A critical analysis of approaches to the concept of social identity in social policy

This article seeks both to highlight a current imbalance in approaches to social identity in social policy, and to make suggestions as to how this might be redressed in future work employing the concept. The concept of identity and specifically social identity is increasingly employed in the discipline of social policy as a theoretical device with which to bridge the individual/social divide. The argument presented here suggests that the concept is however, unevenly deployed in policy analysis and, therefore lacks the force of impact it might otherwise have had. The predominant focus of current analysis lies in policy change precipitated by groups of ‘new,’ active welfare constituents organised around differentiated and fragmented social identities, whereas the identities of welfare professionals also involved in policy making process have disappeared from analytical view. The current emphasis on the discursive context for policy formulation, perpetuates an unacknowledged misconception concerning the asociality of those involved in policy making, where their principal role is perceived as the maintenance of the status quo in terms of social policy responses to welfare constituents needs. Redressing this false dichotomy between those developing and those using welfare services might be avoided by further exploring the concept of relational identity

Understanding and Extending the Role of Social Identity in Social Policy: The potential for identification between 'policy maker' and service user

[First Paragraph] The concept of social identity is important in policy analysis as it can contribute to a more complex understanding of both individual and collective agency. This paper is based on research which aims to use this concept to understand the role of welfare service providers in developing health and social care services potentially more appropriate to users needs¹. Drawing on the work of Taylor (1998) and Williams (2000), the paper outlines a three part model of social identity as ontological – categorical – relational, and explains how this is useful to exploring the agency of welfare service users. Current changes within the organisational context of welfare are then briefly outlined and it is argued that these recent developments make it important to develop a fuller understanding of welfare professionals’ social identities. Finally it is suggested that the concept of relational identity could usefully be developed in order to do this

Study of crack initiation phenomena associated with stress corrosion of aluminum alloys

Study of stress corrosion cracks in aluminum alloys reveals that crack initiation is greatly influenced by boundary orientation and directionality of the structure. In all crack susceptible materials, intergranular corrosion and stress corrosion cracking started and progressed in boundaries oriented perpendicularly to the stressing direction

Arbitrage, market definition and monitoring a time series approach

This article considers the application to regional price data of time series methods to test stationarity, multivariate cointegration and exogeneity. The discovery of stationary price differentials in a bivariate setting implies that the series are rendered stationary by capturing a common trend and we observe through this mechanism long-run arbitrage. This is indicative of a broader market definition and efficiency. The problem is considered in relation to more than 700 weekly data points on gasoline prices for three regions of the US and similarly calibrated simulated series. The discovery of a single common trend is consistent with competitive pricing and a broad market definition, but the finding of a single weakly exogenous variable affects this conclusion

Acquisition Activity in the United Kingdom: Parametric and Semi-Parametric Estimation

In this article we attempt to identify the nancial characteristics of takeover targets in UK using the period 1982-1990. The study analyses the relationship between bidders and targets, and targets and non-targets over two distinct sub-periods, 1982-1985 and 1986-1990 which are viewed as being homogenous. The rst period followed a deep recession which followed a distinct shift in Macroeconomic Policy after 1979. The second period was associated with nancial liberalisation in 1986 and the freeing up of Monetary policy that followed the Stock Market Crash in 1987. To facilitate this analysis, two bi-variate Logit models are estimated over each sub-period and over the period as a whole. The above models are used to test whether Merger and Acquisition behaviour has changed by under- taking a Likelihood Ratio based analogue of the Chow test. A General Modelling strategy is adopted to select variables as a mechanism for pre- cluding inconsistency and reducing the impact of collinearity. Comparison is also made with a semi-parametric estimator

Genetic algorithm design of neural network and fuzzy logic controllers

Genetic algorithm design of neural network and fuzzy logic controller

Functional Implications of Impaired Control of Submaximal Hip Flexion Following Stroke

Introduction: We quantified sub-maximal torque regulation during low to moderate intensity isometric hip flexion contractions in individuals with stroke and the associations with leg function. Methods: 10 participants with chronic stroke and 10 controls performed isometric hip flexion contractions at 5%, 10%, 15%, 20%, and 40% of maximal voluntary contraction (MVC) in paretic, non-paretic, and control legs. Results: Participants with stroke had larger torque fluctuations (coefficient of variation, CV), for both the paretic and non-paretic legs, than controls (Pr2 =0.45) and Berg Balance Score (r2=0.38). At 5% MVC, there were larger torque fluctuations in the contralateral leg during paretic contractions compared with the control leg. Conclusions: Impaired low-force regulation of paretic leg hip flexion can be functionally relevant and related to control versus strength deficits post stroke

A comparison of star formation characteristics in different types of irregular galaxies

Two regions of recent star formation in blue irregular galaxies were observed with the IUE in the short wavelength, low dispersion mode. The spectra indicates that the massive star content is similar in these regions and is best fit by massive stars formed in a burst and now are approximately 2.5 to 3.0 million years old