Analysis of Productive Performance of Crop and Animal Production Systems: An Integrated Analytical Framework

This article presents a two-stage analytical framework that integrates ecological crop (animal) growth and economic frontier production models to analyse the productive efficiency of crop (animal) production systems. The ecological crop (animal) growth model estimates "potential" output levels given the genetic characteristics of crops (animals) and the physical conditions of locations where the crops (animals) are grown (reared). The economic frontier production model estimates "best practice" production levels, taking into account economic, institutional and social factors that cause farm and spatial heterogeneity. In the first stage, both ecological crop growth and economic frontier production models are estimated to calculate three measures of productive efficiency: (1) technical efficiency, as the ratio of actual to "best practice" output levels; (2) agronomic efficiency, as the ratio of actual to "potential" output levels; and (3) agro-economic efficiency, as the ratio of "best practice" to "potential" output levels. Also in the first stage, the economic frontier production model identifies factors that determine technical efficiency. In the second stage, agro-economic efficiency is analysed econometrically in relation to economic, institutional and social factors that cause farm and spatial heterogeneity. The proposed framework has several important advantages in comparison with existing proposals. Firstly, it allows the systematic incorporation of all physical, economic, institutional and social factors that cause farm and spatial heterogeneity in analysing the productive performance of crop and animal production systems. Secondly, the location-specific physical factors are not modelled symmetrically as other economic inputs of production. Thirdly, climate change and technological advancements in crop and animal sciences can be modelled in a "forward-looking" manner. Fourthly, knowledge in agronomy and data from experimental studies can be utilised for socio-economic policy analysis. The proposed framework can be easily applied in empirical studies due to the current availability of ecological crop (animal) growth models, farm or secondary data, and econometric software packages. The article highlights several directions of empirical studies that researchers may pursue in the future.agro-economic efficiency, agronomic efficiency, crop growth model, frontier production model, farm heterogeneity, spatial heterogeneity

Standing at the Crossroads – What future for Youth Work?

The collection of papers in this reader straddle a period of significant political change. The first decade of the twentieth century will inevitably be synonymous with the ongoing global economic crisis.  In this opening paper we map out the journey ahead for youth work with a glance back over some key markers of the past decade that have shaped the priorities for contemporary practice. Symbolically, youth work appears to be a crossroads - looking to the past for inspiration in order to make better sense of the current context and ultimately gauge the best way forward. There are choices, albeit limited, about which direction to take. The available routes ahead are significantly shaped by the political and policy imperatives of government. Metaphorically, reliance on a ‘GPS’ to inform the future journey for youth work is likely to be locked into the priorities of the state; subsequently the directions for practice are predetermined. We conclude that the future challenges for youth work practitioners include a need to critically take stock of the ever-changing context in order to assist in taking the best steps forward.    

Global action on the social determinants of health

Action on the social determinants of health (SDH) is required to reduce inequities in health. This article summarises global progress, largely in terms of commitments and strategies. It is clear that there is widespread support for a SDH approach across the world, from global political commitment to within country action. Inequities in the conditions in which people are born, live, work and age, are however driven by inequities in power, money and resources. Political, economic and resource distribution decisions made outside the health sector need to consider health as an outcome across the social distribution as opposed to a focus solely on increasing productivity. A health in all policies approach can go some way to ensure this consideration, and we present evidence that some countries are taking this approach, however given entrenched inequalities, there is some way to go. Measuring progress on the SDH globally will be key to future development of successful policies and implementation plans, enabling the identification and sharing of best practice. WHO work to align measures with the sustainable development goals will help to forward progress measurement

Taking ownership of your maths curriculum: the role of research in moving us away from 'Stepford' teaching

Taking ownership of your primary mathematics curriculum - the role of research in moving us away from 'Stepford' teaching Caught up in an overly prescriptive curriculum, our talented teachers can sometimes lose sight of what they are doing, and why. Teachers need to be able to talk with confidence about their mathematics policy and guidelines and to shape the design of their curriculum by engaging in their own pedagogical research and that of others. Going forward, we need to invest in our teachers to give them the time and the ability to do this. Professor Jenny Field has spent many years engaged in research driven curriculum design and development. In this session, she will share some of these findings and best practice on the way forward

My Home Life: promoting quality of life in care homes

A new report from JRF outlines the findings from the My Home Life project. My Home Life is a collaborative initiative between Age UK, City University, the Joseph Rowntree Foundation and Dementia UK promoting quality of life in care homes. This study found: - positive relationships in care homes enable staff to listen to older people, gain insights into individual needs and facilitate greater voice, choice and control; - relationship-centred care is at the heart of many examples of best practice; - care home managers play a pivotal role in promoting relationships between older people, staff and relatives; - care home providers and statutory agencies should consider how their attitudes, practices and policies can create pressure and unnecessary paperwork which ultimately reduce the capacity of care homes to respond to the needs of older people; and - negative stereotypes of care homes have an impact on the confidence of staff and managers