CMPO Viewpoint: a blog from The Centre for Market and Public Organisation
Blog post by Simon Burgess and Ellen Greaves (IFS) and Anna Vignoles (University of Cambridge)
Why are pupils from disadvantaged families more often found studying in poorly performing schools?
Is it choice or is it constraint?
Is it because the families choose local schools despite low performance?
Or is it because the school admissions system which focusses on proximity to school works against poorer families?
Continue reading
Hazel’s comment:
Sometimes the answers to the above type of questions are obvious, sometimes they are not but anecdotal response does not move policy-makers.
Sometimes considered, researched response doesn’t move them either but that is a different issue.
Wednesday, 14 January 2015
Monday, 12 January 2015
Living in the age of no retirement
via The Work Foundation; a blog post by Deborah Gale
The last of the baby boomers turns fifty in 2014. This huge cohort is said to have defined the modern age. Not only have the first teenagers come to an advanced age, they are likewise crossing into a different time to grow old. Unsurprisingly, their retirement experience is also turning out to be very different.
Continue reading
The last of the baby boomers turns fifty in 2014. This huge cohort is said to have defined the modern age. Not only have the first teenagers come to an advanced age, they are likewise crossing into a different time to grow old. Unsurprisingly, their retirement experience is also turning out to be very different.
Continue reading
Becoming a young mother: Teenage pregnancy and parenting policy
an article by Naomi Rudoe (University of Westminster) published in Critical Social Policy Volume 34 Number 3 (August 2014)
Abstract
As part of New Labour’s commitment to reducing social exclusion, their Teenage Pregnancy Strategy (1999–2010) aimed to reduce teenage conceptions in England and Wales and to increase the participation of young parents in education, employment and training.
The Coalition government, while discontinuing the Strategy, has increased the focus on early intervention, parenting and targeted support for ‘troubled families’.
This article examines teenage pregnancy and parenting policies in the context of an alternative educational setting for pregnant young women and mothers. Young women and staff in this setting held complex attitudes towards the Teenage Pregnancy Strategy and towards parenting interventions and ideas about ‘good’ motherhood.
The data demonstrate both resistance to and support for such policy interventions, as well as a contested and unstable notion of the ‘good mother’.
The article argues that parenting education needs to be sensitive towards structural inequalities and difficulties rather than purely focusing on behaviour change.
Abstract
As part of New Labour’s commitment to reducing social exclusion, their Teenage Pregnancy Strategy (1999–2010) aimed to reduce teenage conceptions in England and Wales and to increase the participation of young parents in education, employment and training.
The Coalition government, while discontinuing the Strategy, has increased the focus on early intervention, parenting and targeted support for ‘troubled families’.
This article examines teenage pregnancy and parenting policies in the context of an alternative educational setting for pregnant young women and mothers. Young women and staff in this setting held complex attitudes towards the Teenage Pregnancy Strategy and towards parenting interventions and ideas about ‘good’ motherhood.
The data demonstrate both resistance to and support for such policy interventions, as well as a contested and unstable notion of the ‘good mother’.
The article argues that parenting education needs to be sensitive towards structural inequalities and difficulties rather than purely focusing on behaviour change.
Saturday, 10 January 2015
Trivia (should have been 25 October)
Office Girls: 1921
via Shorpy Historical Photo Archive – Vintage Fine Art Prints by Dave
December 1921 Washington, D.C.
“Machinists Association”
And what could be an exhibit for the Museum of Antique Office Equipment. Experts please weigh in.
National Photo Company Collection glass negative
View original post
==========================================
20 Amazing Novels You Should Read Before You Watch The Movies Based on Them
via Lifehack by Sarah Anton
There’s nothing better than sinking into your comfy chair with a wonderful book and being drifted off into a whole new world. A world that isn't yours. Many will agree that reading books is differentthan from watching the movie version, since you grow attached to the characters as their feelings and story progresses. It’s not uncommon for a reader to actually get caught up into the book to such a level that they cry, laugh, blush or scream while their favorite character goes through different life episodes. That being said, there are 20 amazing novels that you must read before you watch the movie! Not only to know what to expect before it happens, but also to compare your vision of the character to the movie’s portrayal.
