An Urban Geography of Citizenship Education?
an artilce by J Pykett published in Urban Studies Volume 46 Issue 4 (2009)
Abstract
This paper considers the construction of young people’s experiences in city schools through a new curriculum subject, Citizenship Education, in secondary schools in England. It demonstrates how citizen identities are constructed through discursive practices in the classroom and are shaped by geographies of education. The place-based identities formed within urban schools both reflect and refute the inequalities inherent in the selective education system which pertains in many UK cities today. A discussion of the urban context in which the research was undertaken is followed by an analysis of empirical research in two schools in and around Bristol, south-west England. This explores the ways in which particular place-based subjectivities are actively and knowingly enacted by teachers and pupils in the classroom through their talk about what constitutes the ideal citizen.
Monday, 28 September 2009
Getting educated about tax
via NDS RSS
Full-time students pay income tax just like everybody else but research from HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) reveals that more than half of the UK's 2.3 million university students don't realise this.
Read the full press release
Full-time students pay income tax just like everybody else but research from HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) reveals that more than half of the UK's 2.3 million university students don't realise this.
Read the full press release
Sunday, 27 September 2009
On the economics of controlling an invasive plant: ...
a stochastic analysis of a biological control agent
an article by Morteza Chalak, Arjan Ruijs and Ekko C Van Ierland in International Journal of Environmental Technology and Management Volume 11 Number 1/2/3 (2009)
Abstract
Invasive plants can cause significant problems in natural and agricultural ecosystems. It is recognised that biological agents may assist in controlling invasions, but due to stochastic effects of biological control, the biological agent may not be effective. In this article, we analyse to what extent the stochastic effects of a biological control agent affect the optimal choice of control strategies to deal with the invasion of the Californian thistle in New Zealand. A stochastic dynamic optimisation model is set up that derives the path and combination of control options that maximise the expected net present value of returns from a pasture. The analysis focuses on two situations: a deterministic case and a second case in which the effect of introducing the insect Apion onopordi to reduce thistle density is stochastic. Although one would expect that the stochastic specification would lead to different results, we show that the stochasticity of the efficacy of the insect in this specific setting does not affect the optimal control measure adopted compared to the deterministic case. It is also shown that chemicals can be replaced as a control option by more environmentally friendly control options at relatively low costs.
Hazel’s comment:
Knowing how many gardeners there are in the world I make no apologies for posting this abstract that I happened across.
an article by Morteza Chalak, Arjan Ruijs and Ekko C Van Ierland in International Journal of Environmental Technology and Management Volume 11 Number 1/2/3 (2009)
Abstract
Invasive plants can cause significant problems in natural and agricultural ecosystems. It is recognised that biological agents may assist in controlling invasions, but due to stochastic effects of biological control, the biological agent may not be effective. In this article, we analyse to what extent the stochastic effects of a biological control agent affect the optimal choice of control strategies to deal with the invasion of the Californian thistle in New Zealand. A stochastic dynamic optimisation model is set up that derives the path and combination of control options that maximise the expected net present value of returns from a pasture. The analysis focuses on two situations: a deterministic case and a second case in which the effect of introducing the insect Apion onopordi to reduce thistle density is stochastic. Although one would expect that the stochastic specification would lead to different results, we show that the stochasticity of the efficacy of the insect in this specific setting does not affect the optimal control measure adopted compared to the deterministic case. It is also shown that chemicals can be replaced as a control option by more environmentally friendly control options at relatively low costs.
Hazel’s comment:
Knowing how many gardeners there are in the world I make no apologies for posting this abstract that I happened across.
(Re)Analysing Community Empowerment: ...
Rationalities and Technologies of Government in Bristol's New Deal for Communities
an article by Julie MacLeavy (School of Geographical Sciences, University of Bristol) published in Urban Studies Volume 46 Number 4 (2009)
Abstract
Urban regeneration is increasingly framed around notions of community empowerment. Policy programmes seek to make communities visible and then strengthen and support them through the establishment of a leadership role in urban regeneration practices. At first glance, this appears to be a positive development. Yet commentators note how community partnerships – seen to invoke a “rolling back” of the state – are indicative of a particular economic logic that is governing urban policy provision. Partnerships, it is argued, constitute tokenistic organisations that do not represent the diversity of interests within a particular area. Instead, they work primarily in support of business or government agendas. This paper re-orientates this critique. Focusing on one example of a community-led urban regeneration programme – New Deal for Communities in Bristol – it explores the subjects and spaces to emerge in and through this new form of governance. By identifying the manner in which New Deal for Communities composes all participants as partnering subjects, it posits community engagement as the medium through which power is being reconstituted in extremely comprehensive ways. It then questions the possibilities for developing and sustaining alternative forms of collaborative practice.
an article by Julie MacLeavy (School of Geographical Sciences, University of Bristol) published in Urban Studies Volume 46 Number 4 (2009)
Abstract
Urban regeneration is increasingly framed around notions of community empowerment. Policy programmes seek to make communities visible and then strengthen and support them through the establishment of a leadership role in urban regeneration practices. At first glance, this appears to be a positive development. Yet commentators note how community partnerships – seen to invoke a “rolling back” of the state – are indicative of a particular economic logic that is governing urban policy provision. Partnerships, it is argued, constitute tokenistic organisations that do not represent the diversity of interests within a particular area. Instead, they work primarily in support of business or government agendas. This paper re-orientates this critique. Focusing on one example of a community-led urban regeneration programme – New Deal for Communities in Bristol – it explores the subjects and spaces to emerge in and through this new form of governance. By identifying the manner in which New Deal for Communities composes all participants as partnering subjects, it posits community engagement as the medium through which power is being reconstituted in extremely comprehensive ways. It then questions the possibilities for developing and sustaining alternative forms of collaborative practice.
