A drift away from majoritarianism: constitutional reform andthe Coalition Government of 2010-2015

Constitutional matters have dominated contemporary British politics for some time, and as Brexit develops, look set to continue to do so. Here, Felicity Matthews draws on recent co-authored research to explore what influence the Coalition government of 2010-2015 had on British constitutional arrangements

As the current parliament progresses, the dissonance between constitutional norms and governing reality may prove too great to ignore

This May’s General Election saw the end of the first full coalition in post-war British politics, between the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats. The partnership brought together two parties with distinct constitutional philosophies, and entailed a trade-off between principle and pragmatism which saw the latter’s electoral evisceration. Felicity Matthews looks both backwards over the last five years and forward to the next five, and argues that the coalition’s period in government makes likely an ever-greater dissonance between constitutional norms and the reality of governing as a majority Conservative administration

Majoritarianism reinterpreted: why Parliament is more influential than often thought

Despite Westminster often being seen as lacking the teeth to affect government policy, Felicity Matthews writes that this is not the case. She argues that reforms to shift the balance between government and parliament have served to offset the declining vote basis of government, and have ensured that Westminster remains responsive to a majority of the electorate through the legislative process

Behind the scenes of the Conservative–Liberal Democrat coalition

The UK’s Coalition government of 2010–15 was established with an array of formal agreements and rules for cooperation. However, finds Felicity Matthews, the informal norms and micro-level practices of individual relationships were critical to its operation. This opens up a new area in research, which focuses on the detailed practices of multi-party governance

How majoritarianism endures in the structures of the UK's devolved institutions

Scotland and Wales' devolved political institutions, elected under proportional Additional Member electoral systems, were intended to produce a more consensual political culture. However, writes Felicity Matthews, although their electoral rules have increased the proportionality of representation, the structures of the Scottish Parliament and National Assembly for Wales have meant that a more consensual approach to policy-making has been more limited than might have been expected

Steering the British state - emerging patterns of governance and the public service agreement framework.

This PhD is about state capacity in the context of evolving governance structures: the capacity of the state to deliver. Focusing upon the governance debate and its many cleavages, the thesis explores the extent to which the British state has been affected by many of the challenges to its capacity that underpin theories of governance, such as hollowing-out and fragmentation. Within this, it will determine whether the Labour government (1997-2007) has actively recognised and responded to these perceived challenges in order to preserve its central steering capacity. Conducting the first major analysis to date of the Public Service Agreement framework, the thesis concludes that the policy landscape is increasingly characterised by complexity and inter-connectedness, as multiple stakeholders across a range of geo-political jurisdictions are engaged in the policy process at all junctures. Nonetheless, despite the picture of a hollow state painted in many accounts of governance, the government has retained an inherent resource advantage, which has enabled it to redefine its role and preserve its centrality. Accordingly, the government has sought to adopt the role of 'primary organiser' within the policy landscape, defining the parameters of stakeholder engagement, which it then polices in accordance with its ultimate political responsibility for service delivery

AN INVESTIGATION INTO THE UPTAKE AND BENEFIT OF VIRTUAL LEARNING NETWORK OPPORTUNITIES IN THE SMALL BUSINESS TOURISM SECTOR - RIKON Group

While there is a growing interest in learning networks, relatively little research has been published with a specific tourism focus. Thus, this paper is concerned with tourism learning networks (TLN) and the role of virtual learning environments (VLE) in sustaining member viability following facilitated TLN interaction. The authors investigate user adoption and uptake of Fáilte Ireland2’s VLE, commencing with a comprehensive literature review, relating to virtual learning network (VLN) environments, and resulting in a VLN framework for a small firm environment. A mixed method approach enabled the authors to comprehensively uncover quantitative measurements with qualitative insights through the use of key informant interviews, census questionnaire, click stream data analysis and semi-structured interviews. Findings classified the nature of the network in both physical and virtual capacities, through the identification of modes of communication, level of membership, intentions to seek advice, make contact and contribute within the networking community. In terms of VLN usage, time was identified as the lead barrier to using the VLE, followed by a lack of training, and a low usage level among TLN members. Furthermore, findings suggest that while participants are willing to seek advice and share information, most felt they made only limited contributions to the VLN community. From a theoretical perspective, this research offers a framework for VLN facilitation in the tourism sector, and indicates the necessary dimensions involved in promotion of interactive learning online. The study also provides an in-depth analysis of participants’ perspectives in relation to virtual collaboration (activity, barriers, and adoption levels), participants’ perspectives in relation to the TLN support structure, and any underlying behavioral mediators, that may be responsible for poor VLN activity

