‘The party’s over’: critical junctures, crises and the politics of housing policy

The key argument set out in this article is that historical and comparative forms of investigation are necessary if we are to better understand the ambitions and scope of contemporary housing interventions. To demonstrate the veracity of our claim, we have set out an analysis of the UK housing polices enacted in the mid-1970s as a basis for comparison with those pursued 40 years later. The article begins with a critical summary of some of the methodological approaches adopted by researchers used to interpret housing policy. In the main section, we present our critical analysis of housing policy reforms (implemented by the Labour government between 1974 and 1979) noting both their achievements and limitations. In the concluding section, we use our interpretation of this period as a basis to judge contemporary housing policy and reflect on the methodological issues that arise from our analysis

Shock-tube measurements of the homogeneous rate of decomposition on NH_3 in NH_3-AR mixtures

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Further shock-tube studies by infrared emission of the decomposition of ammonia

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The status of household food security targets in South Africa

This article investigates the conceptual and methodological challenges to develop a set of baseline indicators for South African food security targets. A food security target is a well-defined and measurable goal to reduce the numbers of people who lack enough food of the right quality to live healthy lives. To derive baseline indicators for household food security, the following question is asked: what is the average cost of a nutritionally adequate food basket per person? The cost of recommended nutrient intake is based on estimates of dietary energy costs. Reported food expenditure for each household based on 2005/2006 Income and Expenditure Survey data gets compared to two dietary energy cost baskets. The food expenditure shares of the poorest households vary between 38% and 71% according to different surveys. At food expenditure levels reported in the IES, one in five households meet their average dietary energy cost. Deep levels of food insecurity exist in rural areas with 85% of rural households unable to afford even the ‘below average dietary energy costs’. Food security policy based on refined baseline indicators can better target food insecure households. Another policy benefit is that robust indicators help to develop effective monitoring capabilities.food security, dietary energy cost, household expenditure, methodology, South Africa, Consumer/Household Economics,

Quantitavive spectroscopy

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Support for pro-poor agricultural development and rural poverty reduction in Eastern Cape

Official data show that a small proportion of Eastern Cape households evidently derive their main or primary income from farming. But the same data also show that the majority of households with access to small plots suitable for farming are concentrated in Eastern Cape. Furthermore, comparative analyses of standard indicators of human wellbeing and development of Eastern Cape with the rest of South Africa show that the province consistently reports worse than national average rates of poverty, food insecurity, unemployment and inequality- reaching extreme levels in rural locations. Over the medium term, higher economic growth and service-oriented sectoral change, might be inadequate to reverse this dismal track record in human well-being. In this context, this paper considers the potential of better targeted public spending on agricultural development for resource-poor small farmers to raise living standards in the Eastern Cape. According to the latest official evidence, slightly more than half a million households in Eastern Cape (representing roughly 40% of all South African households) reported that they have access to farmland- with average land size in the order of 1-1.25 ha per farmily. Interventions aimed at boosting agricultural productivity among these small producers, such as the CASP launched in 2004/05, must be better targeted to meet the needs of the intended beneficiaries.International Development,

Advancing Learner Autonomy in Tefl Via Collaborative Learning

Learner autonomy has been defined as \u27a capacity to control important aspects of one\u27s learning\u27(Benson, 2013, p. 852). In the teaching of additional languages, learner autonomy dates back at least to the 1970s. For instance, Trim, who was a leader in the teaching of additional languages in Europe, stated that a goal of language education was to: make the process of language learning more democratic by providing the con- ceptual tools for the planning, construction and conduct of courses closely geared to the needs, motivations and characteristics of the learner and enabling him [sic] so far as possible to steer and control his own progress. (1978, p. 1

A differential calculus for multifunctions

Mathematical analysis of multifunction

Synergism of He-3 acquisition with lunar base evolution

Researchers have discovered that the lunar surface contains a valuable fusion fuel element that is relatively scarce on Earth. This element, He-3, originates from the solar wind that has bombarded the surface of the Moon over geologic time. Mining operations to recover this resource would allow the by-product acquisition of hydrogen, water, carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, methane, and nitrogen from the lunar surface with relatively minimal additional resource investment when compared to the costs to supply these resources from Earth. Two configurations for the He-3 mining system are discussed, and the impacts of these mining operations on a projected lunar base scenario are assessed. We conclude that the acquisition of He-3 is feasible with minimal advances in current state-of-the-art technologies and could support a terrestrial nuclear fusion power economy with the lowest hazard risk of any nuclear reaction known. Also, the availability of the by-products of He-3 acquisition from the Moon could significantly reduce the operational requirements of a lunar base and increase the commercialization potential of the base through consumable resupply of the lunar base itself, other components of the space infrastructure, and other space missions