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Book review: the coalition effect, 2010-2015 edited by Anthony Seldon & Mike Finn

In The Coalition Effect, 2010-2015, Anthony Seldon and Mike Finn offer a volume of essays examining the impact of the Coalition government of 2010-2015 on British politics. While the hindsight enabled by the 2015 General Election result and the recent Brexit vote means that the precise legacies of the Coalition are still unfolding, this is an indispensable text that provides intriguing, expert assessments of ‘the Coalition effect’ across all major policy areas, finds Jim McConalogue

Book Review: The Cabinet Office: 1916-2016

The Cabinet Office: 1916-2016, authored by Anthony Seldon with Jonathan Meakin, offers a detailed history of the Cabinet Office from its creation during World War I up to the present as well as the eleven Cabinet Secretaries that have served as part of this constant, if somewhat hidden, presence in the otherwise changing political landscape of the UK. The book digs into the complex and difficult task of advising and supporting the Prime Minister – the necessary deal-making, crisis management and peace-making – to show the Cabinet Office’s key role in enabling accountable and responsible government, writes Jim McConalogue

Book review: the Cabinet Office: 1916-2016 by Anthony Seldon with Jonathan Meakin

The Cabinet Office: 1916-2016, authored by Anthony Seldon with Jonathan Meakin, offers a detailed history of the Cabinet Office from its creation during World War I up to the present as well as the eleven Cabinet Secretaries that have served as part of this constant, if somewhat hidden, presence in the otherwise changing political landscape of the UK. The book digs into the complex and difficult task of advising and supporting the Prime Minister – the necessary deal-making, crisis management and peace-making – to show the Cabinet Office’s key role in enabling accountable and responsible government, writes Jim McConalogue

The ‘rule of the recognised helm’: How does European Union membership impact upon UK Parliamentary sovereignty?

This study examines the way in which European Union (EU) membership has impacted upon historically precedented understandings of UK parliamentary sovereignty. The position adopted is critical of other approaches within a neo-Diceyan, popular sovereigntist and common law paradigm which have accorded too little significance to the past historical precedents defining Parliament’s sovereignty and its institutional inter-relationships. By overlooking historical constitutional forms, the gravity of the impact of EU membership on the UK constitution has often been misunderstood by those approaches. By adopting a broadly political constitutionalist position, the thesis proposes an alternative explanation of UK parliamentary sovereignty as the ‘rule of the recognised helm’. It seeks to achieve that objective by adapting the approaches of the ‘rule of recognition’ while incorporating the medieval, political view of sovereignty as operating under the ‘helm’ of the ship of state, responsible for the government of the realm. The thesis establishes that the operation of the ‘rule of the recognised helm’ is dependent upon a uniquely conditioned political history characterised by eight crucial historically precedented ‘historical constitutional forms’ defining UK parliamentary sovereignty, from the thirteenth century through to the contemporary Parliament. The main contention is that under EU membership, successive governments, through Parliaments, have adopted practices which whilst preserving the fundamental rule, are at odds with those past constitutional precedents. Three key EU case studies – of the Financial Transactions Tax, of the freedom of movement of persons and of the Working Time Directive – are employed as evidence that the UK’s helm of state has, since 1973, incorporated EU institutions which unsettles those political precedents of parliamentary sovereignty. On the other hand, the fourth case study, of Parliament’s place since the UK’s holding of the EU Referendum in 2016 constitutes a new constitutional resettlement, a realignment of Parliament with historical precedent and its sovereignty

Antecedents of Citizen Self-Disclosure on Social Media Health Platforms: Towards an Improved Understanding (1)

Social media platform usage and online community participation has increased to a near ubiquitous level, (Pew Research Centre, 2016). However, to date, much attention has focused on the factors that influence individual’s trust and adoption of social media networks and online communities in general. In contrast, research on the factors that influence trust and self-disclosure on social media health platforms and associated online health communities remains remarkably limited. This is particularly surprising as adoption and usage of these health platforms remains comparatively constrained, thereby limiting potential social and health benefits to consumers, whilst also being an issue of concern to those who develop and design these platforms. This paper examines the extant literature on the factors that influence usage and participation in social media platforms and online communities and which are therefore likely to be relevant to examinations of self-disclosure in an online health context. In doing so, it contributes to technology adoption research in the area of user trust and self-disclosure on social media health platforms and online health communities

TOWARDS AN UNDERSTANDING OF THE FACTORS THAT INFLUENCE CITIZEN TRUST IN SOCIAL MEDIA HEALTH PLATFORMS (12)

Internet penetration rates continue to grow, in the United States for example, it stands at 87% of the population (WorldBank, 2016). In addition, the variety of purposes for which citizens use the Internet is increasing. This is particularly evident in the area of health, where a growing number of Internet users utilise the Internet as a source of health information. The growth in citizens seeking health information online has coincided with the emergence of social media health platforms and applications. While such initiatives have potential to empower health consumers through increased diffusion of targeted health information, the success of these platforms is dependent on their acceptance and adoption. Moreover, there is a lack of understanding as to what factors can generate trust in such platforms. This is despite the fact that trust is an essential component of traditional healthcare delivery and results in increased engagement and participation in health forums

The Role of Total Cost of Ownership Tools in AAL Technology Assessment

Ambient Assisted Living technologies offer a unique opportunity to improve the quality of life of persons with mild cognitive impairments while also reducing economic pressures currently experienced by European health systems. Unless an appropriate route to market is found for AAL technologies these benefits will not be realised. This paper highlights the role of Total Cost of Ownership when conducting a technology assessment by reviewing existent literature. In particular, this paper recommends that Total Cost of Ownership tools be developed in conjunction with industry collaboration and that these tools be incorporated as a key award criterion during the assessment and procurement process. This work is licensed under a&nbsp;Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.</p

Book review: the UK after Brexit: legal and policy challenges edited by Michael Dougan

In the edited collection The UK after Brexit: Legal and Policy Challenges, Michael Dougan brings together contributors to explore the key challenges facing the UK legal system and broader public policy environment following the UK Brexit vote and resulting de-Europeanisation process. This comprehensive work gives prime insight into the profound restructuring of the UK’s institutional landscape that may be on the horizon, writes Jim McConalogue

A mixed methods examination of the antecedents of user self-disclosure on digital health platforms

Digital health platforms (DHPs) present the opportunity for individuals to manage their personal health more effectively through seeking and obtaining health advice. However, little is known about the factors that influence self-disclosure on these platforms and are therefore critical for their success. This research proposes that self-disclosure on a DHP is influenced by trust in health platforms (THP) and health information privacy concerns (HIPC) across different cultures and personalities. Using data from Ireland and the United States, it develops a framework that harnesses social exchange theory (SET) and social penetration theory (SPT) as a lens to understand self-disclosure on DHPs. It examines the factors that generate THP and HIPC. It then determines the influence of THP and HIPC on self-disclosure. Finally, the model offers a unique look at the role of personality traits and the influence they have on likelihood to self-disclose. A two-stage mixed-methods data collection approach was employed to explore these propositions. Quantitative surveys were used to collect data from 300 participants in Ireland and America. 20 qualitative research interviews were then conducted with Irish and American participants. The quantitative and qualitative findings were then integrated and evaluated in the context of the hypothesised relationships. The integrated findings show THP is the critical pathway to self-disclosure. THP is shaped by social influence, perceived reciprocity and privacy risk beliefs. HIPC is shown to reduce THP. Personality traits also influence self-disclosure. This study extends SET and SPT to a digital health platform context. The findings provide actionable insights, which can assist policy makers who wish to protect citizen health data and health technology vendors who seek to develop trustworthy platforms