Towards the estimation of the economic value of the outputs of Scottish Higher Education Institutions

This report is the outcome of a preliminary scoping study undertaken for the Scottish Higher Education Funding Council and Universities Scotland Knowledge Transfer Taskforce during the three month period April - June 2005. The study focussed on the feasibility of developing an economically meaningful approach to measurement of Scottish higher education institutional outputs in monetary terms. The growing policy emphasis on higher education's role in the economy has led to an increasing need for quantitative analysis of the value to the economy of what a HEI does (that is, as a producer of specifically educational goods) - over and above the economic benefits that arise from the mere fact of the HEI doing something (that is, as a producer of general unspecified goods)

The impact of the University of Strathclyde on the economy of Scotland and the City of Glasgow

The interest in the economic impact of higher education has led to the early studies of both Scottish and UK Higher Education being updated and extended. However it is now 12 years since the very first study of Strathclyde University (which arguably set the core policy agenda for subsequent work)10 was undertaken. It is timely to take a fresh look at the University of Strathclyde's impact on Scotland. The current study was undertaken in Spring 2004 and focuses primarily on those aspects of the University of Strathclyde's contribution to the economy that can currently be quantified and measured in conventional economic terms such as output, employment and export earnings. Modelled estimates are made of the economic activity generated in other sectors of the economy, both throughout Scotland and also within the City of Glasgow, through the secondary or 'knock-on' effects of the expenditure of the University, its staff and its students. Overall the study presents an up-to-date and detailed examination of the University of Strathclyde's quantifiable economic contribution to both the City of Glasgow and to Scotland as a whole. The study was conducted by Ursula Kelly and Donald McLellan of the Information Resources Directorate of the University of Strathclyde working with Emeritus Professor Iain McNicoll, who served as Technical Adviser on the study

Towards the estimation of the economic value of the outputs of Scottish Higher Education Institutions: an overview of the content of the main report

This is an overview and discussion of the key issues and findings from the project 'Towards the estimation of the economic value of the outputs of Scottish HEIs', which was undertaken in Spring 2005 by Ursula Kelly, Iain McNicoll and Donald McLellan for the Scottish Higher Education Funding Council (SHEFC) and Universities Scotland (US) Knowledge Transfer Taskforce. The project aimed to assess the feasibility of developing an economically meaningful approach to measuring the outputs of Scottish higher education institutions in monetary terms. The project was essentially a three month scoping study to determine: how far an economically valid approach could be developed to cover all of the work of Scottish higher education institutions; whether it would be feasible in practice for the approach to be used for a full-scale assessment of the economic value of the outputs of Scottish HEIs; and whether such a full-scale assessment would yield additional insights to assist the SHEFC in resource allocation issues, particularly in relation to knowledge transfer

The economic impact of UK higher education institutions

The economic importance of higher education is now well recognised and the contribution that it can make to the development of both national and regional economies is attracting significant policy attention in the UK. Higher education is seen as being of key importance in the creation and transfer of knowledge to the UK economy through its teaching, research and other activities. Both the White Paper on 'The Future of Higher Education' (2003) and the Lambert Review of University-Business Collaboration (2003) envisaged the sector as playing a pivotal role in ensuring the country's economic competitiveness. Higher education can impact on the economy in a very wide range of ways. Increasing attention is being paid to the contribution of higher education to the stock of human capital, with continuing analysis of both private and social rates of return to graduates. Higher education is also considered to have an important impact on the social and cultural environment, and this in turn has an impact on the economic environment within which business operates. However higher education institutions are also independent business entities and the economic activity generated by institutional expenditure (the aspect of sector's economic contribution which is most readily quantifiable) is substantial. The extensive scale of higher education institutional activity across the UK also means that this can be of significant importance at the macroeconomic level. This study presents key economic features of UK higher education in the academic and financial year 2003/04 and those aspects of its contribution to the economy that can be readily measured. Analysis is made of the sector as a conventional industry, highlighting major economic characteristics of higher education institutions including their sources of revenue, employment created, output generated and export earnings attracted. Modelled estimates are made of the economic activity generated in other sectors of the economy through the secondary or 'knock-on' multiplier effects of the expenditure of the higher education institutions, their staff and that of international students and visitors attracted to the UK by the higher education institutions

The toxicity of potentially toxic elements (Cu, Fe, Mn, Zn and Ni) to the cnidarian <i>Hydra attenuata</i> at environmentally relevant concentrations

The domestic, agricultural, industrial, technological and medical applications of potentially toxic elements (PTEs) have led to global pollution in all environments. In this study, the cnidarian Hydra attenuata was exposed individually and to a mixture of 5 metals (copper, iron, manganese, zinc and nickel) at environmentally relevant concentrations (1×) within the Clyde estuary, Scotland and incremental concentrations ranging from 0.0001× to 1000×. Toxicity was investigated using morphology, attachment, hydranth number and feeding behaviour as endpoints. When exposed individually, Cu, Mn and Fe significantly reduced Hydra morphology, feeding and attachment at environmentally relevant concentrations. Hydra mortality was measured, having an LC50 of 0.045× (for the environmentally relevant mixture of metals) and Cu 0.5 mg/l, Fe 3 mg/l, Mn 2 mg/l, Zn 0.1 mg/l, Ni 0.5 mg/l for each element exposed individually. The PTE mixture incurred a significant decrease (p ≤ 0.05) in morphology at 0.0001×, with 100% mortality at 0.1× (containing a concentration of Cu 0.05 mg/l, Fe 0.3 mg/l, Mn 0.2 mg/l, Zn 0.01 mg/l, Ni 0.05 mg/l) and a toxicity threshold (TT) of 0.000005×. Both copper and iron when exposed individually to the concentration of their respective metals found in the environment resulted in 100% mortality for all Hydra exposed. These results indicate that the PTE mixture (including the individual concentrations of copper, iron, manganese and nickel) could potentially prove significantly toxic to the aquatic environment

The challenge of plastic management for waste electrical and electric equipment recycling in the Global South: a case comparison between Europe and Latin America

Countries with emerging legislation on the waste electrical and electric equipment (WEEE), but limited infrastructure, may find in other, more robust, systems the tools to develop adaptable and socioeconomically viable management schemes. Additives found in the plastics in electronic goods, such as brominated flame retardants (BFRs), are components of a safety system, but introduce characteristics that result in their waste being hazardous. Established and emerging regulatory systems need to implement legislation that impacts the management of WEEE, to reduce risks to human health and the environment, while maximising opportunities for resource recovery from widely varying materials. To assess the context of developed and emerging regulatory systems, a baseline study was undertaken of WEEE plastics in Scotland and Uruguay. For the identification of BFRs in plastics, an internationally validated screening methodology using X-ray fluorescence was adopted at different processing operations. It was observed that, using a threshold of 830 mg/kg for Br as a BFR tracer, in Scotland, more than 70% of the plastics would be recyclable, while, in Uruguay, that fraction dropped to 50%. These results, and the wider literature discussion, highlight the impact that regulatory frameworks have on the quality and recyclability of recovered material. We identify future actions to be considered by policy-makers for a more sustainable regulatory approach