Economic precariousness and living in the parental home in the UK

Today’s young adults are facing increased economic uncertainty as a result of unemployment, the continued growth of low-paid, insecure and often part-time employment, accelerated by the recent economic downturn. Recent media attention has focused on the trend for increased co-residence of adult children with their parent(s). It is generally assumed that this trend relates directly to the increased economic uncertainty of young adults, combined with the challenges of affordability in the housing market. This research is motivated by the need to identify which groups are most at risk of economic uncertainty and to investigate the consequences for young adults’ abilities to make successful transitions to adulthood. The paper contributes to the literature on both youth employment and housing transitions and the intersection of both. The aim of the paper is three fold: 1) To explore how different aspects of precariousness (labour market insecurity, employment insecurity, and income insecurity) can be operationalised using quantitative data; 2) To use these indicators to provide estimates of precarity amongst young men and women aged 18-34; 3) To examine how these indicators are related to the likelihood of living in the parental home. We use data from the first wave of the United Kingdom Household Longitudinal Study (UKHLS) which was conducted in 2009/10, at the height of the economic downturn. By disaggregating analyses by gender and age we get beneath aggregate summary statistics and provide new insights into how young people’s experience of employment changes across the transition from older teenager, to those in their twenties and for those in their early thirties. The survey data suggest considerable income inequalities between young adults. Not surprisingly, the unemployed and economically inactive are concentrated in the lowest income quartiles. Among employed young adults, income levels differ significantly according to the hours worked, and occupational status. Our analyses show that young people are over-represented in routine and semi-routine jobs, most of these jobs tend to be low-paid and are in the bottom income quartile. Whilst the proportion in routine and semi-routine jobs decreases with age as young people gain the necessary skills and experience to climb the occupational ladder, a sizeable proportion – about one in five men and women in their early thirties remain in a routine or semi-routine job.A significant minority of young adults are self-employed. Among this group, we find a bi-modal income distribution, suggesting that for some, self-employment is an entrepreneurial success story. However, over one half of the self-employed in their late twenties and early thirties are in the lowest quartile suggesting that for others, self-employment is a new form of precarity. This research also quantifies the extent to which different indicators of precarity are related. We find that young adults often face multiple dimensions of economic precarity. For example, male part-time workers tend to have lower personal incomes, and part-time work is associated with being on a temporary contract and being in semi-routine or routine jobs. Almost all the indicators of precariousness were found to be associated with a higher likelihood of living in the parental home, suggesting that these young adults face constraints on their ability to make the transition to residential independence. Some differences are seen according to age. For men and women aged under 25, both unemployment, being temporary or part-time employed, or being in a (semi)routine job are associated with a higher likelihood of remaining in the parental home. By their late twenties only a small proportion of women, but a higher proportion of men remain living with their parents. At these ages, it is unemployed and economically inactive and men in (semi) routine jobs, and men with lower levels of personal income who are significantly more likely to remain living with their parent(s). This research has implications for various actors including national and local government, housing agencies and employee groups as well as the self-employed. Young adults are concentrated in parts of the economy dominated by zero and short-hours contracts and governments should regulate these types of contracts. In addition, uncertainties associated with self-employment need to be recognised since they may have implications for making stable housing and family transitions. New policies need to consider the groups struggling most with housing costs; young single people, especially those without children, who are renting single bedroom properties, particularly in London. Furthermore, policies need to be developed to support pay and skills progression among young adults.<br/

Measuring economic precarity among UK youth during the recession

What are the key aspects of economic precariousness and which are most relevant to analysing young people’s lives? In this study we use data from the United Kingdom Household Longitudinal Study (UKHLS) to identify the proportion of men and women aged 18-34 who might be considered to be in an economically precarious situation and investigate how the dimensions of precariousness are interrelated. This paper summarises findings from the CPC Working Paper 55

Educational aspirations among UK young teenagers: exploring the role of gender, class and ethnicity

This paper presents an overview of teenagers’ aspirations for higher levels of education during the recent economic recession. We analyse the responses of 4899 young people aged 10 to 15, who participated in the UK Household Longitudinal Study in 2009-10. The timing of the survey is especially significant given the political emphasis on raising aspirations as a means to stimulate the economy. We consider the impact of gender, parental occupational class, parental educational background, family structure and parental attitudes towards education upon teenagers’ educational aspirations, and use multiple regression analyses to consider whether their effects are consistent across ethnic groups. Until now, only limited nationally representative data on young people’s aspirations have been available, especially in respect of ethnic differences. This research aims to fill that gap. It was undertaken as part of a wider study into the aspirations for living and learning among young people in the UK

