An evaluation of geomorphological contributions to mountain highway design with particular reference to the Lower Himalayas

Mass movement, fluvial erosion, sediment transport and earthworks - induced instability, often pose major problems for highway design and construction in mountain terrain. This thesis examines the contribution that geomorphological techniques can make to the evaluation of these hazards for highway design purposes in the Lower Himalaya. A review of the consequences of geomorphological hazards to highway stability is illustrated by reference to selected mountain roads in India and Nepal. The design, stability and construction costs of these roads are discussed in respect to their status or function in the road network and, more particularly, the severity of hazards and terrain conditions they encounter. Techniques of hazard and terrain assessment for highway design purposes are examined and tested in the remainder of the thesis. Techniques of medium-scale (1: 10 000-1: 50 000) landslide hazard mapping and large-scale (greater than 1: 10 000) geomorphological ground survey are discussed and tested in the Dharan-Dhankuta area of Nepal, in terms of their ability to provide useful information for alignment design, road stabilization and protection works. The contribution of geomorphological ground survey to highway design is critically assessed by reference to the Dharan-Dhankuta road, and its stability following a high magnitude storm in 1984. A proforma method for assessing flooding, erosion and sediment hazards in small mountain channels is developed. Discharge data for the 1984 storm are derived from these proformas and used to test a number of selected ungauged catchment equations, and to develop empirical relationships between peak discharge and catchment variables for purposes of high magnitude runoff prediction from small catchments. In addition, low-cost, low technology methods for monitoring discharge, slope erosion, sediment transport and mass movement are tested in terms of their ability to provide meaningful data in the short-term for design purposes. Finally, optimum strategies of hazard and terrain assessment for highway design are proposed. The potential for further application of geomorphological techniques and expertise to mountain highway design is discussed

Social change, social work, and the adoption of children

This thesis describes the development of legal adoption since 1926 and latterly Its Increasingly significant role as an alternative disposal for children in the care of local authority Social Services Departments. In achieving such prominence as a function of statutory social work, it is proposed that legal adoption can now be regarded as part of the panoply of ideological domination. This development is but one of a number of modifications of practice taking place within statutory social work. Pressures for change are seen to originate outside of the profession for the most part. To situate the study within the modern state, practice under the Poor Law after 1834 is reviewed. The developing legal position of children throughout the nineteenth century vis a vis their parents and the state, is also considered. Detailed description and discussion of the official discourse of legal adoption comprises much of the thesis. This consideration is mainly of official government reports proposing legislation, and the legislation itself, together with analysis of legal interpretation and the role of the High Court in determining social work practice. The development of statutory social work particularly with families and children since the second world war is outlined, with more detailed consideration given to what is 6een to be an increasing emphasis upon surveillance at the expense of assistance in relation to client families. The increasingly significant role of legal adoption within social work practice is seen to have been encouraged by recent inquiries into incidences of abuse of children "in care". Legal adoption should now be considered as only the most far reaching of several statutory social work procedures available in relation to children "in care", under the recently defined rubric "the permanence principle of social welfare". The local authority power to assume parental rights over children in its care is a second social work procedure which has also gained considerably in significance in recent years as an alternative means to "permanence". It is concluded that the trend towards negotiable parenthood is a powerful symbolic and instrumental force for an altered statutory social work practice, congruent with the aims and attitudes of contemporary ideological domination

The group of 77 in UNCTAD: anatomy of a Third World coalition

This thesis attempts to evaluate the processes through which members of the Group of Seventy-Seven manage to maintain the coalition. The analysis is concerned with the management of conflict within the Group and the development of cooperative strategies. The analysis focuses on the operation of the Group of Seventy-Seven in the institutional context of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD). Part One of the study consists of a detailed account of the origins of the Group of Seventy-Seven. The concrete historical circumstances which gave rise to the formation of the coalition are assessed. Part Two attempts to evaluate the importance of organisational characteristics for the development and maintenance of unity in the Group of Seventy-Seven. We investigate the salience of the UNCTAD framework for the development of persistent patterns of group behaviour. We then examine the creation and development of organisational structures and processes specific to the Group of Seventy-Seven. The transformation of the Group from a highly informal coalition to one with highly developed institutional procedures and the influence of these organisational features on coalition behaviour is analysed. Part Three of the study assesses the extent to which the negotiating positions of the Group of Seventy-Seven are affected by the existence of various cleavages within the coalition. Two detailed case-studies provide the data for an analysis of patterns of conflict and conflict management

The development and decline of the turnpike system in the Stroudwater area of Gloucestershire 1725-1875.

