The Labour Party and the Media 1983-1997

As a former journalist and current journalism lecturer, I regularly encounter one overriding theme relating to my former profession - the political bias of UK newspapers. Since 1979, British newspapers as a whole have been overwhelmingly anti-Labour apart from the golden era of Tony Blair's three general election triumphs. It was my aim to look at how Labour transformed its position with the press from a low point in 1983, when it was backed by only one of the main daily papers, to 1997 when it was supported by four, including the biggest seller, The Sun. To make sense of the many issues involved a framework was used consisting of four key factors necessary for a successful media strategy. This framework was applied to the general elections of 1983, 1987, 1992 and 1997. The changes were analysed alongside the debate that surrounded these changes. The existing narrative argues that the media strategy was transformed during this period. Press operations were re-organised, professionalised and new tactics were introduced. These changes played a major part in the electoral success of 1997. Underpinning this transformation was a belief that media support was vital to success. Modernisers say policy was changed to meet the demands of the electorate and was consistent with New Labour ideology. The fact that it found support in the media was down to good strategy. Traditionalists argue policy was changed to meet the demands of the media. Undoubtedly, there were many positive aspects to developments in the media strategy. However, some senior New Labour figures now accept that serious mistakes were made. They have also added weight to the view that the media was allowed too much direct influence on the formulation of Labour Party policy

The dollarization process in Mexico: 1983-1997

The purpose of this study is to analyze the extent of dollarization in the Mexican economy during the period 1983-1997. Dollarization is defined as the replacement of domestic currency for dollars as a store of value or for transaction purposes. In this study, a narrow definition of dollarization will be used as an estimate of the amount of dollars circulating in the Mexican economy. This measure includes only the dollar-denominated demand deposits held by businesses in Mexican banks, since the public is no longer allowed to hold this type of accounts and a better measure for the exact amount of dollars circulating in the Mexican economy is not available. This study will emphasize the effects of expected peso depreciations, peso devaluations, and political changes on the dollarization process

Business fixed investment: evidence of a financial accelerator in Europe

Financial accelerator theories imply that weak balance sheets can amplify adverse shocks on firm investment. This effect should be asymmetric, stronger in downturns than in upturns and stronger for small firms than for large firms. This paper provides empirical evidence of the presence of a financial accelerator in the four largest euro area economies: Germany, France, Italy and Spain. Using annual firm balance sheet data over the period 1983 - 1997 it is shown that weak balance sheets are more important in explaining investment during downturns than during upturns. It is further shown that the effects of the accelerator are largest for small firms. JEL Classification: E22, E44business fixed investment

Unemployment Rates At the Regional and National Levels of the European Union: An Integrated Analysis

This study investigates the causes of variation in regional unemployment rates in a cross-country perspective. The explanatory variables consist of both regional-level and macro-level variables. An appropriate econometric model of random coefficients for the former and fixed coefficients for the latter variables is developed, further taking into account that observations may be correlated over time and over space and that some of the explanatory variables are not strictly exogenous. On the basis of this model a regional unemployment rate equation is estimated, using data of 143 regions across 11 EU countries derived from Eurostat, 1983-1997, and national data on labour market institutions predominantly derived from the OECD.

