Surveying migration policy and practice in the independence referendum and beyond

The Scottish Government’s approach to immigration issues was portrayed during the independence referendum debate as valuing the contribution of migrants in a way which contrasted with the anti-migrant approach of the UK Government.1 The question of how much divergence from the immigration policies of the rest of the UK an independent Scotland might have pursued did surface in the context of discussions about EU membership, but it did not feature strongly. But when the Scottish Government’s approach is looked at in detail, it reveals pragmatism, and a preparedness to assume constraints on its pursuit of a separate approach to migration, in order to achieve its aspirations to participate in the Common Travel Area and the European Union. In these areas, the emphasis was on agreement, rather than on a separate approach. Reflecting now on the post-referendum landscape, a number of the divergences in migration policy put forward by the Scottish Government can be seen as continuations of divergences with roots which were traceable back to the early years of devolution. Some could be traced back to initiatives which, since immigration is reserved to Westminster, grew from co-operation between the Scottish Executive and the UK Government. This article identifies some of the variations in practice, and contributions in law and policy, which have featured in Scotland since devolution, and draws attention to the connections between the divergences which emerged following devolution, and those which formed part of independence proposals. Its aim is to add to our collective understanding of the kinds of differences in immigration and asylum law, and contributions to policy and practice which have been pursued, and which could still be pursued. It concludes by considering the impacts which UK immigration law continues to have in Scotland, and how these might interact with proposals for constitutional change

Hostility enacted

In seeking to intensify the “hostile environment” for illegal migrants in the UK, the Immigration Act 2016 makes important changes likely to affect both private and public law practitioner

Cash or condition ? evidence from a cash transfer experiment

Conditional Cash Transfer programs are"...the world's favorite new anti-poverty device,"(The Economist, July 29 2010) yet little is known about the specific role of the conditions in driving their success. In this paper, we evaluate a unique cash transfer experiment targeted at adolescent girls in Malawi that featured both a conditional (CCT) and an unconditional (UCT) treatment arm. We find that while there was a modest improvement in school enrollment in the UCT arm in comparison to the control group, this increase is only 43 percent as large as the CCT arm. The CCT arm also outperformed the UCT arm in tests of English reading comprehension. The schooling condition, however, proved costly for important non-schooling outcomes: teenage pregnancy and marriage rates were substantially higher in the CCT than the UCT arm. Our findings suggest that a CCT program for early adolescents that transitions into a UCT for older teenagers would minimize this trade-off by improving schooling outcomes while avoiding the adverse impacts of conditionality on teenage pregnancy and marriage.Education For All,Population Policies,Primary Education,Tertiary Education,Teaching and Learning

Alcohol – students binge drinking – systematic or critical review

Abstract Background: In recent years excessive alcohol use has increased in the UK resulting in a wide range of negative consequences for the individual and society (Government Strategy Unit, 2004). The 18-24 age group, especially university students, has the highest rates of binge drinking (Goddard, 1997; Bingham et al, 2005). A review of all literature surrounding university students’ alcohol use is required for health professionals to gain comprehensive understanding of the whole phenomenon. Methods: A review of the literature was carried out using CINAHL, EMBASE, PsychINFO and ISI Web of Science. The keywords used were “(University students OR students) AND (alcohol OR alcohol use)”. Inclusion and exclusion criteria were established and a thematic analysis of the articles included was undertaken. Results: Four main themes were identified from the literature search: Effects of alcohol use, current consumption rates by students, factors which influence alcohol consumption and health promotion. Conclusions: Moderate alcohol use is generally associated with positive effects but when an individual misuses alcohol, negative consequences appear. Alcohol misuse impacts negatively on the individual and society. In the UK, the most common drinking behaviours undertaken by students is binge drinking or sensible drinking but there are also a percentage of students who drink to hazardous levels. The factors associated with these drinking behaviours were found to include biological, psychological, sociological and environmental influences. One of the most important factors found was the influence of peers. Taking the previous results into consideration, health promotion and prevention interventions were suggested using health promotion models

The regressive demands of demand-driven development

Despite their explicit focus on reaching the poor, many community driven development (CDD) projects have been found to be only mildly pro-poor in their funding allocations. This paper presents evidence of an explanation that has been overlooked in the CDD literature to date: the requirement that beneficiaries must apply for projects in order to receive support. The authors first examine data on the universe of project applications and funding under Tanzania's flagship CDD program, Tanzania's Social Action Fund, and then use a census of 100 program villages to examine the determinants of both program awareness and program participation at the household level. The data paint a consistent picture at both levels: wealth, access to information, and political capital are important correlates of the ability to navigate the application process successfully. The centrally dictated features of this decentralized program appear to be the most effective mechanisms in directing funds to the poor. The results suggest that unless demand-driven projects can develop ways of soliciting engagement from a broader cross-section of the population, they are unlikely to achieve truly progressive targeting.Rural Poverty Reduction,Housing&Human Habitats,Poverty Monitoring&Analysis,Services&Transfers to Poor,Regional Economic Development

Brexit and Scots Law: immigration and citizenship

No abstract available

The short-term impacts of a schooling conditional cash transfer program on the sexual behavior of young women

Recent evidence suggests that conditional cash transfer programs for schooling are effective in raising school enrollment and attendance. However, there is also reason to believe that such programs can affect other outcomes, such as the sexual behavior of their young beneficiaries. Zomba Cash Transfer Program is a randomized, ongoing conditional cash transfer intervention targeting young women in Malawi that provides incentives (in the form of school fees and cash transfers) to current schoolgirls and recent dropouts to stay in or return to school. An average offer of US$10/month conditional on satisfactory school attendance – plus direct payment of secondary school fees – led to significant declines in early marriage, teenage pregnancy, and self-reported sexual activity among program beneficiaries after just one year of program implementation. For program beneficiaries who were out of school at baseline, the probability of getting married and becoming pregnant declined by more than 40 percent and 30 percent, respectively. In addition, the incidence of the onset of sexual activity was 38 percent lower among all program beneficiaries than the control group. Overall, these results suggest that conditional cash transfer programs not only serve as useful tools for improving school attendance, but may also reduce sexual activity, teen pregnancy, and early marriage.Population Policies,Adolescent Health,Education For All,Primary Education,Disease Control&Prevention

Computerized crime linkage systems: A critical review and research agenda

Computerized crime linkage systems are meant to assist the police in determining whether crimes have been committed by the same offender. In this article, the authors assess these systems critically and identify four assumptions that affect the effectiveness of these systems. These assumptions are that (a) data in the systems can be coded reliably, (b) data in the systems are accurate, (c) violent serial offenders exhibit consistent but distinctive patterns of behavior, and (d) analysts have the ability to use the data in the systems to link crimes accurately. The authors argue that there is no compelling empirical support for any of the four assumptions, and they outline a research agenda for testing each assumption. Until evidence supporting these assumptions becomes available, the value of linkage systems will remain open to debate