The thesis examines the development of road communications within a relatively self-contained area of hills and valleys; their relationship with the local relief and geology, and their response to changes in the settlement pattern and local economy, from late medieval times to the latter part of the 19th century. By the 18th century a 3-tier pattern had developed: through-routes on the plateau or ridge tops, 'contour' tracks linking hill-side settlements, and 'vertical' tracks from valley floor to plateau top. The inadequacies of the parish road repair system led to the creation of toll-roads. Three such phases may here be distinguished. Firstly, the amendment of roads from the Severn to the edge of the Cotswolds; secondly, the development of long-distance routes across the plateau; thirdly, the construction of completely new alignments along, or close to, the valley bottom, reaching the plateau by sweeping sinuous curves. This last phase starts with the creation of the Nailsworth Turnpike Trust in 1780, though the example was not followed in the other valleys until the period 1800-1825. In each phase a close look is taken at the financing of a particular road, or group of roads. The first such is the audit of the Stroud Turnpike, which took place in 1734 as a result of public discontent over the newly-imposed tolls. The financial theme is central to the whole history of turnpikes and in fact it was not the coming of the railways that brought about the crisis in the system. The trusts had been in grave financial trouble by at least the 1820s, and numerous Parliamentary enquiries had tried to resolve the problem of debt but without success. In the Stroudwater area an attempt was made in the early 1850s to introduce many of the suggested remedies: how and why this attempt failed is discussed. But while the competition from railways certainly caused the extinction of long-distance coaching and allied services, the turnpike system itself continued for at least another 30 years, though with a diminished revenue in most trusts. The long-drawn-out process of unravelling the affairs of a turnpike until final dispiking is examined through the records of the Nailsworth Trust. From 1780 to the 1870s this trust is the exemplar for the area. Examined in detail are: the inception and inauguration of this new road, and the employment of a professional engineer, with competent road specificiations pre-dating the better-known work of McAdam by 30 years. Also examined are: problems of constructing a completely new road; the work of the various officials, the composition of the committee and the trust's administration; the raising of the initial capital and the collection of toll revenue, including a detailed examination of toll-farming in the later years. Allied matters are also looked at. At each change in the pattern of turnpike communications an appropriate financial problem is examined. Use is made throughout of numerous reproductions of contemporary maps and of original documents

Domestic analogy in proposals for world order, 1814-1945: the transfer of legal and political principles from the domestic to the international sphere in thought on international law and relations

The ways in which legal and political principles obtaining within states can profitably be transferred to the relations of states are among the contentious issues in the study of international relations, and the term 'domestic analogy' is used to refer to the argument which supports such transfer. The 'domestic analogy' is analogical reasoning according to which the conditions of order between states are similar to those of order within them, and therefore those institutions which sustain order within states should be transferred to the international system. However, despite the apparent division among writers on international relations between those who favour this analogy and those who are critical of it, no clear analysis has so far been made as to precisely what types of proposal should be treated as exemplifying reliance on this analogy. The first aim of this thesis is to clarify the range and types of proposal this analogy entails. The thesis then examines the role the domestic analogy played in ideas about world order in the period between 1814 and 1945. Particular attention is paid to the influence of changing circumstances in the domestic and international spheres upon the manner and the extent of the use of this analogy. In addition to the ideas of major writers on international law and relations, the creation of the League of Nations and of the United Nations is also examined. The thesis then discusses the merits of the five main types of approach to world order which emerge from the preceding analysis. Each embodies a distinct attitude towards the domestic analogy. The thesis shows that there are weaknesses in the approaches based on the domestic analogy, but that ideas critical of this analogy are not entirely flawless, and explores further the conditions under which the more promising proposals may bear fruit

A case study of urban ethnicity: Harrow Gujaratis.

