Differentiated integration as a fair scheme of cooperation

Differentiated integration (DI), whereby some MS opt out or are excluded from certain common EU policies for sovereignty or capacity reasons, may be thought to undermine the EU’s functioning as what John Rawls called a fair scheme of cooperation, grounded in norms of impartiality and reciprocity. However, we argue that different forms of DI can be compatible with either fair cooperation between states on the model of Rawls’ Law of Peoples or cooperation among citizens on the model of Rawls’ two principles of domestic justice. Meanwhile, the EU has features of both, being an international Union of states and a supra- and trans-national Union of citizens. We defend the coherence of this combination and contend that DI can provide a justified mechanism for ensuring fairness between states remains compatible with fairness between citizens both within and across states. Indeed it offers a potential model for other forms of international cooperation

Differentiated integration as a fair scheme of cooperation (working paper)

This is the final version. Available from the European University Institute via the link in this recordIn the past few years, there have been few discussions about the future of the European Union (EU) that did not involve the topic of differentiated integration (DI), the process whereby some member states integrate further, while others temporarily or permanently opt out of specific policies. Pragmatically, DI has allowed European integration to proceed by both widening and deepening. Normatively, it has allowed for diverging national capacities and preferences to be accommodated. However, the growing acceptance that the EU’s future may lie in more institutional diversity leaves unanswered the question of the conditions under which DI could be accepted as a fair scheme of cooperation. This is the question addressed by this paper. Why is this an important question? First, if DI is perceived as unfair, it will not generate the support it needs to work and, to the contrary, might further nourish hard forms of Euroscepticism. Second, if the institutional design of DI is perceived to be unfair, it will fail in its purpose of reconciling member states who want to integrate to different degrees, and at different speeds. Third, it has often been suggested that DI allows member states to leave their fundamental disagreements about the nature and the finalité of the EU unresolved by recognising that they may proceed separately, with some moving forward whilst others hold back. However, DI can in fact contribute to creating new divisions and is itself an expression of divisions. Therefore, it is important to develop a more explicit understanding of the different notions of fairness that are involved in different designs of DI. Overall, fair design in DI matters because it ensures that DI contributes to greater acceptance of the EU rather than creating additional divisions. The paper explores two main approaches of international cooperation – statism and cosmopolitanism – and relates them to fairness in institutional design in DI

Assessment of chronic postsurgical pain after knee replacement : a systematic review

Objective: Approximately 20% of patients experience chronic pain after total knee replacement (TKR), yet there is no consensus about how best to assess such pain. This systematic review aimed to identify measures used to characterise chronic pain after TKR. Methods: MEDLINE, Embase, PsycINFO, Cochrane Library and CINAHL databases were searched for research articles published in all languages from January 2002- November 2011. Articles were eligible for inclusion if they assessed knee pain at a minimum of 3-months after TKR, yielding a total of 1,164 articles. Data extracted included study design, country, timings of assessments, and outcome measures containing pain items. Outcome measures were compared with domains recommended by IMMPACT for inclusion in assessment of chronic pain related outcomes within clinical trials. Temporal trends were also explored. Results: The review found use of a wide variety of composite and single-item measures, with the American Knee Society Score most common. Many measures used in published studies do not capture the multi-dimensional nature of pain recommended by IMMPACT; of those commonly used, the WOMAC and Oxford Knee Score are most comprehensive. Geographical trends were evident, with nation-specific preferences for particular measures. A recent reduction in use of some clinically-administered tools was accompanied by increased use of patient-reported outcome measures. Conclusion: There was wide variation in methods of pain assessment alongside nation-specific preferences and changing temporal trends in pain assessment after TKR. Standardisation and improvements in assessment is needed to enhance the quality of research and facilitate the establishment of a core outcome set

Changes in higher education and valuing the job: The views of accounting academics in Australia

In a previous article (Bellamy et al., 2003), the authors reported on survey research that investigated reasons why academics from business disciplines enter and remain in academia, and the conditions they deem necessary to creating ideal work satisfaction. For both entering and remaining, as well as in achieving ideal work satisfaction, the most important factors were found to be autonomy and flexibility, with teaching and research the next most important factors. In a subsequent analysis of the data, reported in this article, the authors identify and explore significant differences between accounting academics and other business academics in the relative importance placed on these key factors. The findings may be used to inform policy makers and university administrators of the importance of discipline differences when identifying key factors for recruitment and retention of accounting academics specifically, and business academics generally

Ethnic Identity, Intergroup Relations and Welfare Policy in the Canadian Context: A Comparative Discourse Analysis

This paper illuminates the negotiation of group identities and intergroup relations in the Canadian context. It presents an empirical, comparative analysis of group claims around social assistance policy using discourse analysis. Lexical, semantic and narrative analyses of Aboriginal and multicultural documents show a complex organization of intergroup relations, with distinct and at times conflicting claims. In view of the tensions, responsive policy development requires that historical specificity, complexity, and even incompatibilities be taken into account

The Democratic Dilemmas of Differentiated Integration: The Views of Political Party Actors

Differentiated integration (DI) appeals as a pragmatic way of accommodating political and economic differences among member states (MS). However, it potentially challenges their equal standing in EU decision‐making, creating the possibility for some MS to dominate others. As such, it risks undermining the democratic legitimacy of the EU. Drawing on 35 interviews with party actors in seven MS, we find many shared these concerns, thereby questioning the acceptance of DI. While they considered DI could support self‐determination at the national level, they worried it might result in arbitrary exclusion and growing inequality at the EU level. To be non‐dominating, they contended differentiated policies must remain open for all to join, be based on clear criteria, and allow all MS a say, though only participating states should be entitled to vote on differentiated policies in the Council, whereas all MEPs should be able to vote in the European Parliament

Guidelines for depth data collection in rivers when applying interpolation techniques (kriging) for river restoration

International audienceRiver restoration appraisal requires the implementation of monitoring programmes that assess the river site before and after the restoration project. However, little work has yet been developed to design effective and efficient sampling strategies. Three main variables need to be considered when designing monitoring programmes: space, time and scale. The aim of this paper is to describe the methodology applied to analyse the variation of depth in space, scale and time so more comprehensive monitoring programmes can be developed. Geostatistical techniques were applied to study the spatial dimension (sampling strategy and density), spectral analysis was used to study the scale at which depth shows cyclic patterns, whilst descriptive statistics were used to assess the temporal variation. A brief set of guidelines have been summarised in the conclusion

A rapid reaction analysis of uracil DNA glycosylase indicates an active mechanism of base flipping

Uracil DNA glycosylase (UNG) is the primary enzyme for the removal of uracil from the genome of many organisms. A key question is how the enzyme is able to scan large quantities of DNA in search of aberrant uracil residues. Central to this is the mechanism by which it flips the target nucleotide out of the DNA helix and into the enzyme-active site. Both active and passive mechanisms have been proposed. Here, we report a rapid kinetic analysis using two fluorescent chromophores to temporally resolve DNA binding and base-flipping with DNA substrates of different sequences. This study demonstrates the importance of the protein–DNA interface in the search process and indicates an active mechanism by which UNG glycosylase searches for uracil residues