, a shortage of housing in England has resulted in some families who are 'waiting for' adequate and secure housing in England while also having the 'weight of' their children being placed outside their care hanging over them. This paper reports on the development of a practice guidance document that included an online survey with 38 children's social services practitioners in England regarding their practice experiences of responding to family homelessness. Findings suggest the complexity of the issue of family homelessness and implicitly highlight its neglect within contemporary research and policy in the UK. Homeless families are caught between the constraints of housing shortages and the complexity of the needs underpinning their homelessness. Despite these constraints, social work practice has an important role to play in providing, or facilitating families' pathway to, housing advocacy and advice. Most importantly of all, social work practice can maximise families' access to statutory family support provision so that families can be helped to remain together wherever this is safely possible. Suggestions for practice, policy, and research development are outlined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. Improving pathways to care is an important part of UK Government policy on delivering equitable treatment for black and minority ethnic (BME) patients. However, there is little guidance on how this can be achieved. This systematic review aimed to evaluate research studies reporting initiatives to enhance pathways to mental health care for BME groups. Methods. A review of published English language literature of studies reporting an evaluated intervention that aimed to enhance care pathways for BME communities or that achieved this as a by-product. Data extracted included the type of pathway improved, samples characteristics, type of intervention and outcome. Results. Six studies met inclusion criteria. In only one was the initiative UK based. There was evidence that interventions led to three types of pathways change; accelerated transit through care pathways, removal of adverse pathways, and the addition of a beneficial pathway. Ethnic matching promoted desired pathways in many groups but not African Americans, managed care improved equity a pre-treatment service improved access to detoxification and an education leaflet increased recovery. Conclusion. Only a small number of papers satisfied the review criteria. Consequently, there is currently a dearth of information on which to build evidence-based guidance for service development. Evidence that is available is mainly not from the UK and hence needs to be treated with caution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The leaders of governments in the United Kingdom, Australia, and Queensland recently created “implementation” or “delivery” units at the centre, ostensibly to advise, monitor, and ensure better implementation of policy initiatives. This collection of papers seeks to explore the emergence, roles, functions, and accomplishments of policy implementation and delivery units, as well as their prospects. This overview paper provides a framework for analyzing and assessing the work of these units to date, beginning with a synopsis of the evolution of thinking on implementation, and turning to the new environment for governance, policy development, and implementation. It casts policy implementation and delivery units as one of several “adhocracies” that populate the centre of government, which may take on quite different roles. The paper provides an overview of the case studies and key findings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The concept of the political settlement has risen to occupy a central place in British policy toward conflict-affected and fragile states. Yet, at around the turn of the millennium, the term was barely mentioned in official circles and the so-called ‘good governance’ approach held sway as the dominant operational mode. So, how had this transformation in policy approach come about and what was the role of research? In this article, we demonstrate that research played a central role in influencing the rhetoric of policymakers through a process we term ‘cumulative influence’. Indeed, the subject of political settlements represents an excellent case study for understanding the dynamics of research utilisation. It allows us to build on existing models and suggest useful ways forward in this important area of public policy analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Corruption is a major inhibitor to economic growth, discouraging to domestic and foreign investment and destabilizing of governments. Unsurprisingly, international attention has intensified in recent years with global initiatives to counter corruption and address the proceeds of corruption. These have placed requirements upon national governments to increase transparency, reducing opportunities for use of the legitimate legal and financial infrastructure to disguise and move the proceeds of corruption. This paper reviews the boundaries at national and agency level that can create challenges for those agencies tasked with investigating and returning the proceeds of corruption to the countries from which they came. The paper considers the mechanisms that the agencies in a returning country—the UK—have at their disposal and whether national policy changes can affect their focus and operation. Specifically it reviews the role and future of the International Corruption Unit of the National Crime Agency. Following from the highly publicised anti-corruption summit hosted by the Cameron government in 2016, the UK has positioned itself at the forefront of anti-corruption initiatives. Recognizing that corruption is as much an issue for the UK as for victim countries, the UK initiated a unique response model in its International Corruption Unit. However, the proceeds of corruption continue to find their way into the London property market, hence recent initiatives to open up ownership registries. The need to 'respond', shortens timeframes, driving resource allocation towards 'quick wins'. Tracking and recovering the proceeds of corruption that may have moved across multiple jurisdictions is a slow business. The failure to evidence 'hard results' creates an uncertain future for the International Corruption Unit. Yet, its unique contribution is one that should be