PENGARUH KEBIJAKAN TINGKAT BUNGA TERHADAP PERTUMBUHAN DAN STABILITAS EKONOMI DI INDONESIA

Tingkat Bunga adalah biaya pinjaman atau harga yang harus dibayar atas penyewaan dana. Tingkat Bunga diharapkan dapat meningkatkan pertumbuhan ekonomi dengan menciptakan iklim investasi sehingga produksi barang dan jasa akan meningkat dan dapat menekan laju inflasi sehingga masyarakat akan menyimpan dananya di bank. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengetahui pengaruh tingkat bunga terhadap pertumbuhan ekonomi dan stabilitas ekonomi di Indonesia pada periode sebelum krisis tahun 1983 – 1997 dan pada periode sesudah krisis tahun 1999 – 2012. Variabel yang digunakan dalam penelitian ini adalah Tingkat Bunga (X) sebagai variabel bebasnya, Pertumbuhan Ekonomi (Y1) dan Tingkat inflasi (Y2) sebagai variabel terikatnya. Data dalam penelitian ini menggunakan data sekunder yaitu data time series pada tahun 1983 sampai dengan 2012, data tersebut kemudian dianalisis menggunakan Program Statistic Program for Social Science (SPSS) dengan teknik analisis regresi linier sederhana. Berdasarkan hasil pengujian dari penelitian ini menunjukkan bahwa secara parsial variabel Tingkat Bunga (X) tidak berpengaruh secara nyata (tidak signifikan) terhadap variabel Pertumbuhan Ekonomi (Y1) periode sebelum krisis tahun 1983-1997 yang ditunjukkan dengan thitung = 0,305 < ttabel = 2,160. Variabel Tingkat Bunga (X) berpengaruh secara nyata (signifikan) terhadap variabel Tingkat Inflasi (Y2) periode sebelum krisis tahun 1983-1997 yang ditunjukkan dengan thitung = -2,232 > ttabel = 2,160. Variabel Tingkat Bunga (X) berpengaruh secara nyata (signifikan) terhadap variabel Pertumbuhan Ekonomi (Y1) periode sesudah krisis tahun 1999-2012 yang ditunjukkan dengan thitung = -7,07 > ttabel = 2,179 dan variabel Tingkat Bunga (X) tidak berpengaruh secara nyata (tidak signifikan) terhadap Tingkat Inflasi (Y2) yang ditunjukkan dengan thitung = 0,256 < ttabel = 2,179. Kata Kunci : Tingkat Bunga (X), Pertumbuhan Ekonomi (Y1) dan Tingkat Inflasi (Y2

IC 023 Gude to St. Joseph\u27s Hospital Records, 1928-1997

The St. Joseph’s Hospital records contains newsletters, By-laws, reports, facts, brochures, and materials for the Stehlin Foundation. Newsletters in the collection include: Rosary, Discover, Physicians’ newsletter, DRG, Pulse, Focus, and House Call. Inclusive date ranges 1928-1997, bulk dates 1983-1997. See more at

X-Ray Off States and Optical Variability in CAL 83

CAL 83 was one of the first supersoft X-ray binaries to be discovered and is considered to be the prototype of its class. In 15 X-ray observations between 1983-1997 it was observed to have nearly constant X-ray luminosity and temperature, with the exception of one off-state in 1996. We report on a second X-ray off-state, discovered with a Chandra ACIS-S observation in November 1999. Comparing the long-term X-ray and MACHO optical light curves, we find that, CAL 83 has exhibited distinct and well-defined low, intermediate, and high optical states. Transitions between states are not accompanied by color variations. Both X-ray off states were observed during optical high states and were followed by optical low states within ~50 days. We discuss possible explanations for the observed optical and X-ray variations.Comment: 12 pages A&A style with 5 figures; accepted for publication in A&A Main Journa

Capital Gains Taxes and Stock Reactions to Quarterly Earnings Announcements

This paper examines the impact of capital gains taxes on equity pricing. Examining three-day cumulative abnormal returns for quarterly earning announcements from 1983-1997, we present evidence consistent with shareholders' capital gains taxes affecting stock price responses. To our knowledge, this is the first study to link shareholder taxes and share price responses to earnings releases. The results imply that shares trade at higher (lower) prices when individual investors face incremental taxes (tax savings) created by selling appreciated (depreciated) shares before they qualify for long-term treatment. Unlike prior studies that have focused on price reactions in settings where shareholder taxes are unusually salient (e.g., tax law changes, turn-of-the-year trading, or tax-sensitive transactions), this study finds the imprint of capital gains taxes in a more general setting.

Union Effects on Health Insurance Provision and Coverage in the United States

During the past two decades, union density has declined in the United States and employer provision of health benefits has undergone substantial changes in extent and form. Using individual data spanning the years 1983-1997, combined with establishment data for 1993, we update and extend previous analyses of private-sector union effects on employer-provided health benefits. We find that the union effect on health insurance coverage rates has fallen somewhat but remains large, due to an increase over time in the union effect on employee 'take-up' of offered insurance, and that declining unionization explains 20-35 percent of the decline in employee health coverage. The increasing union take-up effect is linked to union effects on employees' direct costs for health insurance and the availability of retiree coverage.