Community composting activity in the UK - 2006

This report presents findings from a comprehensive survey of the community composting sector across the UK in 2006. The report characterises community composting activity in terms of: 'The types of groups and organisations involved in the sector 'The range, mix and details of composting and related activities 'Volunteer and employment opportunities 'The sector's work and relationship with local authorities 'Barriers, problems and opportunities 'Evaluation processes 'Income and funding 'Age of the sector and future plans This report is one output from a Defra funded project called 'Unlocking the Potential of Community Composting' (WRO211). The project is lead by the Integrated Waste Systems research group at the Open University in association with the Community Composting Network (CCN), London Community Recycling Network (LCRN) and the New Economics Foundation (nef

From Inter-modal Transport Services to Integrated Common Objectives

The article starts from the paradigm of modernity and its connection to the technological basis with special regards to the technological determinations in the development of the transport modes. As a contrast to the approach, the next parts deal with the excess of the barriers at a paradigm level, introducing the connection of the problems with the different integrations. Integrations mean here both the common planning of the city with the conurbation area (territorial integration), the common handling of different transport modes (inter-modality, co-modality) and the transfer between technological platforms (interoperability). As a representation of the problems, the article presents and interprets the recent development of the plans for the public transport backbone network of Budapest and its environ. A further case for the integrated approach is the new integrated transport strategy for Hungary: where just the preparation phase begins in this year

Invigorating Vertical Merger Enforcement

This Feature summarizes why and how vertical merger enforcement should be invigorated. In our modern market system, vigorous vertical merger enforcement is a necessity. Strong enforcement is particularly important in markets where economies of scale and network effects lead to barriers to entry and durable market power. Even when there are parallel vertical mergers, the result may well be an anticompetitive reciprocal dealing, coordinated equilibrium rather than intense competition among efficient integrated firms. Stronger enforcement would involve several steps, including recognition that claims of elimination of double marginalization do not deserve to be silver bullets and that behavioral remedies are generally unable to prevent anticompetitive effects

Port Efficiency and Regional Development

This paper attempts to elucidate one of the mechanisms that link trade barriers, in the form of port costs, and subsequent growth and regional inequality. Not only inland costs can be perceived as a further barrier to link trade liberalization and growth (Haddad and Perobelli, 2005), but also port costs. Unlike highway link, congestion at port may have severe impacts spread over space and time whereas highway link congestion may be resolved within several hours. Since port is part of the transportation network, any congestion/disruption is likely to ripple throughout the hinterland. In this sense, it is important to model properly the role nodal congestion plays in a context of spatial models and international trade. Thus, we have developed a spatial CGE model integrated to a transport network system in order to simulate the impacts of increases in port efficiency in a context of trade liberalization. The role of ports of entry and ports of exit are explicitly considered in order to grasp the holistic picture in an integrated interregional system.

Information Literacy at the Intersection of Scholarly Communications and Social Justice

Undergraduate outreach about Open Access (OA) lies at the intersection of information literacy and Scholarly Communications. Reframing undergraduates as current and future scholars allows us to treat them as agents within the Scholarly Communications network. Students who have mastered fundamental research skills are prepared to view them through the critical lens of Scholarly Communications in order to learn both how to locate resources and how those resources are created. This educational approach highlights the various barriers scholars can face in the research process, as well as provides an awareness of information privilege. This poster will provide a model for how OA can be integrated into information literacy instruction by describing a one-shot session delivered to a 300-level Women and Gender Studies (WGS) course. For librarians looking to integrate OA into their teaching, WGS courses are a logical starting point. There is a moral imperative for WGS scholars to be aware of OA due to its corresponding values of equality, justice, and the belief in the capacity for all people to be participants in the scholarly conversation. Advanced WGS students are prepared to apply high level critical thinking to their own research practices. Situating their scholarly activity in the greater ecosystem of scholarly communications reveals how these students are agents within this system whose choices can have an impact on the larger network

Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) of 2014: A Preliminary Analysis

A preliminary analysis of provisions contained in the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) of 2014 related to employment, training, education, supports, and prioritization of workforce services for adults and youth with barriers to employment

Integrating Behavioral Health & Primary Care in New Hampshire: A Path Forward to Sustainable Practice & Payment Transformation

New Hampshire residents face challenges with behavioral and physical health conditions and the interplay between them. National studies show the costs and the burden of illness from behavioral health conditions and co-occurring chronic health conditions that are not adequately treated in either primary care or behavioral health settings. Bringing primary health and behavioral health care together in integrated care settings can improve outcomes for both behavioral and physical health conditions. Primary care integrated behavioral health works in conjunction with specialty behavioral health providers, expanding capacity, improving access, and jointly managing the care of patients with higher levels of acuity In its work to improve the health of NH residents and create effective and cost-effective systems of care, the NH Citizens Health Initiative (Initiative) created the NH Behavioral Health Integration Learning Collaborative (BHI Learning Collaborative) in November of 2015, as a project of its Accountable Care Learning Network (NHACLN). Bringing together more than 60 organizations, including providers of all types and sizes, all of the state’s community mental health centers, all of the major private and public insurers, and government and other stakeholders, the BHI Learning Collaborative built on earlier work of a NHACLN Workgroup focused on improving care for depression and co-occurring chronic illness. The BHI Learning Collaborative design is based on the core NHACLN philosophy of “shared data and shared learning” and the importance of transparency and open conversation across all stakeholder groups. The first year of the BHI Learning Collaborative programming included shared learning on evidence-based practice for integrated behavioral health in primary care, shared data from the NH Comprehensive Healthcare Information System (NHCHIS), and work to develop sustainable payment models to replace inadequate Fee-for-Service (FFS) revenues. Provider members joined either a Project Implementation Track working on quality improvement projects to improve their levels of integration or a Listen and Learn Track for those just learning about Behavioral Health Integration (BHI). Providers in the Project Implementation Track completed a self-assessment of levels of BHI in their practice settings and committed to submit EHR-based clinical process and outcomes data to track performance on specified measures. All providers received access to unblinded NHACLN Primary Care and Behavioral Health attributed claims data from the NHCHIS for provider organizations in the NH BHI Learning Collaborative. Following up on prior work focused on developing a sustainable model for integrating care for depression and co-occurring chronic illness in primary care settings, the BHI Learning Collaborative engaged consulting experts and participants in understanding challenges in Health Information Technology and Exchange (HIT/HIE), privacy and confidentiality, and workforce adequacy. The BHI Learning Collaborative identified a sustainable payment model for integrated care of depression in primary care. In the process of vetting the payment model, the BHI Learning Collaborative also identified and explored challenges in payment for Substance Use Disorder Screening, Brief Intervention and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT). New Hampshire’s residents will benefit from a health care system where primary care and behavioral health are integrated to support the care of the whole person. New Hampshire’s current opiate epidemic accentuates the need for better screening for behavioral health issues, prevention, and treatment referral integrated into primary care. New Hampshire providers and payers are poised to move towards greater integration of behavioral health and primary care and the Initiative looks forward to continuing to support progress in supporting a path to sustainable integrated behavioral and primary care