widely supported by policy makers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The UK government's response to fraud cannot be disentangled from its broader 'serious and organized crime' (SOC) strategy. In order to explore whether fraud should—in public policy, criminal justice and law enforcement terms—be seen primarily as an SOC issue, there is a need to consider questions about whether or not 'SOC' is a sensible object of policy-making in the first place. Several arguments in favour of an SOC policy are identified in the paper. However, the notion of an overarching SOC policy is problematic for three reasons. First, SOC is a fundamental misrepresentation of reality, which does not correspond to a real social problem. Second, SOC policy can limit the development of more problem-specific crime strategies, Third, the 'SOC' label can negatively transform how social problems are perceived over the long term. If fraud is to be better understood and dealt with, it may therefore be necessary to extract it from its current inclusion within wider SOC strategy. This paper argues that fraud has been subsumed by 'serious and organized crime' policy. It explores both the benefits and problems of this state of affairs and questions the validity of 'serious and organized crime' as an object of policy-making. It is hoped the paper will encourage policy-makers and practitioners to think carefully about how fraud is conceptualized as a problem. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Housing is a very important human need along with food and clothing. The process of providing housing should be such that does not alienate the beneficiaries from the process. This study examined residents' participation schemes in the United Kingdom for drawing lessons for the Nigerian housing environment. It used case study method to explore three residents' participation schemes in the UK and collect data for this study. While drawing useful information from approaches and processes of residents' participation in housing in the UK, the paper proposes approaches that can suit the local conditions in Nigeria. Specifically, the paper outlines how policy makers, housing agencies and professionals could adapt the lessons to Nigeria in order to ensure positive outcome from the housing process. It concludes that residents' participation in housing should be more widely practiced in Nigeria to improve the likelihood of meeting the housing needs of residents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the 1990s, the 'knowledge economy' was hailed as a key driver of future prosperity by progressive policymakers in developed democracies. According to its proponents, in the knowledge economy, companies and countries alike would succeed by cultivating workers' knowledge – as opposed to traditional forms of capital such as plant and machinery. This had radical implications for public policy, implying that education reform and other supply-side interventions could deliver inclusivity as well as prosperity. Today, however, this benevolent vision of the social and economic impacts of technological progress has been superseded by an altogether more dystopian view, associated with automation and the rise of artificial intelligence, as well as transformations in the digital economy and the evolving nature of globalisation. This paper analyses that transition. It charts the key assumptions of the knowledge economy concept, through an intellectual history that focuses on how these ideas manifested themselves in the rhetoric of the UK Government under Tony Blair. It then shows how evolving understandings of the digital economy, technological progress and globalisation challenge these assumptions, and the policy agenda that was premised on them. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article investigates the association between youth and older workers' employment participation in the United Kingdom using yearly data provided by the Labor Force Survey. Presenting a short state of the art, the paper shows that, with few exceptions, empirical analyses usually assume that increasing the labor market participation of the older workers does not affect negatively youth employment. Nevertheless, testing several variables and three different statistical models, the empirical part of the article nuances this evidence. The association between youth employment participation and older workers' employment participation tends to be significantly after controlling for public policy outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the United Kingdom, the domestic sector is a major contributor of national carbon emissions. Improving the energy efficiency of the existing stock, particularly the oldest and least efficient homes, is therefore of utmost importance if ambitious carbon reduction targets are to be met. Analyzing the rich, narrative data of households living in old, hard-to-treat homes, this paper produces novel insights into the ways in which domestic thermal comfort practices are shaped by meaningful relationships, intimately bound to identificatory positions, that are deeply connected to these valued domestic environments. Findings concern how households renegotiate widely accepted understandings of thermal comfort to better fit with the materiality of their old homes by constructing for themselves meaningful 'moral' identities that focus on living sufficiently well. This relational understanding of domestic energy consumption highlights how materiality, practices and moral narratives are produced and reproduced dynamically over time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper draws on UK data from an international, comparative project involving eight countries. The study examined how social workers' conceptions and definitions of family impact on the way they engage with complex families, and how social policies that frame social work context impact on the way social workers engage with families. Focus groups were held in which social workers from four service areas (child welfare, addictions, mental health and migration) were asked to discuss a case vignette. Several factors were embedded in the vignette to represent a realistic situation a social worker may come across in their day-to-day work. Social workers clearly identified the complexity of the family's situation in terms of the range of issues identified and candidate 'causes'. However, typical