The strategic impact of META-NET on the regional, national and international level

This article provides an overview of the dissemination work carried out in META-NET from 2010 until 2015; we describe its impact on the regional, national and international level, mainly with regard to politics and the funding situation for LT topics. The article documents the initiative's work throughout Europe in order to boost progress and innovation in our field.Peer ReviewedPostprint (author's final draft

Knowledge synthesis: Animal health and welfare in organic pig production - Final Report COREPIG

This report reviews the available information on the welfare of pigs when maintained according to organic standards in Europe. It begins by overviewing the populations of organic pigs in different countries at the time of writing (2007), the organic standards which govern their management and the systems in which they are typically kept. It then reviews for each stage in the production cycle (sows, suckling piglets, weaned pigs and fattening pigs) the available literature on health and welfare problems which might be experienced by the animals and the hazards which might give rise to these problems. Finally the report reviews the methods current available for the measurement of pig health and welfare and the extent to which monitoring systems currently exist in different countries, or might be developed. The information gathered in this review formed the basis for the subsequent development of tools for use in a HACCP based management and surveillance system for organic pig herds. These tools will assist the organic pig farmer to prevent selected pig diseases and welfare problems by monitoring and controlling the risk factors. Further details can be found on the COREPIG project website www.icrofs.org/coreorganic/corepig.htm

Markups and Firm-Level Export Status

We derive an estimating equation to estimate markups using the insight of Hall (1986) and the control function approach of Olley and Pakes (1996). We rely on our method to explore the relationship between markups and export behavior using plant-level data. We find significantly higher markups when we control for unobserved productivity shocks. Furthermore, we find significant higher markups for exporting firms and present new evidence on markup-export status dynamics. More specifically, we find that firms’ markups significantly increase (decrease) after entering (exiting) export markets. We see these results as a first step in opening up the productivity-export black box, and provide a potential explanation for the big measured productivity premia for firms entering export markets.Markups; Control Function; Productivity; Exporting Behavior

A Social Network Analysis of Occupational Segregation

We develop a social network model of occupational segregation between different social groups, generated by the existence of positive inbreeding bias among individuals from the same group. If network referrals are important in getting a job, then expected inbreeding bias in the contact network structure induces different career choices for individuals from different social groups. This further translates into stable occupational segregation equilibria in the labour market. We derive the conditions for persistent wage and unemployment inequality in the segregation equilibria. Our framework is proposed as complementary to existing theories used to explain labour market inequalities between groups divided by race, ethnicity or genderSocial Networks; Inbreeding Bias; Occupational Segregation; Labour Market Inequality

Sex-speare vs. Shake-speare: On Nudity and Sexuality in Some Screen and Stage Versions of Shakespeare’s Plays

The article attempts to address the issue of nudity and eroticism in stage and screen versions of Shakespeare’s plays. Elizabethan theatrical conventions and moral and political censorship of the English Renaissance did not allow for an explicit presentation of naked bodies and sexual interactions on stage; rather, these were relegated to the verbal plane, hence the bawdy language Shakespeare employed on many occasions. Conventions play a significant role also in the present-day, post-1960s and post-sexual revolution era, whereby human sexuality in Western culture is not just alluded to, but discussed and presented in an open manner. Consequently, nudity on stage and screen in versions of Shakespeare’s plays has become more marked and outspoken. Indeed, in both filmic and TV productions as well as stage performances directors and actors more and more willingly have exposed human body and sexuality to the viewer/spectator. My aim is to look at such instances from the perspective of realism and realistic conventions that the three media deploy and the effect nudity/sex can have on the recipient. The conclusion is that theatre is most conventional and stark realism and directness of the message need to be carefully dosed. Similarly to the theatre, television, more specifically television theatre, is, too, a most direct genre, as television is inherently a live medium, the broadcasts of which occur here and now, in the present tense (ideally). Film is markedly different from the two previous forms of art: it is narrated in the past tense, thus creating a distance between what is shown and the viewer, and allowing for more literalness. Naturally, particular cases discussed in the article go beyond these rather simple divisions

Journey of ethics – Conducting collaborative research with people with dementia

This paper explores some of the ethical considerations of working collaboratively with people with dementia within research. Examples of good practice and learning are drawn from three doctoral research studies which focus on the research relationship with participants and gatekeepers, the importance of setting and access, the power relations within the research and ways in which people with dementia can be supported to be active and have a voice in research. This sits within an ethical framework of principalist ethics, ethics of care and virtue ethics to guide not only how research is planned ethically and with consideration of participants, but also how this can support decisions made in situ. The aim is to provide learning for early career researchers going into this field of research to support their decisions in planning and conducting research with people with dementia as active collaborators

“Philosophical Park”: Cemeteries in the Scandinavian Urban Context

Cemeteries in densifying cities are undergoing a shift into spaces used both for the dead and by the living; this in turn calls for a more nuanced approach to planning. Using Oslo and Copenhagen as cases, this paper explores why both cities recently developed strategies for cemetery planning and management. In analyses of the written policy strategies and interviews with ten experts working with the cemeteries, we observe that both municipalities share many reasons, including a growing demand for green urban spaces, cemeteries’ recreational potential and increasing diversity of burial practices and memorial forms. The policymakers and practitioners in both cities recognise the spiritual or “philosophical” aspects of the cemeteries, which distinguish them from other green spaces and direct attention to a need for a specific management strategy. Our findings contribute to a more nuanced understanding of cemeteries as a special type of green space and can hopefully inspire practitioners in other densifying cities

Wrestling with(in) the welfare state. An overview of Nordic Youth Research

The article outlines the development of youth research in the Nordic countries into a crossnational field that is characterised by interdisciplinary cooperation across national boundaries and openness towards different international strands. The field is structurally conditioned by the strong welfare states of the region. On the one hand, they have facilitated varied research into the living conditions, transition and attitudes of young people, and on the other hand, these bonds have created considerable tension between the clientelist perspective of the welfare state and more autonomous positions of youth researchers that have stressed the agency of young people and youth cultures. The article argues that it has been crucial for the different degrees of success in the Nordic countries whether this tension has produced a schism between welfare research and culturalist approaches or a fruitful and dialogue-oriented strain based on the recognition of the different structural positions of researchers and public authorities.L'article explica el desenvolupament de la recerca sobre la joventut als països nòrdics cap a un àmbit internacional caracteritzat per la cooperació interdisciplinària que travessa les fronteres nacionals i per l'obertura cap a tendències internacionals diferents. L'àmbit està estructuralment condicionat pels poderosos estats de benestar de la regió. D'una banda, han facilitat una recerca variada sobre les condicions de vida, les transicions i les actituds dels joves, i, de l'altra, aquests vincles han creat una tensió considerable entre la perspectiva clientelista de l'Estat de benestar i les posicions més autònomes d'investigadors sobre la joventut que han recalcat l'agència dels joves i les cultures juvenils. L'article sosté que això ha estat essencial per als diferents graus d'èxit en els països nòrdics, independentment de si aquesta tensió ha produït un cisma entre la recerca sobre el benestar i els enfocaments culturalistes o una tensió fructífera i orientada al diàleg basada en el reconeixement de les diferents posicions estructurals dels investigadors i les autoritats públiques