Continue reading
And it's not uncommon for me to watch the first five minutes of a movie and give up because it is so different from my own idea of what the characters and the landscape should be like.
==========================================
Arts & Letters Daily – ideas, criticism, debate
Slavery and capitalism
The relationship between the two is key to understanding the origins of the modern world… more
==========================================
What lies beneath London?
via BBC News, London by Andy Dangerfield
From deep-level air raid shelters to the colossal Crossrail construction, beneath London lies a labyrinth of tunnels. BBC News delved underground to visit some of the capital’s rarely seen subterranean spots. Continue reading
==========================================
15 of the World’s Coolest Sheds
via Killer Web Directory by David Eaves
Here is an infographic from the garden buildings website called What Shed all about the most awesome sheds. The majority of these sheds are based in the United Kingdom but they are not sure about the location of some of them.
Check it out here
==========================================
Arts & Letters Daily – ideas, criticism, debate
Inventing the future
The Victorians told a particular story about culture, technology, and optimism. It still shapes our vision of things to come… more
==========================================
How I learned to think like a mushroom
via Boing Boing by Trad Cotter
We need fungal solutions to pollution, pandemics, and starvation, says Tradd Cotter, a microbiologist and professional mycologist.
Continue reading
==========================================
The ‘live bait squadron’
via National Archives by Dr Richard Dunley
Admiralty ship Hogue, ADM 176/337 (2)
In the space of little over an hour on the morning of 22 September 1914, the Royal Navy suffered one of the worst disasters in its history. Three armoured cruisers were sunk with the loss of over 1,450 lives. The culprit, U-9, a small German submarine with a crew of less than 30, slipped away unharmed. This battle fundamentally changed perceptions of warfare at sea, and set the tone for the very modern maritime conflict to be fought over the next four years.
Continue reading
==========================================
Arts & Letters Daily – ideas, criticism, debate
The invention of clumsiness
With the advent of photography, artists grew to differ in their depictions of the ungainliness of the human form… more
==========================================
Supporting a son who wants to wear pink shoes
via Boing Boing by Cory Doctorw
Todd, who made an appearance here last year, pondering how to support his little boy who’d been scared off wearing pink; now he's back with the latest chapter in his son’s life.
Continue reading
via Shorpy Historical Photo Archive – Vintage Fine Art Prints by Dave
December 1921 Washington, D.C.
“Machinists Association”
And what could be an exhibit for the Museum of Antique Office Equipment. Experts please weigh in.
National Photo Company Collection glass negative
View original post
==========================================
20 Amazing Novels You Should Read Before You Watch The Movies Based on Them
via Lifehack by Sarah Anton
There’s nothing better than sinking into your comfy chair with a wonderful book and being drifted off into a whole new world. A world that isn't yours. Many will agree that reading books is different
Continue reading
And it's not uncommon for me to watch the first five minutes of a movie and give up because it is so different from my own idea of what the characters and the landscape should be like.
==========================================
Arts & Letters Daily – ideas, criticism, debate
The relationship between the two is key to understanding the origins of the modern world… more
==========================================
What lies beneath London?
via BBC News, London by Andy Dangerfield
From deep-level air raid shelters to the colossal Crossrail construction, beneath London lies a labyrinth of tunnels. BBC News delved underground to visit some of the capital’s rarely seen subterranean spots. Continue reading
==========================================
15 of the World’s Coolest Sheds
via Killer Web Directory by David Eaves
Here is an infographic from the garden buildings website called What Shed all about the most awesome sheds. The majority of these sheds are based in the United Kingdom but they are not sure about the location of some of them.
