Conceptualising the natural environment: critical reflections from Russia, 18th-20th Centuries, 22-23 March 2013

The workshop was co-organised by Jonathan Oldfield (University of Glasgow, UK) and Julia Lajus (European University at St. Petersburg). It was funded by grants from the UK’s Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) and Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC). Additional funds were provided by the Centre for Russian, Central and East European Studies (CRCEES), which is based at the University of Glasgow, UK. The workshop brought together 16 papers delivered by scholars from Russia, the European Union and North America. It was hosted by the European University at St. Petersburg

Encountering soviet geography: oral histories of British geographical studies of the USSR and Eastern Europe 1945-1991

This paper considers the history of British geographical studies of the USSR and Eastern Europe 1945-1991, presenting material from a research project which has included thirty-two oral history interviews. Oral history is an especially fruitful research methodology in this context due to the distinct issues of formality and informality involved in researching the Soviet bloc. After discussing the nature of the subdiscipline and the Cold War context, including the role of the British state in shaping the field, the paper considers the role of formal academic meetings and exchanges, and the place of unofficial spaces of encounter in the formation of an intellectual culture. The paper concludes by reflecting on the merits of oral history in studies of the production of geographical knowledge

Preparing for retirement: the pension arrangements andretirement expectations of those approaching state pension age in England

This paper provides a detailed analysis of individuals inhouseholds in England aged between 50 and the State PensionAge in terms of their private pension arrangements and currentnon-pension assets alongside their expectations of futureeconomic circumstances. Our descriptive findings include thatmembers of defined benefit pensions have higher average levelsof current earnings than members of defined contributionpensions and that median expected private pension income inretirement is highest for current members of defined benefitschemes. We find that on average those who have, or have had,a private pension have greater non-pension wealth than thosewho have never had a private pension. In terms of expectationsof the future we find that it is those who have the fewest assetswho have the least attachment to the labour market and are farless likely to expect any inheritance. Hence we conclude thatinequalities in different dimensions of retirement resources tendto reinforce themselves as opposed to offset each other

House Price Volatility and Housing Ownership over the Lifecycle

We develop and test a model on the effects of spatial housing price risk on housing choice. Housing price risk can be substantial but, unlike other risky assets which people can avoid, most people want to eventually own their home thereby creating an insurance demand for housing ownership early in life. With increasing demographic needs over the life cycle, our model predicts that people living in places with higher housing price risk should own their first home at a younger age, should live in larger homes, and should be less likely to refinance. These predictions are shown to hold using comparable panel data from the United States and United Kingdom. (JEL D12, D91

Study of ceramic products and processing techniques in space

An analysis of the solidification kinetics of beta alumina in a zero-gravity environment was carried out, using computer-simulation techniques, in order to assess the feasibility of producing high-quality single crystals of this material in space. The two coupled transport processes included were movement of the solid-liquid interface and diffusion of sodium atoms in the melt. Results of the simulation indicate that appreciable crystal-growth rates can be attained in space. Considerations were also made of the advantages offered by high-quality single crystals of beta alumina for use as a solid electrolyte; these clearly indicate that space-grown materials are superior in many respects to analogous terrestrially-grown crystals. Likewise, economic considerations, based on the rapidly expanding technological applications for beta alumina and related fast ionic conductors, reveal that the many superior qualities of space-grown material justify the added expense and experimental detail associated with space processing

The replication of tobacco necrosis virus in cowpen leaf protoplasts

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State pensions and the well-being of the elderly in the UK

This paper presents the trends seen over the last quarter of the 20thCentury in various indicators of the well-being of the elderlyalongside those seen for the young. Specifically we look at measuresof both the level and distribution of income and expenditure, andself-reported measures of life satisfaction and health. We thenexploit the substantial reforms to the UK pension system over thisperiod to examine the impact of reforms to state pensions on theseoutcomes. We find that increases in the generosity of state pensionshave led to increased incomes of the elderly and reductions inmeasures of both relative and absolute income poverty. We also findthat increased state pensions have led to increased expenditure bythe elderly. It is perhaps not surprising that in the UK the reformsto the generosity of state pensions have affected outcomes amongthe elderly (instead of being fully offset by individuals when theywere younger) given that often very little (pre-retirement) notice wasgiven, and that some of the reforms were of a substantial magnitude. This paper presents the trends seen over the last quarter of the 20thCentury in various indicators of the well-being of the elderlyalongside those seen for the young. Specifically we look at measuresof both the level and distribution of income and expenditure, andself-reported measures of life satisfaction and health. We thenexploit the substantial reforms to the UK pension system over thisperiod to examine the impact of reforms to state pensions on theseoutcomes. We find that increases in the generosity of state pensionshave led to increased incomes of the elderly and reductions inmeasures of both relative and absolute income poverty. We also findthat increased state pensions have led to increased expenditure bythe elderly. It is perhaps not surprising that in the UK the reformsto the generosity of state pensions have affected outcomes amongthe elderly (instead of being fully offset by individuals when theywere younger) given that often very little (pre-retirement) notice wasgiven, and that some of the reforms were of a substantial magnitude