first responses were institutional, looking for triggers that would signify certainty about their, or other agencies' involvement. This resulted in a complicated story, through which the family was disaggregated into individual problem-service categories. This paper argues that understanding these processes and their consequences is critical for exploring the ways in which we might develop alternative, supportive professional responses with families with complex needs. It also demonstrates how organisational systems manifest themselves in everyday reasoning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Within what is known as the post-truth era, politicians strategically trade in alternative interpretations of data, make bold populist claims and on occasions be completely dishonest for party political gains. Such practices coincide with ever-declining trust in politicians and the democratic system, a phenomenon common to both Spain and the UK. We enquire whether public mistrust is deserved exploring the extent party leaders employ misinformation as part of their strategic communication. The paper analyses falsehoods made by political leaders as determined by major fact-checking sites EFE Verifica and Newtral in Spain, and the UK's BBC Reality Check and Full Fact. We categorise falsehoods as misinformation, alternative facts, bullshit or lies. Results show right-wing parties most responsible for all forms of falsehoods, or they are most likely to face analysis from factcheckers. Falsehoods are used by governments defending their policies, but also by oppositions to attack the government; especially alternative facts. The overwhelming majority of policy attacks based on false information are from opposition parties, particularly Spanish parties on the right. The flagrant use of bullshit and lies, while simultaneously calling out their more mainstream opponents for similar practices, poisons the notion of democratic pluralism and makes low public trust seem perfectly justified. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper considers legal contestation in the UK as a source of useful reflections for AI policy. The government has published a 'National AI Strategy', but it is unclear how effective this will be given doubts about levels of public trust. One key concern is the UK's apparent 'side-lining' of the law. A series of events were convened to investigate critical legal perspectives on the issues, culminating in an expert workshop addressing five sectors. Participants discussed AI in the context of wider trends towards automated decision-making (ADM). A recent proliferation in legal actions is expected to continue. The discussions illuminated the various ways in which individual examples connect systematically to developments in governance and broader 'AI-related decision-making', particularly due to chronic problems with transparency and awareness. This provides a fresh and current insight into the perspectives of key groups advancing criticisms relevant to policy in this area. Policymakers' neglect of the law and legal processes is contributing to quality issues with recent practical ADM implementation in the UK. Strong signals are now required to switch back from the vicious cycle of increasing mistrust to an approach capable of generating public trust. Suggestions are summarised for consideration by policymakers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In October 2016 the newly appointed UK Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, Damian Green, announced that some disabled people receiving Employment and Support Allowance would not face reassessment for their financial support to continue. This article critically engages with this announcement in the context of the publication of Improving Lives. The Work, Health and Disability Green Paper shortly afterwards. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 1918, the British War Office introduced Regulation 40D as an amendment to the Defence of the Realm Act (DORA). The short- lived regulation allowed the state to remand and imprison a woman for the transmission of venereal disease to a member of His Majesty's armed forces. This paper examines discourses on national security and female promiscuity surrounding the enactment of Regulation 40D and the prosecutions under this controversial measure. The paper argues that the regulation was merely symbolic, and that it empowered magistrates to assess, judge and ultimately control women's sexual behaviour in the name of national security. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The broad aim of this paper is to track the evolution of adult literacy policy in the UK across three decades, highlighting convergences between policy phases and the promotion of democratic learning spaces. It is anchored onto the argument that, although it is generally accepted that democratic learning spaces are perceived as beneficial to adult literacy learners, policy has often deterred its promotion and, therefore, implementation. The paper identifies three block phases of adult literacy development: the seventies to mid-eighties, the mid-eighties to mid-nineties and the mid-nineties to the Moser Committees. The features of each of these phases are highlighted to map out convergences and divergences to the ethos of democratic learning spaces. The paper argues that, with the evolution of policy in adult literacy, the ethos of democratic learning space continuously diminished, such that as policy evolved year on year, the principle of democratic learning space found itself at counterpoint to policy. We draw on two theoretical frameworks, the NLS view of literacy and Bourdieu's capital framework to explain these divergences and conclude that the dominant perception of literacy and the prioritised capital in the context of policy appear to limit the vestiges of democratic learning spaces. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper uses Ball’s [1998. Big policies/small world: An introduction to international perspectives in education policy.Comparative Education, 34(2), 119–130] policy analysis and Bernstein’s [1990.The structuring of pedagogic discourse. Volume IV class, codes and control. London: Routledge; 2000,Pedagogy, symbolic control and identity. Theory, research, critique(Revised ed.). Oxford: Rowman & Littlefield] conceptualisation of boundaries as a basis for critically examining the notion of policy ‘problems’ and ‘solutions’ in contemporary physical education. The paper introduces the notions of policyscape and policy magic to explain ways in which thinking about both policy problems and solutions in education is discursively constrained. Analysis of boundaries is presented as a means of revealing and prospectively challenging such constraint. Research findings from projects spanning different international contexts and phases of education are analysed to illustrate complex inter-relationships between a series of knowledge boundaries that variously define the policy and pedagogical directions that can legitimately be pursued in physical education. The paper presents a case for further critical research and policy action in physical education that draws insight from education policy sociology and that examines ways in which equity in physical education is being (re-) framed by broader policy processes and contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Crafts have recently been experiencing a renaissance. This revitalization sees craft increasingly recognised as a growing industrial sector with benefits linked to educational, cultural and economic development policy agendas. This paper engages with policy debates around the place of craft in the United Kingdom from 2010. Drawing on craft sector perspectives and UK government policy initiatives it situates the disciplines and practices of craft within their institutional support networks, organizational contexts and draws attention to the role of individuals in driving agendas. The paper focuses on the national facing crafts development organizations, the UK Crafts Council and the UK Heritage Crafts Association, alongside recent policy discussion emerging from the UK Department for Business, Innovation and Skills. Recognizing that the legacies of past practice often inform contemporary agendas, the paper explores how the advocacy of craft in the recent past has shaped the place and positioning of craft in contemporary UK politics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

On 1 January 2014 the transitional controls on free movement adopted by the UK when Bulgaria and Romania joined the EU in 2007, ended. This paper demonstrates how the discourses of politicians relating to their removal, amplified via news media contributed to the extension of state bordering practices further into everyday life. Based on ethnographic research into everyday bordering during 2013–15 the paper uses an intersectional framework to explore how this homogenizing, bordering discourse was experienced and contested from differently situated perspectives of Roma and non-Roma social actors from established communities. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The paper analyses continuing vocational education and training policies in the UK in the period 1979–2010 with a focus on regulation and governance. It reviews Conservative and Labour party policies to ascertain their principal components and explore their evolution through time. More specifically, the paper reviews the paradoxical existence of three seemingly opposed accounts of recent dynamics in the management of continuing vocational training: one that sees it moving inexorably to the political right, one that emphasises the singularity of social-democratic policies and one that focuses on the difficulties of any movement, towards the political left or right. The paper concludes that while there has been a degree of convergence between right and left, differences remained in terms of their favoured institutional decision-making structures. However, Labour played a two-level game, which combined the establishment of new channels for dialogue and coordination with key stakeholders, with a limited scope for meaningful stakeholder input to policy. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

While death features widely in various humanities and some social science disciplines, to date it has not been given the attention it deserves in social policy discourse or research. This paper sets out to begin to rectify that omission. Outlining a range of policy areas affected by death, it argues that budget and outcome-driven priorities in the UK have resulted in the evolution of disconnected and inconsistent policy responses to death. The paper begins by outlining death rates and characteristics of population ageing before focussing on social divisions in death and associated policies. It considers the death and UK social policy agenda before outlining the key characteristics involved in developing a coherent policy response and policy analysis in this field. It argues for a more comprehensive, consistent and joined up policy response to death, and corresponding academic study of death, which acknowledges and supports individuals preparing to die, when they die and those left behind. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While the governance of pension schemes, and the risk this poses for pension savers, is a prominent issue in current pension debate in the UK, this paper places that debate in, arguably, the more important context of the governance of individual behaviour. Using the concept of governmentality as a means of interpreting the course of recent UK pension policy and its attempts to influence individual saving behaviour, it critiques that policy. The paper then goes on to consider the effect of the introduction of personal accounts upon the pensions landscape, and in particular its potential to push forward the government's recent approach to pension provision. It argues that these reforms, rather than furthering individual saving for retirement, may alternatively create the very real possibility of undermining it. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Risk regulation analyses the organization and institutional settings for risk regulation and regulatory practice. This special issue focuses on risk regulation research with respect to two main areas of health care: infrastructure and service provisions and the risk regulation of critical areas relating to patient safety. This editorial draws out some of the main themes in risk regulation studies as they relate to these papers. Risk and governance issues consider which risks attract state regulatory responses and how risk debates connect with regulatory policy making. The emergence and reform of risk regulation and governance regimes is examined and varying perspectives offered on the status of experts, expertise and professionals in risk regulation. Many risk regulation initiatives are the result of public sector modernization programmes where the transferability of approaches and tools are taken for granted. How organizations respond to risk regimes and the extent to which organizations create their own risk regulation regimes thus become a clear focus in this volume. In medical situations, risk regulation may lead to resistance rather than openness and learning. The unintended consequences of risk regulation is an important theme: new financial frames of reference come into collision with other professional perspectives and performance data may be misinterpreted and misused. One strong message is that risk regulation in the UK is in a state of flux and that learning from crises and routine organizational data and experience are crucial in the resolution of the present difficult web of risk regulation initiatives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In December 2003 the British government announced that within a few years it would need to take decisions about the future of Britain's strategic nuclear deterrent. Exactly three years later, its plans were revealed in a White Paper. The existing Trident system is to be given a life extension, which includes building new submarines to carry the missiles, costing £15-20 billion. Britain has a substantial nuclear legacy, having owned nuclear weapons for over half a century. The strategic context for the deterrent has changed completely with the end of the Cold War, but nuclear weapons retain much of their salience. This Adelphi Paper argues that it makes sense to remain a nuclear power in an uncertain and nuclear-armed world. Given that deterrence needs are now less acute, but more complex than in the past, the paper asserts that deterrence also needs to be aligned with non-proliferation policies, which seek to reduce the scale of threats that need to be deterred. Somewhat overlooked in current policy are appropriate measures of defence, which can raise the nuclear threshold and, if required, mitigate the effects of deterrence failure. It concludes that the government's decisions about the future form of the deterrent are very sensible, but cautions that they still need to be integrated into a broader policy that embraces diplomacy, deterrence and defence to counter the risks posed by nuclear proliferation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of European Journal of Social Work is the property of Routledge and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This paper explores the link between parenting difficulties and couple relationship issues in psychotherapeutic work with parental couples. Initially, the discussion focusses on the social policy context of couple psychotherapy and the resistances it can evoke, which has led to an emphasis on 'parenting' rather than 'couple' interventions in the historic development of family service provision in the UK. Some developmental challenges facing couples who are parents are then discussed, focussing on a clinical case and drawing on the concepts of shared unconscious phantasy and enactment in the analytic session, to elucidate defensive and developmental possibilities of working at the interface between 'parenting' and 'partnering'. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of European Journal of Social Work is the property of Routledge and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This paper analyses the logic underpinning austerity governance in the United Kingdom. Taking the UK’s relative fiscal and monetary policy autonomy as a starting point, the paper unpacks and analyses how the United Kingdom has charted a successful course between the imperatives of social stability and market credibility. At the heart of this ‘success’ is a fundamentally anticipatory governing logic. Fiscal consolidation was justified and enacted as a pre-emptive and preventative intervention in order to anticipate an indebted and thus disciplined future. Contrary to conventional wisdom, then, UK austerity is not necessarily geared only towards swingeing spending cuts, because the direction of travel towards an imagined debt- and deficit-free future is just as important as reaching the destination itself under the logic of anticipatory fiscal consolidation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There are increasing levels of concern about policy and practice related to Lyme disease testing and diagnosis in the UK. A complex debate has emerged, with patient groups challenging clinical and testing practices. This paper focuses on four dimensions of diagnostic testing: accuracy, types of test, clinical application and test interpretation, to illustrate the divergence amongst and between official and patient group views. We explore these issues via analysis of information from sources including patient organisations' documents and statutory policy and professional publications, supplemented by data from an online questionnaire survey. Our analysis shows a lack of consistency in policy, consumerist strategies among patients, and official policy that inhibits illness identity and maintains hard boundaries between patients' experience and public health practice. We suggest that medical policy and practice have become entrenched in defensive testing and clinical protocol. We note recently emerging trends in consultation and patient group involvement, illustrating more participative public health governance. As a joint patient organisation-academic project, we contribute to understanding of patient organisation activism in public health by demonstrating our own collaborative, reflective 'evidence-based' activist research. Notably, in doing so we deploy a variety of forms of knowledge and 'evidence' beyond the often-acknowledged 'experiential' and 'embodied' forms. On this basis, we recommend that shared-decision-making and 'facilitational' advocacy would improve patients' empowerment and their experiences of testing and diagnosis. We argue that such reforms will enhance the perceived legitimacy of 'chronic' Lyme disease claims even under the prevailing conditions of scientific and medical uncertainty. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Regional Studies is the property of Routledge and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)