Check it out here
==========================================
Arts & Letters Daily – ideas, criticism, debate
The Victorians told a particular story about culture, technology, and optimism. It still shapes our vision of things to come… more
==========================================
How I learned to think like a mushroom
via Boing Boing by Trad Cotter
We need fungal solutions to pollution, pandemics, and starvation, says Tradd Cotter, a microbiologist and professional mycologist.Continue reading
==========================================
The ‘live bait squadron’
via National Archives by Dr Richard Dunley
Admiralty ship Hogue, ADM 176/337 (2)
In the space of little over an hour on the morning of 22 September 1914, the Royal Navy suffered one of the worst disasters in its history. Three armoured cruisers were sunk with the loss of over 1,450 lives. The culprit, U-9, a small German submarine with a crew of less than 30, slipped away unharmed. This battle fundamentally changed perceptions of warfare at sea, and set the tone for the very modern maritime conflict to be fought over the next four years.
Continue reading
Arts & Letters Daily – ideas, criticism, debate
With the advent of photography, artists grew to differ in their depictions of the ungainliness of the human form… more
==========================================
Supporting a son who wants to wear pink shoes
via Boing Boing by Cory Doctorw
Todd, who made an appearance here last year, pondering how to support his little boy who’d been scared off wearing pink; now he's back with the latest chapter in his son’s life.
Continue reading
Wednesday, 7 January 2015
Life satisfaction effects of unemployment in Europe: The moderating influence of labour market policy
an article by Melike Wulfgramm (University of Bremen, Germany; IZA, Germany) published in Journal of European Social Policy Volume 24 Number 3 (July 2014)
Abstract
Public policy shapes the lives of individuals, and even more so if they depend on state support.
In the case of unemployment, the financial situation is largely determined by cash transfers and daily routines depend on the involvement in active labour market policy measures. To what extent, however, can subjective well-being differences of European unemployed be traced back to the national design and generosity of labour market policy?
This article applies multilevel and panel estimation techniques to identify the moderating effect of unemployment benefit generosity and active labour market policy on life satisfaction of the unemployed.
While unemployment has strong negative life satisfaction effects in all 21 European countries under study, the generosity of passive labour market policy moderates this effect to a surprisingly large extent: the adverse effect of unemployment is almost doubled if unemployment benefits are meagre.
This moderating effect can be explained both by a resource as well as a non-pecuniary mechanism. The positive moderating effect of active labour market policy is less robust across model specifications.
Abstract
Public policy shapes the lives of individuals, and even more so if they depend on state support.
In the case of unemployment, the financial situation is largely determined by cash transfers and daily routines depend on the involvement in active labour market policy measures. To what extent, however, can subjective well-being differences of European unemployed be traced back to the national design and generosity of labour market policy?
This article applies multilevel and panel estimation techniques to identify the moderating effect of unemployment benefit generosity and active labour market policy on life satisfaction of the unemployed.
While unemployment has strong negative life satisfaction effects in all 21 European countries under study, the generosity of passive labour market policy moderates this effect to a surprisingly large extent: the adverse effect of unemployment is almost doubled if unemployment benefits are meagre.
This moderating effect can be explained both by a resource as well as a non-pecuniary mechanism. The positive moderating effect of active labour market policy is less robust across model specifications.
How Far do England's Second-Order Cities Emulate London as Human-Capital ‘Escalators’?
an article by Tony Champion and Mike Coombes (Centre for Urban and Regional Development Studies, Newcastle University) and Ian Gordon (London School of Economics) published in Population, Space and Place Volume 20 Issue 5 (July 2014)
Abstract
In the urban resurgence accompanying the growth of the knowledge economy, second-order cities appear to be losing out to the principal city, especially where the latter is much larger and benefits from substantially greater agglomeration economies. The view that any city can make itself attractive to creative talent seems at odds with the idea of a country having just one ‘escalator region’ where the rate of career progression is much faster, especially for in-migrants.