AN INVESTIGATION INTO THE UPTAKE AND BENEFIT OF VIRTUAL LEARNING NETWORK OPPORTUNITIES IN THE SMALL BUSINESS TOURISM SECTOR(RIKON Group)

While there is a growing interest in learning networks, relatively little research has been published with a specific tourism focus. Thus, this paper is concerned with tourism learning networks (TLN) and the role of virtual learning environments (VLE) in sustaining member viability following facilitated TLN interaction. The authors investigate user adoption and uptake of Fáilte Ireland2’s VLE, commencing with a comprehensive literature review, relating to virtual learning network (VLN) environments, and resulting in a VLN framework for a small firm environment. A mixed method approach enabled the authors to comprehensively uncover quantitative measurements with qualitative insights through the use of key informant interviews, census questionnaire, click stream data analysis and semi-structured interviews. Findings classified the nature of the network in both physical and virtual capacities, through the identification of modes of communication, level of membership, intentions to seek advice, make contact and contribute within the networking community. In terms of VLN usage, time was identified as the lead barrier to using the VLE, followed by a lack of training, and a low usage level among TLN members. Furthermore, findings suggest that while participants are willing to seek advice and share information, most felt they made only limited contributions to the VLN community. From a theoretical perspective, this research offers a framework for VLN facilitation in the tourism sector, and indicates the necessary dimensions involved in promotion of interactive learning online. The study also provides an in-depth analysis of participants’ perspectives in relation to virtual collaboration (activity, barriers, and adoption levels), participants’ perspectives in relation to the TLN support structure, and any underlying behavioral mediators, that may be responsible for poor VLN activity

Yield stability across sowing dates – how to pick a winner in variable seasons?

Take home messages • Match optimal flowering period to growing environment to maximise grain yield potential. • One variety doesn’t fit all; there are no commercially available varieties that are broadly adapted across a wide range of sowing times or growing environments. • Optimising variety phenology and sowing time combinations achieves grain yield stability across a wide sowing window. • Probability of sowing opportunities will influence variety choice and sowing time decisions

VIRTUAL LEARNING NETWORKS IN SMALL TOURISM BUSINESSES A THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK

Much of tourism development is predicated on the successful working of organisations and their competitive alignment in the form of partnerships or networks. Specifically, national and international research studies acknowledge the importance of small firm network-centred learning, where an integral part of this learning process is the complete network of relationships of the small firm owner-manager. Despite their importance in the context of small business development, networks, both physical and virtual, have been relatively neglected as an area of academic study, particularly in the tourism context. This paper focuses on virtual learning networks (VLN) among small tourism businesses, and seeks to establish a conceptual frame within which VLNs can be studied from a small firm perspective. A comprehensive review of the literature on VLNs is presented, drawing from traditional learning theories and their adoption into a virtual standpoint. The review also draws from networking philosophy and relational capital domains. Previous research suggests a number of factors including collaboration, trust, and reciprocity as indicators for the building of social capital in order to increase participation levels among network members. The approach to learning, its theories and behavioural analysis are a predominant focus in the examination of existing literature. A conceptual framework is presented identifying the elements (trust, commitment and reciprocity) necessary for building social capital as a means for effective collaboration among members within a small firm virtual network. The research goal is to suggest factors for consideration by managers and national support agencies (including Fáilte Ireland in the tourism context) when establishing small business virtual networking operations. Further research includes the operationalisation of this conceptual model in the Irish tourism sector