An investigation into the stability of the Phillips curve for the United Kingdom in the period 1950-70

The study begins with a survey of some of the theoretical work on the wage-change equation, followed by a complementary summary of some of the empirical evidence on the determinants of wage inflation in the United Kingdom for the post war sample period. Estimates are then presented of the wage-change equation for the United Kingdom for the chosen (1950-70) sample period, using annual data, in order to explore the sensitivity of the results to the use of alternative wage- rate and unemployment series, and to the use of alternative definitions of the time rate of change variables. The main enquiry of the study centres on the use of the unemployment rate as an efficient proxy for the degree of excess demand for labour in the theory of the Phillips curve. It is possible that the observed instability of the curve may reflect the fact that the reported unemployment rate has become increasingly inefficient as such a proxy. An important source of error in the reported unemployment statistics is due to the non-registration by 'secondary' workers in the labour force. Estimates are presented of some 'adjusted' unemployment series which take into account the cyclical nature of this non-registration; and which are worked up from an analysis of participation rates in the United Kingdom. These estimates are carried over into an analysis of the 'mapping' from excess demand to unemployment where the objective is to identify and measure changes in the level of 'maladjustment' unemployment (the level associated with zero aggregate excess demand for labour). Estimates are obtained of maladjustment unemployment, and these are used to further correct the unemployment statistics for changes in 'maladjustment' unemployment. Finally this corrected unemployment series is incorporated in the aggregate wage-change equation to re-examine the statistical significance of the Phillips relation

Turkish D-light : accentuating heritage values with daylight

Historic buildings have their own cultural identity, which is often related to their aesthetic qualities such as period characteristics (geometry, size, colour, form and shape), materials and construction. Daylight is one of the primary elements contributing to the distinctiveness of the visual environment of many historic buildings, but is rarely considered as one of the components that shape the character of a building when adaptive preservation schemes of historical buildings are planned. Many historic buildings were originally designed to accommodate activities different to their new use and preserving the quality of daylight that originally contributed to their visual identity is a challenging task. Maintaining the ‘day-lit appearance’ of a building can be particularly problematic if the building is to be used as a museum or a gallery owing to the artefacts’ conservation requirements. This work investigated the opportunities of maintaining the original ambient conditions of renovated historical buildings while meeting the required daylight levels of the proposed new use. The study utilised an annual daylight simulation method and hourly weather data to preserve daylight conditions in renovated historic buildings. The model was piloted in a Turkish bathhouse situated in Bursa, Turkey, that is currently under renovation. The simulation model produces 4483 hourly values of daylight illuminance for a period of a whole year using the computer program Radiance. It is concluded that daylight characteristics should be taken into account when developing a renovation scheme. With increasing pressure on valuing historic buildings in many parts of the world, the work reported here should be beneficial to those concerned with the conservation and adaptive reuse of historic buildings. The study findings could also be useful to those interested in predicting potential energy savings by combining daylighting and electric lighting in historic buildings