Inclusive growth in English cities: mainstreamed or sidelined?

<p>The concept of inclusive growth is increasingly presented as offering prospects for more equitable social outcomes. However, inclusive growth is subject to a variety of interpretations and lacks definitional clarity. In England, via devolution, cities are taking on new powers for policy domains that can influence inclusive growth outcomes. This opens up opportunities for innovation to address central issues of low pay and poverty. This paper examines the extent to which inclusive growth concerns form a central or peripheral aspect in this new devolution through the content analysis of devolution agreements. It concludes that inclusive growth concerns appear to be largely sidelined.</p

Relationship between trying an electronic cigarette and subsequent cigarette experimentation in Scottish adolescents: a cohort study.

This project was funded by the UK National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) PHR project 10/3000/07.Background This study examines whether young never smokers in Scotland, UK, who have tried an e-cigarette are more likely than those who have not, to try a cigarette during the following year. Methods Prospective cohort survey conducted in four high schools in Scotland, UK during February/March 2015 (n=3807) with follow-up 1 year later. All pupils (age 11–18) were surveyed. Response rates were high in both years (87% in 2015) and 2680/3807 (70.4%) of the original cohort completed the follow-up survey. Analysis was restricted to baseline ‘never smokers’ (n=3001/3807), 2125 of whom were available to follow-up (70.8%). Results At baseline, 183 of 2125 (8.6%) never smokers had tried an e-cigarette and 1942 had not. Of the young people who had not tried an e-cigarette at baseline, 249 (12.8%) went on to try smoking a cigarette by follow-up. This compares with 74 (40.4%) of those who had tried an e-cigarette at baseline. This effect remained significant in a logistic regression model adjusted for smoking susceptibility, having friends who smoke, family members’ smoking status, age, sex, family affluence score, ethnic group and school (adjusted OR 2.42 (95% CI 1.63 to 3.60)). There was a significant interaction between e-cigarette use and smoking susceptibility and between e-cigarette use and smoking within the friendship group. Conclusions Young never smokers are more likely to experiment with cigarettes if they have tried an e-cigarette. Causality cannot be inferred, but continued close monitoring of e-cigarette use in young people is warranted.Publisher PDFPeer reviewe

Exile Vol. XXII No. 1

PROSE Dust by Katie Tight 4-13 The Masculine Cure by Elizabeth Thomas 14-19 The Rats Still Sleep At Night by Wolfgang Borchert (translated from the German by Eric Fridman) 20-22 Largo for a Pelican by Morgan Wills 23-25 Role by Anne Tomfohrde 26-29 Goody Two-Shoes Meets the Cincinnati Kid by Kim McMullen 30-38 In the Final Analysis (Psychological or Otherwise): A Review of Carl Jung\u27s Theory of Art by Issa Christian Halabi 39-42 POETRY Here by Fayad Jamis (translated from the Spanish by Joseph R. deArmas) 44 No. 236 by Dawn Patnode 45 No. 237 by Dawn Patnode 46 In my Room by Ulf Miehe 47 Saturday Night Lament by Woodrow Jones 48-49 Basho\u27s Hut by Lenore Mayhew 50 From a Train: Ireland by Kim McMullen 51 Suggested by One Hundred Years Of Solitude by Martin Cloran 52 (to L. Martynov) by Yevgeny Yevtushenko 53 At Sea by Paul Bennett 54 Words In A Line by Lawrence Weber 55 a leave-taking by Debra Allbery 56 untitled by Alison Orleans 57 As The Water Whittles in Colour by Lawrence Weber 58-59 Falconsong or Falcon Song by The Man from Kurenben (translated from the German by John Kessler) 60 POUND Introduction 62 Response from Hugh Kenner 63 Response from Mary de Rachewiltz 64 The Cantos: The Vision of Ezra Pound by William McNaughton 65-78 CONTRIBUORS 79-80 Cover sketch by Lisa Rope Pound Photograph Courtesy of Bill McNaughto