An anthropological study of war crimes against children in Kosovo and Bosnia-Herzegovina in the 1990s

Between 1991 and 1999 war broke out across Former Yugoslavia. Thousands of people are believed to have been killed and many more were internally displaced or forcibly expelled from their countries. In 1993 the United Nations established the International Criminal Tribunal for Former Yugoslavia (ICTY) to investigate war crimes allegedly committed in the region. Its work is still ongoing. This research comprises an anthropological study of the children in Kosovo and Bosnia-Herzegovina who were killed as a direct result of war crimes perpetrated during the conflicts of the 1990s. It is based on primary forensic data collected by investigators and scientists on behalf of ICTY between the dates of 1996 and 2000. From this data, a single integrated database was created which allowed the numbers of child deaths, causes of death, demographic profiles of the deceased, and post-mortem treatment of their remains to be analysed. As well as examining these factors within each country a significant aspect of the research included comparative analysis between the crimes committed against children in Kosovo and those in Bosnia-Herzegovina. Broad comparisons were also made between adult and child data in both countries. The findings from the research were analysed within their wider socio-political context and an assessment was made of how closely the forensic evidence supported accounts from other literary sources. In its current form, the research can be used as a historical and scientific resource by those wishing to study both the events surrounding the wars in Kosovo and Bosnia-Herzegovina, and the scientific methods used by experts in the field to investigate the crimes. The methodology employed during the research, including the creation of the database, is described in detail and is directly transferrable to other studies of a similar nature. Solutions employed to address the considerable problems encountered during the construction of the database can be applied to other similarly large and unmanageable datasets. The database itself can be expanded to include the forensic evidence collected in Bosnia-Herzegovina and Kosovo since 2001, when ICTY handed over responsibility for the exhumations to local government agencies. It can also be used to examine other aspects of the wars, and adapted to analyse data from other countries. Ultimately it is hoped that this research will be of use in formulating pro-active strategies which might assist in protecting children involved in future conflicts

Economic aspects of the unemployment policy of the Government 1929-1931

This thesis is concerned with the formulation of unemployment policy by the Government from 1929 to 1931: the MacDonald administration. The study is based upon unpublished official records of the Government, in particular the minutes and memoranda of the Cabinet and Cabinet Committees, Government Departments and advisory bodies associated with unemployment policy. This materiel is supplemented by published material relating to the problem of unemployment and policy development; and historical, biographical and autobiographical accounts relating to the activities of Government. Unemployment was high throughout the twenties and rose dramatically in the early thirties. The Government was pledged to solve the problem but had little success. The thesis concentrates upon the relationship between economic theory and policy, and political decision-making attempting to explain the failure of policy. The failure is associated with the adoption by the Government of incompatible policy objectives and administrative incapacity as well as the inadequacies in economic theory and policy which are often the focus of existing interpretations of the period

Insight in problem solving : developing a neural network theoretical account of the processes involved in attaining insight

Bibliography: leaves 151-164.Insight has enjoyed the reputation of an elusive phenomenon in psychology and insight problems are very difficult to solve. Only very specific hints concerning their solution have been found to significantly increase the number of problem solvers who are able to solve insight problems. The result of this has been to suggest that insight does not exist, that it is a mysterious phenomenon, or that it is an aspect of problem solving which we have so far failed to understand. Insight in problem solving is investigated from the perspective that the phenomenon needs explanation and it is argued that, while insight has been operationally defined and a clear set of key empirical findings have been established, the conceptual explanation of insight has been largely ignored. It is suggested that a conceptual account of insight is needed so that this aspect of cognitive processing can be incorporated into the main body of cognitive research on problem solving. The current tension in cognitive science and cognitive psychology is examined and it is argued that writing a conceptual account of insight in neural network theoretical terms will not only advance our understanding of insight, but will also reflect on the debate in cognitive theory. This is a result of its status as an aspect of problem solving and as a phenomenon which symbolic theory has so far failed to offer a clear explanation for. A conceptual account of insight in neural network terms is advanced which offers a comprehensive account of the key empirical findings on insight. It is suggested that insight can be understood as the recognition of a pattern to insight problems. Predictions derived from the theory suggest that overcoming the effects of past learning, employing conceptual transfer, and fostering expertise at insight problem solving will significantly facilitate insightful problem solution

Effects of dietary fiber and low crude protein on manure ammonia emission and egg production in laying hens

