British Students in the United States: motivations, experiences and career aspirations

Twelve years ago, the British educational press, and indeed the mainstream media, were consumed by the story of Laura Spence, a super-bright pupil from a Newcastle comprehensive school who, despite having five straight-As at ‘A level’ (the final secondary school exams), had been refused a place to read Medicine at Oxford after an interview there. General outrage at Oxford’s snobbishness ensued, with politician Gordon Brown, amongst others, weighing in with the criticism that Oxford favored applicants from the UK’s fee-paying independent schools (which include the elite but perversely named ‘public schools’), thereby excluding excellent applicants from state schools like Laura – especially if they come from deprived parts of the country with strong local accents. Laura instead went to the US to Harvard on a funded scholarship, completed her biochemistry degree there and returned to do postgraduate medical training at Cambridge – the other UK university which constitutes the top duo known collectively as ‘Oxbridge’. How typical is Laura’s story? Are there many British students who, as Oxbridge ‘rejects’, or fearful of being turned down for a place at the UK’s two most ancient and prestigious universities, apply abroad to widen their chances of success at other globally recognized institutions? Brooks and Waters (2009a) argue that there are indeed those like Laura who apply to US universities as a ‘second chance at success’; but our research suggests that there are many other explanations of the upward trend in favor of international study. Since the US is the most important destination for people from the UK studying abroad, the findings of this chapter are particularly important in producing a more robust understanding of the key drivers of international student mobility between one advanced economy and another. We suggest that there are some movers for whom study abroad is part of a carefully strategized plan of international career enhancement, while for others it is a product of their class habitus and family networks (see Bourdieu 1977). We would also argue that there are those who are looking for ‘something different’ yet, at the same time, desire a ‘knowable’ destination, familiar to them for example from film and television and without any great linguistic challenge. In the next section we describe our research project and its aims and methods. The main body of the chapter is made up of three sections which correspond to our three key research questions: about motivations for study in the US, about experiences there, and about future career plans. The conclusion emphasises the motivational and strategic nature of UK student migration to the US, targeted especially at universities perceived to be of high international standing. In terms of the link between study abroad and future career plans, fears about a putative British ‘brain drain’ are shown to be largely unfounded, since most students plan to return to the UK

Productivity in the Forest Products Sector: A Review of the Literature

The present literature review is an attempt to gather and summarize the extent of our knowledge of the productivity trends and levels in the forest products sector. We consider single factor as well as total factor productivity definitions. The studies ?from around the world but mainly focusing on the Canadian and American forest product industries ?have been regrouped in sections: (1) general, (2) logging, (3) saw milling, lumber and wood products, and (4) pulp and paper studies.The report also synthesizes the findings of the studies along two lines: (1) the overall productivity growth trends in Canada and other countries and a comparison between forest products sectors in Canada and the United States; and (2) the determinants of productivity growth.Forestry, Forest Products, Logging, Wood Products, Primary Manufacturing, Primary Industries, Pulp and Paper, Paper Products, Forestry Industry, Canada, United States, Productivity, Productivity Growth

Solving Spectrum Gridlock: Reforms to Liberalize Radio Spectrum Management in Canada in the Face of Growing Scarcity

Canada lags other countries in solving the problem of spectrum scarcity amid rising demand driven by cellphones and other wireless products. In this study, the authors call for reforms to liberalize the allocation of spectrum in Canada with a market-based approach, to increase competition, for the benefit of consumers and other end users.Economic Growth and Innovation, radio spectrum, wireless technology, Industry Canada

Compliance of Canada’s Utility Doctrine with International Minimum Standards of Patent Protection

This article analyzes the Canadian court case of Eli Lilly v. Novopharm and the utility doctrine in Canada, and international standards of patent protection including TRIPS and NAFTA. The ‘‘promise of the patent’’ doctrine in Canada seeks to ensure that firms do not obtain a legal monopoly on the basis of speculative claims about increased utility — especially claims about therapeutic efficacy — that were unsubstantiated at the time of filing. Under this test, some of Eli Lilly’s patented pharmaceutical products have been invalidated retroactively

Multiculturalism and women’s employment: A sociological perspective

This paper analyses the patterns and determinants of female labour force participation from a sociological perspective. Using a relatively recent database, the present analysis updates existing knowledge and evaluates prior research regarding the market employment of women, particularly in the multiethnic and multicultural context. The analysis is based on research conducted in Australia, where there is a substantial proportion of European-ancestry populations. The article also provides some cross national comparisons with other multicultural settings. The results of this paper are based on logistic regression analysis. The results suggest that human capital and family formation appear to play as the most fundamental determinants in women's market employment. The results also suggest that while native-born women are generally more benefited in the labour market, the native-foreigner differentials regarding the employment patterns and determinants tend to be mainly associated with ethnic origin and length of residence in the destination country

Post-Moratorium EU Regulation of Genetically Modified Products: Triffid Flax

The regulatory regime for contamination permits the imposition of import bans with neither a scientific justification nor a risk assessment. No scientific assessment of Triffid flax was done prior to the import ban. The import regime put in place to deal with the contamination of flax with the GM-flax CDC Triffid provides no rationale for the thresholds of safety established for the testing regime. The EU is consistently pushing for commercial, economic and social considerations to be included, along with science, in decision-making. Such considerations are often perceived as avenues for economic protection to creep into EU decision-making. Such considerations can, however, cut both ways. The Canada-EU testing regime for Triffid makes provision for, but does not necessarily require, the testing of cargoes when they reach European ports (Western Producer, 2010). The risks associated with inspection upon arrival made exports to Europe too risky. By only requiring the passing of the tests prior to product leaving Canada, flexibility to find alternative markets for contaminated cargoes has been gained. Thus, while costly, the testing regime for flax exports to the EU has allowed for the resumption of Canadian flax exports to the EU. Of course, the import Protocol negotiated between the EU and Canada was a one off. In a future case, economic and commercial considerations could be used to bolster economic protection. This is why science was agreed upon as the arbitrator of SPS-based trade barriers by the Member States of the WTO, including the EU. Thus, the EU regulatory regime for GM-products would seem open to a new challenge at the WTO. Of course, the political consequences of such a challenge would have to be carefully weighed.GMO, food, EU, Triffid Flax, Agribusiness, Agricultural and Food Policy, Food Consumption/Nutrition/Food Safety, International Relations/Trade,

The Role of Industry Attributes in Determining the Pattern of U.S.-Canada Intra-Industry Trade in 1997

Trade flow patterns associated with U.S. - Canada bilateral trade by industry groups are investigated (Food and live animal products, manufacturing products, chemical products, and machinery and transportation products). The analysis uses the OECD data for 1997 U.S.-Canada bilateral trade flows combined with the U.S. industry characteristics data from the U.S. Economic Census. Levels of intra-industry trade, measured by the Grubel Lloyd Index, were regressed on a number of industry characteristics using OLS techniques. Empirical results indicate that selected measures of product differentiation, market power, and market structure are important influences upon U.S.-Canada bilateral trade in the selected industries. Finally, the empirical results indicate U.S.-Canada bilateral trade exhibits both inter- and intra-industry trade patterns