This thesis examines the settlement of Gujaratis in Harrow, London, and the evolution of Gujarati organisations during the 1970s and the 1980s. Most Harrow Asians settled in the Borough after 1972, following their expulsion from Uganda. The Asian community, therefore, is predominantly East African and the majority of Asians originate from the Indian state of Gujarat. Gujaratis were not welcomed in Harrow, yet the Borough could not prevent Asian immigrants from settling in this part of London. The proximity of Harrow to large Asian settlements in north London made it attractive to the more established immigrants. The first years of settlement were mainly dedicated to building a firm economic base, and Gujaratis established, during the 1970s, various associations that complemented their economic activity during the 1970s. Some associations were founded on traditional lines. These were mainly caste and religious associations, which were also the most resourceful in financial and human terms. The affiliation of Gujaratis to different caste associations created serious rivalries with the consequence that the Gujarati community in Britain has remained divided. In Harrow, rivalries have emerged within the Asian community as a result of a growing competition for scarce resources. During the 1980s, Harrow Council declared itself an equal opportunities employer and, by this act, has raised the expectations of Asians that the Borough would be more responsive to their needs. Several pressure groups have emerged, and Gujaratis played a major role in exerting pressure on the Council. Though some Gujarati activists were equally active in traditional associations, the intensification of the relationships with the Council assisted in the emergence of a new type of leadership, comprised Gujaratis who identified themselves as black and who adopted the ideological framework of institutional racism. Although the thesis is about the settlement in Harrow of this community, the original interest of the researcher was focused on the food habits of this population as a method of measuring acculturation. Fieldwork on this subject was conducted both in Harrow and India. The thesis ends, therefore, with a description of the Gujarati diet both in Britain and India, with an analysis of the significance of the changes that have taken place in this area

The role of contracts in industrial organisation theory

The thesis comprises three chapters and an introduction. Chapter 1 extends the basic Principal-Agent model by allowing the principal to investigate the agent after the latter has chosen his action. The threat of investigation can be used by the principal as an incentive-scheme. As is well known, this scheme is most effective when the punishment imposed on an agent who is found shirking is as large as possible. It is shown, however, that there will be limits to the optimal size of penalties if the principal makes inspection-errors and if he cannot precommit himself to a given inspection-strategy. Furthermore, if one of these two assumptions is not verified then the principle of maximum deterrence may still apply. Chapter 2 addresses the question of whether an incumbent seller who faces a threat of entry into his market does prevent entry by signing long-term contracts with his customers. The related question of the optimal length of contracts between the incumbent and his clients is also considered. It is shown that such contracts do prevent entry to some extent but that they never completely preclude it. Furthermore, it is established that such contracts are socially inefficient. Finally, when the seller possesses superior information about the likelihood of entry, it is shown that optimal contracts may be of finite length, since the length of the contract may act as a signal of the likelihood of entry. Chapter 3 deals with vertical restraints in manufacturer-retailer contractual relations. The case of a manufacturer who sells a homogeneous good to retailers who compete in prices and "post-sales" services, is considered. It is shown that simple forms of vertical restraints, such as resale-price-maintenance and franchise-fees, dominate the optimal linear-price contract but are dominated by vertical integration. The analysis is concluded with the description of an optimal contract

Professional status and managerial tasks a comparison of nursing and social work in contemporary Britain with special reference to women's work

The thesis is based on documentary research concerned with a comparative examination of professionalism, managerialism and gender-typing in British nursing and social work. The mode of research is essentially qualitative in that selected documents are explored for relevant themes with subsequent examination of professional journals over a substantial period, in order to elicit the response to the above mentioned documents. All research material has been published between 1959 and 198C, although the historical antecedents are traced back to the Victorian era. The theoretical starting point is that of Etzioni's (19&9)(1) theory on "semi-professions", which is re-examined in the light of the above research material and other relevant literature, with a further development into what is termed "feminine professionalism" by the researcher. Thus the main research propositions are as follows:- 1. That Etzioni's thesis on the weakness of professional structures in certain occupations, with the tendency for managerialism to supervene in senior positions, applies in both nursing and social work. 2. That a distinct "gender division of labour" prevails in nursing and social work, with men predominantly occupying managerial/instrumentally orientated posts, whereas women tend to hold professional/expressively slanted positions. The notion of "feminine professionalism" is important in this context. 3. That the different hierarchical structures, professional ideologies and institutions and educational systems in British nursing and social work have contributed to their different development paths during the period under consideration. The research revealed support for all propositions listed above, although material relating to "feminine professionalism" was of a more implicit nature, dealing with themes underlying the practice of nursing and social work, not directly referred to within the terms of reference of the above documents. The latter concern themselves directly with professional, managerial and educational matters and the information gleaned under these headings was thus of a more explicit nature. Allowance for this difference in status of research information in the two categories has been made in analysing the research material