Emotional journeys: young people and transitions to university
an article by Hazel Christie (Edinburgh Napier University) published in British Journal of Sociology of Education Volume 30 Issue 2 (March 2009)
Abstract
This paper offers an interpretation of the role of emotions in understanding the transitions that young people make to university. I draw on qualitative research with a group of non-traditional students, entering élite universities, to argue that youth transitions are emotional as well instrumental affairs. I argue that choice-making processes incorporate both trust in, and fear of, the transitions infrastructure, and that these emotions infuse more instrumental judgements about the economic benefits of higher education. I also demonstrate that emotional aspects of class – including feelings of entitlement to education and the rejection of normative student identities – constitute the experience of “being” or “doing” a student. A broader understanding of how young people become university students then depends not just on developing a new identity but on the complex interaction between emotion and infrastructure.
Abstract
This paper offers an interpretation of the role of emotions in understanding the transitions that young people make to university. I draw on qualitative research with a group of non-traditional students, entering élite universities, to argue that youth transitions are emotional as well instrumental affairs. I argue that choice-making processes incorporate both trust in, and fear of, the transitions infrastructure, and that these emotions infuse more instrumental judgements about the economic benefits of higher education. I also demonstrate that emotional aspects of class – including feelings of entitlement to education and the rejection of normative student identities – constitute the experience of “being” or “doing” a student. A broader understanding of how young people become university students then depends not just on developing a new identity but on the complex interaction between emotion and infrastructure.
Ten trivial (i.e non-work-related) items
via Arts & Letters Daily – ideas, criticism, debate
Alberto Fujimori defeated evil in Peru. On the other hand, he used evil to accomplish it. Who is to judge? Whom to be judged? Theodore Dalrymple wonders... more
The Vivarium (via Blisstree » Arts & Crafts by Cyndi Lavin) is a treasure trove of digitised rare books, old manuscripts, art, photographs, and other objects of beauty and wonder, all made possible by two Benedictine communities in Minnesota: the College of Saint Benedict and Saint John's University. Some of the treasures are located in private collections, and The Vivarium was able to secure permission to photograph and document them for the use of scholars and artists in the future. The Ethiopian Manuscript collection is one of these: the manuscripts and scrolls are located in private collections all over North America. Gorgeous illustrated texts, pottery, Syriac manuscripts and artifacts… there's just amazing stuff in this collection, all available online.
Six-potato gatling gun via Boing Boing by Mark Frauenfelder
Here's a video and how-to for making your own potato six shooter. Family fun at its finest!
The Potato Gatling Gun
Ethics & Overuse of Cost-Free Resources via The Business Ethics Blog by Chris MacDonald
How much water does it take to make a latte? That's the question asked (and answered) in this cool little flash video from the World Wildlife Fund: How Much Water?. The answer: 200 litres (about 53 US gallons). That number is shocking, and it's intended to be. What the video points out is that each ingredient of the latte – from the milk, to the coffee beans, to the paper that makes up the cup – requires water to grow or manufacture it. But the video is a wonderful little piece of awareness-raising, and a good opportunity to highlight an economic concept that is crucial to understanding questions about sustainability.
via Arts & Letters Daily – ideas, criticism, debate
“I’ll scarcely be persuaded that anything good can come from Arabia,” said Petrarch. Little did he grasp the depth of Islamic thought... more ... more
Food ingredients with hard-to-pronounce names are perceived as scarier via Boing Boing by Cory Doctorow
Patrick sez, “I'm a neuroscientist and I've written up in lay-speak a really fascinating little study I came across recently. The gist of the research was thus: people were presented with the names of fictional chemical food additives and asked to judge which ones they thought were more ‘dangerous’. What they found was that the harder it was to pronounce, the riskier it was perceived.”