This paper takes the case of England, with its highly primate city-size distribution, and tests how its second-order cities (in size order, Birmingham, Manchester, Leeds, Newcastle, Bristol, Sheffield, Liverpool, Nottingham, and Leicester) compare with London as human-capital escalators. The analysis is based on the Office for National Statistics Longitudinal Survey of linked census records for 1991–2001 and uses one key indicator of upward social mobility – the transition from White Collar Non-core to White Collar Core.
For non-migrants, the transition rate for the second-order cities combined is found to fall well short of London's, but in one case – Manchester – the rate is significantly higher than the rest of the country outside the Greater South East. Those moving to the second-order cities during the decade experienced much stronger upward social mobility than their non-migrants, but this ‘migrant premium’ was generally similar to that for London, suggesting that it results from people moving only after they have secured a better job.
Second-order cities, therefore, cannot rely on the speculative migration of talented people but need suitable jobs ready for them to access.
Abstract
In the urban resurgence accompanying the growth of the knowledge economy, second-order cities appear to be losing out to the principal city, especially where the latter is much larger and benefits from substantially greater agglomeration economies. The view that any city can make itself attractive to creative talent seems at odds with the idea of a country having just one ‘escalator region’ where the rate of career progression is much faster, especially for in-migrants.
This paper takes the case of England, with its highly primate city-size distribution, and tests how its second-order cities (in size order, Birmingham, Manchester, Leeds, Newcastle, Bristol, Sheffield, Liverpool, Nottingham, and Leicester) compare with London as human-capital escalators. The analysis is based on the Office for National Statistics Longitudinal Survey of linked census records for 1991–2001 and uses one key indicator of upward social mobility – the transition from White Collar Non-core to White Collar Core.
For non-migrants, the transition rate for the second-order cities combined is found to fall well short of London's, but in one case – Manchester – the rate is significantly higher than the rest of the country outside the Greater South East. Those moving to the second-order cities during the decade experienced much stronger upward social mobility than their non-migrants, but this ‘migrant premium’ was generally similar to that for London, suggesting that it results from people moving only after they have secured a better job.
Second-order cities, therefore, cannot rely on the speculative migration of talented people but need suitable jobs ready for them to access.
Tuesday, 6 January 2015
“How people read and write and they don't even notice”: everyday lives and literacies on a Midlands council estate
an article by Susan Jones (University of Nottingham) published in Literacy Volume 48 Issue 2 (July 2014)
Abstract
This article presents data from a British Academy-funded study of the everyday literacy practices of three families living on a predominantly white working-class council housing estate on the edge of a Midlands city. The study explored, as one participant succinctly put it, “how people read and write and they don't even notice”. This alludes to the ways in which everyday practices may not be recognised as part of a dominant model of literacy.
The study considered too the ways in which these literacy practices are part of a wider policy context that also fails to notice the impact of austerity politics on everyday lives. An emphasis on quantitative measures of disadvantage and public discourse which vilifies those facing economic challenge can overshadow the resilience and resourcefulness of individuals and families in making meaning from their experiences.
Drawing together consideration of everyday lives and the everyday literacies which are part of them, this article explores the impact of the current policy context on access to both economic and cultural resources, showing how literacy, as part of this context, should be recognised as a powerful means not only of constricting lives but also of constructing them.
Abstract
This article presents data from a British Academy-funded study of the everyday literacy practices of three families living on a predominantly white working-class council housing estate on the edge of a Midlands city. The study explored, as one participant succinctly put it, “how people read and write and they don't even notice”. This alludes to the ways in which everyday practices may not be recognised as part of a dominant model of literacy.
The study considered too the ways in which these literacy practices are part of a wider policy context that also fails to notice the impact of austerity politics on everyday lives. An emphasis on quantitative measures of disadvantage and public discourse which vilifies those facing economic challenge can overshadow the resilience and resourcefulness of individuals and families in making meaning from their experiences.
Drawing together consideration of everyday lives and the everyday literacies which are part of them, this article explores the impact of the current policy context on access to both economic and cultural resources, showing how literacy, as part of this context, should be recognised as a powerful means not only of constricting lives but also of constructing them.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