Ammonia (NH₃) emission is a major concern for the poultry industry. We hypothesized that fiber in corn distiller\u27s dried grains with solubles (DDGS), wheat middlings (WM), or soybean hulls (SH), when included in laying-hen diets, would lower manure NH₃ emission by repartitioning nitrogen excretion from uric acid to bacterial protein and by lowering the pH of the manure. Additionally lower dietary crude protein would result in lower NH₃ emission by decreasing uric acid excretion. From 23 to 58 weeks of age, laying hens were fed 8 dietary treatments with 2 contents of CP (normal and low) and 4 fiber treatments including a corn- and soybean meal-based control diet and diets formulated with 10% corn DDGS, 7% WM, or 5% SH added to contribute equal amounts of neutral-detergent fiber. The low crude protein diet contained 1 percentage unit lower crude protein than the normal crude protein diet. Diets were formulated on a digestible amino acid basis and to be isoenergetic. Dietary corn DDGS, WM or SH lowered (P \u3c0.01) the 7-d cumulative manure NH₃ emission and lowered (P \u3c0.05) daily NH₃-emission rate by lowering (P \u3c0.10) the pH of the manure but not by repartitioning nitrogen excretion from uric acid to bacterial protein. The high-fiber diets had no adverse effects (P \u3c0.05) on egg production. The low crude protein diets did not lower NH₃ emission (P\u3e 0.10) but caused lower (P \u3c0.05) egg production, indicating a potential amino acid deficiency. Results of this study show that inclusion of 10% corn DDGS, 7% WM, or 5% SH in laying-hen diets is an effective means of lowering manure NH₃ emission while maintaining egg production

Health care performance management : insights from applications of data envelopment analysis

The comprehensive measurement of efficiency and performance in the Health Service in the UK has become one of the most important managerial developments of recent years. The reasons for this development were examined, particularly in relation to the difficulties involved with performance assessment in such a context. The most widely utilised techniques were evaluated from the perspective of the Health Care Manager and a number of serious limitations were identified. In response to these limitations, the technique of Data Envelopment Analysis was evaluated as an alternative. It has been proposed as an appropriate and useful tool for the assessment of efficiency, although the literature on DEA showed limited practical application to public sector services in the UK. The many facets of the technique were investigated and literature on its application to hospital data was reviewed. A two-stage application procedure for the DEA technique was developed in response to this evaluation, to be used in the measurement hospital efficiency. The procedure was based on a deep theoretical understanding of the DEA methodology. The most important elements of the process were related to selection of the initial sample, the identification of the variables to be included in the DEA model and the definition of the weight restrictions to be incorporated. Input from Health Care Managers was used to guide the application and data from a sample of acute hospitals in Scotland was utilised in the analysis. The application procedure showed how the practicalities of the DEA technique could be enhanced, in particular through the inclusion of weight restrictions. This led to the development of efficiency strategies for the inefficient hospitals, which could be related to the policy objectives or managerial structure of the hospitals in the sample. It was concluded that there were many potential benefits of the DEA approach to efficiency assessment and the two-stage application procedure defined here, which could be seen to fulfil many of the requirements of the Health Care Manager. It was determined that combining theoretical and practical issues can enhance the applicability of the DEA methodology

ORGANIZATIONAL COMMUNICATION, SOCIAL MEDIA, AND SENSEMAKING DURING A CASCADING CRISIS: TOKYO DISNEY AND THE 2011 JAPAN EARTHQUAKE/TSUNAMI/NUCLEAR CRISIS

This study examines the connection between organizational crisis communication and sensemaking. In particular, the research focuses on messages of instructing, adjusting and reputation management and the use of social media in distributing these messages through and by the Tokyo Disney Resort during the earthquake/tsunami/nuclear crisis that hit Japan in 2011. Case study methods are used to analyze news coverage, Twitter and YouTube videos, informed by personal interviews and documentation related to the crisis and the Tokyo Disney Resort. The analysis found that the Tokyo Disney Resort provided messages of instructing, adjusting and reputation management in order to effectively foster the sensemaking process, which was corroborated by personal communication with cast members. Messages of instruction were delivered regularly through a park-wide speaker system and cast members who also provided instruction to minimize harm. Adjusting information was evident in effectively taking care of guests’ physical and psychological needs through provision of food, water, blankets, etc. and by keeping them updated about the status of the outside world. Finally, messages of reputation management were apparent in the Resort’s willingness to put people above profit by sacrificing food, products and money to help victims of the disaster