via Arts & Letters Daily – ideas, criticism, debate
Looking for real adventure? Then stay off Mount Everest, where Base Camp now offers hot showers, Web access, TVs, and fresh strawberries... more
via Arts & Letters Daily – ideas, criticism, debate
Literacy, the most empowering achievement of our civilisation, is to be replaced by a vague and ill-defined screen savvy. All in the name of progress... more
via Arts & Letters Daily – ideas, criticism, debate
W.H. Auden, E.M. Forster, William Empson, and Philip Larkin: four men who lived and died by, with, and for the English language. Steven Isenberg had lunch with them all... more
via Arts & Letters Daily – ideas, criticism, debate
The killer's blood was on the weapon, but a DNA search yielded nothing. Why not comb through DNA records to find the killer's relatives? Just might crack the case... more
Alberto Fujimori defeated evil in Peru. On the other hand, he used evil to accomplish it. Who is to judge? Whom to be judged? Theodore Dalrymple wonders... more
The Vivarium (via Blisstree » Arts & Crafts by Cyndi Lavin) is a treasure trove of digitised rare books, old manuscripts, art, photographs, and other objects of beauty and wonder, all made possible by two Benedictine communities in Minnesota: the College of Saint Benedict and Saint John's University. Some of the treasures are located in private collections, and The Vivarium was able to secure permission to photograph and document them for the use of scholars and artists in the future. The Ethiopian Manuscript collection is one of these: the manuscripts and scrolls are located in private collections all over North America. Gorgeous illustrated texts, pottery, Syriac manuscripts and artifacts… there's just amazing stuff in this collection, all available online.
Six-potato gatling gun via Boing Boing by Mark Frauenfelder
Here's a video and how-to for making your own potato six shooter. Family fun at its finest!
The Potato Gatling Gun
Ethics & Overuse of Cost-Free Resources via The Business Ethics Blog by Chris MacDonald
How much water does it take to make a latte? That's the question asked (and answered) in this cool little flash video from the World Wildlife Fund: How Much Water?. The answer: 200 litres (about 53 US gallons). That number is shocking, and it's intended to be. What the video points out is that each ingredient of the latte – from the milk, to the coffee beans, to the paper that makes up the cup – requires water to grow or manufacture it. But the video is a wonderful little piece of awareness-raising, and a good opportunity to highlight an economic concept that is crucial to understanding questions about sustainability.
via Arts & Letters Daily – ideas, criticism, debate
“I’ll scarcely be persuaded that anything good can come from Arabia,” said Petrarch. Little did he grasp the depth of Islamic thought... more ... more
Food ingredients with hard-to-pronounce names are perceived as scarier via Boing Boing by Cory Doctorow
Patrick sez, “I'm a neuroscientist and I've written up in lay-speak a really fascinating little study I came across recently. The gist of the research was thus: people were presented with the names of fictional chemical food additives and asked to judge which ones they thought were more ‘dangerous’. What they found was that the harder it was to pronounce, the riskier it was perceived.”
via Arts & Letters Daily – ideas, criticism, debate
Looking for real adventure? Then stay off Mount Everest, where Base Camp now offers hot showers, Web access, TVs, and fresh strawberries... more
via Arts & Letters Daily – ideas, criticism, debate
Literacy, the most empowering achievement of our civilisation, is to be replaced by a vague and ill-defined screen savvy. All in the name of progress... more
via Arts & Letters Daily – ideas, criticism, debate
W.H. Auden, E.M. Forster, William Empson, and Philip Larkin: four men who lived and died by, with, and for the English language. Steven Isenberg had lunch with them all... more
via Arts & Letters Daily – ideas, criticism, debate
The killer's blood was on the weapon, but a DNA search yielded nothing. Why not comb through DNA records to find the killer's relatives? Just might crack the case... more
Saturday, 26 September 2009
Employment Outlook 2009 Country Notes: United Kingdom
a recent publication from the OECD
Abstract
The recession is slowing or even ending in the United Kingdom as well as in other OECD countries. This being said, the average unemployment rate for the OECD area reached a post-war high of 8.5% in July and may approach 10% in the coming months.
Unemployment has risen about as sharply in the United Kingdom as it has in the OECD area as a whole. The 2.6 percentage-point increase in the UK unemployment rate between December 2007 and the second quarter of 2009 is nearly identical to the average rise for the OECD area (Figure 1). The recent upsurge in unemployment has been much sharper in several other countries where the banking and housing sectors also suffered strong reversals, in particular Spain, Ireland and the United States. By contrast, the rise in unemployment has been modest in a number of European countries, including large economies such as Germany and Italy.
Readers can access the full version of the OECD Employment Outlook 2009 by choosing from the following options:
Subscribers and readers at subscribing institutions can access the online edition via SourceOECD, our online library.
Non-subscribers can browse or purchase the PDF e-book and/or paper copy via our Online Bookshop or order it from your local distributor.
Abstract
The recession is slowing or even ending in the United Kingdom as well as in other OECD countries. This being said, the average unemployment rate for the OECD area reached a post-war high of 8.5% in July and may approach 10% in the coming months.
Unemployment has risen about as sharply in the United Kingdom as it has in the OECD area as a whole. The 2.6 percentage-point increase in the UK unemployment rate between December 2007 and the second quarter of 2009 is nearly identical to the average rise for the OECD area (Figure 1). The recent upsurge in unemployment has been much sharper in several other countries where the banking and housing sectors also suffered strong reversals, in particular Spain, Ireland and the United States. By contrast, the rise in unemployment has been modest in a number of European countries, including large economies such as Germany and Italy.
Readers can access the full version of the OECD Employment Outlook 2009 by choosing from the following options:
Subscribers and readers at subscribing institutions can access the online edition via SourceOECD, our online library.
Non-subscribers can browse or purchase the PDF e-book and/or paper copy via our Online Bookshop or order it from your local distributor.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