Exile Vol. XXIII no. 1

PROSE The White Butterfly by Dalton Trevisan (translated from the Portugese by Alexis Levitin) 5-6 Natural Selection by Anne Tomfohrde 7-14 Stuck a Feather in His Cap... (for Boo) by Tim Cockey 15-18 An Act of Violence by William McNaughton 19-22 Shall We Now Praise Famous Men? by Lawrence Weber 23-24 POETRY Wake by Dawn Patnode 26 Pebble by Lenore Mayhew 27 Bien: yo respeto... by José Mártí 28 Yes: I respect by José Mártí (translated from the Spanish by Joan Straub) 29 untitled by Mary Schloss 30 Nursing Home by Tim Cockey 31 Maia by Betsy Sloan 32 untitled by Loranna Franz 33 Momento Num Cafe by Manuel Banderia 34 Moment in a Café by Manuel Banderia (translated from the Portoguese by Alexis Levitin) 35 Pleiades by Dawn Patnode 36-37 untitled by Sharon Singleton 39 Travel by Libby Thomas 40 untitled by José Pretlow 41 Melancolía by Rubén Darío 42 Melancholy by Rubén Darío (translated from the Spanish by Joan Straub) 43 Lake Shore Drive by Alison Orleans 44 Repudiation by Tona Dickerson 45 Auvers 1889 by Dawn Patnode 47 Retreat by Deb Allbery 48 An Illusion Of Dancing Figures by Lawrence Weber 50-58 Cloud by Lenore Mayhew 59 ESSAYS Climbing \u27earth\u27s undying monument\u27 by Richard H. Soaper, Jr. 61-71 A Program for the American Land by Lindy Davies 72-77 Kerouac and His Critics (For Amy) by John Kralik 80-82 Cover photograph from a late nineteenth century glass negative found in an Ohio antique shop and used with the permission of its owner

Hearing dogs for people with severe and profound hearing loss: a wait-list design randomised controlled trial investigating their effectiveness and cost-effectiveness

Abstract Background Hearing loss increases the risk of poor outcomes across a range of life domains. Where hearing loss is severe or profound, audiological interventions and rehabilitation have limited impact. Hearing dogs offer an alternative, or additional, intervention. They live permanently with recipients, providing sound support and companionship. Methods A single-centre, randomised controlled trial (RCT) evaluated the impacts of a hearing dog on mental well-being, anxiety, depression, problems associated with hearing loss (responding to sounds, fearfulness/social isolation), and perceived dependency on others. Participants were applicants to the UK charity ‘Hearing Dogs for Deaf People’. Eligibility criteria were as follows: first-time applicant; applying for a hearing dog (as opposed to other support provided by the charity). Participants were randomised 1:1 to the following: receive a hearing dog sooner than usual [HD], or within the usual application timeframe (wait-list [WL] comparator). The primary outcome was mental well-being (Short Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-Being Scale) 6 months (T1) after HD received a hearing dog. The cost-effectiveness analysis took a health and social care perspective. Results In total, 165 participants were randomised (HD n = 83, WL n = 82). A total of 112 (67.9%) were included in the primary analysis (HD n = 55, WL n = 57). At T1, mental well-being was significantly higher in the HD arm (adjusted mean difference 2.53, 95% CI 1.27 to 3.79, p < 0.001). Significant improvements in anxiety, depression, functioning, fearfulness/social isolation, and perceived dependency, favouring the HD arm, were also observed. On average, HD participants had used fewer statutory health and social care resources. In a scenario whereby costs of provision were borne by the public sector, hearing dogs do not appear to be value for money. If the public sector made a partial contribution, it is possible that hearing dogs would be cost-effective from a public sector perspective. Conclusions Hearing dogs appear to benefit recipients across a number of life domains, at least in the short term. Within the current funding model (costs entirely borne by the charity), hearing dogs are cost-effective from the public sector perspective. Whilst it would not be cost-effective to fully fund the provision of hearing dogs by the public sector, a partial contribution could be explored. Trial registration The trial was retrospectively registered with the International Standard Randomised Controlled Trial Number (ISRCTN) registry on 28.1.2019: ISRCTN36452009

Reablement services for people at risk of needing social care: the MoRe mixed-methods evaluation.