Aspects of South Yemen's foreign policy, 1967-1982

This study analyses the foreign relations of South Yemen (since 1970 the People's Democratic Republic of Yemen) from independence in 1967 until 1982. It covers the first four Presidencies of the post-independence period, with their attendant policy changes, and ends with the resolution of two of the more pressing foreign policy conflicts with which South Yemen was concerned, its support for the guerrillas in North Yemen, who were defeated in the spring of 1982, and its conflict with the Sultanate of Oman, with whom diplomatic relations were concluded in October 1982. Chapter One provides an outline of the background to South Yemen's foreign policy: the outcome of the independence movement itself and the resultant foreign policy orientations of the new government; the independence negotiations with Britain; and the manner in which, in the post-independence period, the ruling National Front sought to determine and develop its foreign policy. The remaining four chapters focus upon specific aspects of South Yemen's foreign policy that are, it is argued, of central importance. Chapter Two discusses relations with the West - with Britain, France, West Germany and the USA. It charts the pattern of continued economic ties with western European states, and the several political disputes which South Yemen had with them. Chapter Three discusses the issue of 'Yemeni Unity' - the reasons for the continued commitment to this goal, the policy of simultaneously supporting opposition in North Yemen and negotiating with the government there, and the course of policy on creating a unified Yemeni state. Chapter Four considers the attempt to promote revolution in Oman, relations with other states in the Arabian Peninsula and the gradual lessening of tensions between them and South Yemen. Chapter Five discusses relations with the USSR and China - the growth of military and economic links with Russia, the large but not complete area of PDRY-USSR political agreement, and the continued if sometimes tense relationship with China. The study ends with a brief Conclusion, suggesting some broader implications of South Yemen's foreign policy in this period

The development of unpopular council housing estates and attempted remedies 1895-1984

The thesis is divided into three parts. Part I traces the history of Council housing from the nineteenth century to the present day, showing the influences in building and management that have produced poor, run-down publicly owned housing estates. Octavia Hill, the ardent reformer, developed a system of intensive, localised management, coupling slow renovation of the worst slum housing with social support for the most disadvantaged households. Local authorities failed to copy her approach while wanting to combat slums. They built for secure, working families and built large, dense blocks of flats, often displacing the very poor. General housing subsidies were introduced in a big building spurt after World War I, and in 1930 these subsidies were targetted at slum clearance, relief of overcrowding and the construction of flats in inner cities. Local authorities were expanding rapidly and private landlords declined. After World War 11 the mass housing era began and about four million homes were built by Councils over 30 years. Half were industrially built or in the form of flats, both unpopular styles. Most were in cities on large estates. Management problems developed apace, with poor staff training and little political will to provide meticulous landlord services. Lettings policies concentrated the poorest families on the least popular estates. Homelessness increased in spite of evidence of a crude housing surplus. The gap between the Council sector and the owner-occupied sector grew in socio-economic terms. Part 11 examines the detailed evidence of the Government and local authorities illustrating the emergence of difficult to let estates as a major housing problen. Councils were already seriously concerned in the late 1960's. Difficult-to-let estates were first recognised officially in 1974 by the Government. The overwhelming evidence provoked the Government into a major new housing initiative in 1979, the Priority Estates Project. Part III present the conditions on 20 unpopular estates around the country, and the efforts of the local authorities concerned to tackle the problems through local estate-based initiatives. Overall; the conclusion is that major advances can be made through an integrated localised approach, although the future role of elected political bodies as major landlords of predominantly poor communities must be questioned. Autonomous local management organisations, better training and more socially mixed estate communitites are found to be ways forward