Background Reablement is an intensive, time-limited intervention for people at risk of needing social care or increased intensity of care. Differing from homecare, it seeks to restore functioning and self-care skills. In England, it as a core element of intermediate care. The existing evidence base is limited. Aims Describe reablement services in England and develop a service model typology; Conduct a mixed method comparative evaluation of service models investigating outcomes, factors impacting outcomes, costs and cost-effectiveness, and user and practitioner experiences; Investigate specialist reablement services/practices for people with dementia. Methods Work package 1 (WP1), taking place in 2015, surveyed reablement services in England. Data were collected on organisational characteristics, service delivery and practice, and service costs and caseload. Work package 2 (WP2) was an observational study of three reablement services, each representing a different service model. Data collected included: health- (EQ-5D-5L) and social care-related (ASCOT SCT-4) quality of life, practitioner (Barthel Index) and self-reported (NEADL scale) functioning, individual and service characteristics, and resource use. It was collected on entry into reablement (n=186), at discharge (n=128) and, for those reaching the timepoint within the study timeline, six months post-discharge (n=64). Interviews with staff and service users explored experiences of delivering or receiving reablement and its perceived impacts. Work package 3 (WP3) interviewed staff in eight reablement services to investigate experiences of reabling people with dementia. Results 201 services, located in 139 Local Authorities took part in the survey. Services varied in their organisational base, relationship with other intermediate care services, use of out-sourced providers, skill mix, and scope of reablement input. These characteristics influenced aspects of service delivery and practice. Average cost per case was £1,728. Lower than expected sample sizes meant a comparison of service models in WP2 was not possible. Findings are preliminary. At T1, significant improvements in mean score on outcome measures except self-reported functioning were observed. Further improvements were observed at T2, but only significant for self-reported functioning. There was some evidence that individual (e.g. engagement, mental health) and service (e.g. service structure) characteristics were associated with T1 outcomes and resource use. Staff views on factors affecting outcomes typically aligned with, or offered possible explanations for, these associations. However, it was not possible to establish the significance of these findings in terms of practice or commissioning decisions. Service users expressed satisfaction with reablement and identified two core impacts: regained independence and, during reablement, companionship. Staff participating in WP3 believed people with dementia can benefit from reablement, but objectives may differ and expectations for regained independence inappropriate. Furthermore, practice (e.g. duration of home visits) should be adjusted and staff adequately trained. Conclusions The study contributes to our understanding of reablement, and what impacts on outcomes and costs. Staff believe reablement can be appropriate for people with dementia. Findings will be of interest to commissioners and service managers. Future research should further investigate factors impacting on outcomes, and reabling people with dementia

Linking the sectoral employment structure and household poverty in the United Kingdom

Structural changes in the labour markets of developed economies, and changes in their institutional characteristics, have led to growing unease about the nature of low-paid employment. Related concerns have been expressed about the persistence of low-pay, the fragmentation of work and the growth of under-employment. While all these factors have potential implications for individuals’ earnings, less is known about the connection between labour market change, patterns of sectoral growth and decline and household poverty outcomes. This article shows distinct patterns of poverty outcomes by sector of employment, after controlling for other factors. However, household characteristics, in particular the presence of a second earner, do strongly mitigate the poverty risk. Overall, the findings demonstrate that policymakers need to develop a coherent policy towards poverty that recognises the nature of jobs growth and the distribution of ‘good jobs’ across households

Feminist Economics, Setting out the Parameters

___Introduction___ Feminist economics has developed its position over the past decade, towards a firmer embeddedness in economic science and a source of inspiration for activists, policy makers, and social science researchers in a wide variety of fields of research. This development has come about in a relatively short period of time, as is reflected, for example, in the follow-up book of the feminist economic primer Beyond Economic Man (Ferber/Nelson 1993), published ten years later: Feminist Economics Today (Ferber/Nelson, 2003) The strengthened position of feminist economics also shows in the 10-year anniversary of the prize-winning journal Feminist Economics, the flourishing of the International Association for Feminist Economics (IAFFE), as well as the more regular demand for feminist economic policy advise by institutions like the UN, OECD and governments in developed and developing countries, and in well-established training courses in feminist economics, such as at the Institute of Social Studies and University of Utah . It is impossible to give a fair overview of the state of the art of feminist economics in the number of pages available, even when limited to issues pertaining to development and macroeconomics . As a consequence, this is a very sketchy and subjective overview of what I perceive to be recent developments in feminist economics that have relevance for feminist development analysis and policy. The next section recognizes three trends in feminist economics, in particular the engagement of feminist economists with heterodox schools of economics. The following sections will briefly review developments in methodology and methods in feminist economics. These will be followed by three sections on topics that have recently become key themes or areas of research in feminist economics, in particular in the area of development economics: unpaid labour and the care economy; the two-way relationship between gender and trade; and gender, efficiency and growth. Each of these topics will be introduced, with references to the main literature, and some links to policy recommendations. The paper will end with a conclusion