Developmental States: The British Crisis and the Imperial Mind-Set

British economic decline was a staple of much post-1945 public discourse, until its supposed reversal by the “miracle” of the Thatcher years. In the aftermath of the great financial crisis of 2007, it has been revived with a vengeance as the weaknesses of its rentier economy have been mercilessly exposed. Meanwhile, the relative strengths of more coordinated “competitor” states are once again more apparent. Of the books under review here, two offer theoretically grounded and comprehensive empirical studies, while the other two bring together contributions from those seeking to restore a greater and more strategic economic activism to the British state. If anything, the former serves to underline the rather desperate predicament depicted by the latter, whose very publication is indicative of the cul-de-sac in which Britain now finds itself economically and politically. </p

Drugs, alcohol and sexual health: opportunities to influence risk behaviour

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Alcohol and drug consumption can affect judgment and may contribute towards an increased likelihood of engaging in risky sexual behaviour. In this cross sectional survey of clients attending STI services levels of drug and alcohol use were assessed using two standardised drug and alcohol screening instruments (the PAT and the SDS).</p> <p>Findings</p> <p>The rates of hazardous alcohol consumption were similar to those found among patients attending A&E departments. Approximately 15% of clients indicated possible dependence on alcohol or other drugs, and these clients were likely to cite their substance use as related to their attendance, and to accept the offer of help or advice.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The use of brief screening instruments as part of routine clinical practice is recommended. The STI clinic is well placed to identify substance use and to offer advice and/or onward referral to specialist services.</p

Financialization and Social Structure of Accumulation Theory

Recent developments in SSA theory are employed to analyze the construction and ultimate implosion of the global neoliberal SSA. Expanding upon the recent work of Martin Wolfson and David Kotz, who predict a shift toward a more state-regulated regime of accumulation, this article explores various ways by which this shift may be facilitated and accomplished, while contributing to the debates within SSA theory as regards the validity of concepts of transnational SSAs. As neoliberalism retrenches and the transition to a new SSA gathers pace, globalization itself faces reversal on many fronts

Clinging to the Relics for Support: Capitalism and the Nation—Review of <i>The Sublime Perversion of Capital: Marxist Theory and the Politics of History in Modern Japan </i> by Gavin Walker

Observing the apparently anomalous retention of pre-capitalist forms amid rapid economic transformation, Marxists in early 20th-century Japan grappled with the theoretical challenges posed by a set of practices that did not adhere to the presumed teleology of capitalist development. In response, they proposed a sophisticated treatment of nationalism as an essential (but inherently temporary) stabilizing feature of capitalism, requiring constant reinvention as part of capitalism's fundamentally unstable and contradictory growth process. The validity of this treatment can be witnessed today with respect to populist backlashes in Europe and North America, and strident nationalist and even genocidal state policies in South Asia, amid a general stalling of the neoliberal globalization project that has increasingly been seen to fail in the unfolding aftermath of the global financial crisis of 2007–2009. </p

The Buck Stops Here: The Return of US Decline

The widespread perception of the relative decline of the US as a global power in recent years was given particular impetus by the global financial crisis. This has prompted renewed reflection on how the US came to pre-eminence, how it exploited its dominant position, the processes and manifestations of decline, and the impact of decline on the domestic front. The position of the US dollar as global reserve currency remains for now, but increased awareness of the challenges it faces has prompted deeper consideration of the implications of any decline in its hegemonic status for global security, as well as for domestic politics

Traditions in thought: The case of Scottish political economy

A number of commentators have recently identified a 'uniquely Scottish mode of thought in economics', or a particular 'Scottish political economy tradition'. In this paper the concept of tradition, defined as those features common to practitioners over a relatively long period, is investigated in relation to 'school', 'paradigm' and 'research programme'. An application of the concept to the Scottish Enlightenment period suggests that its use is in line with the philosophical approach of Adam Smith, and shows that the concept allows account to be taken of external institutional/historical influences in interpreting the history of economics

Rae and the Tradition of Scottish Political Economy

The purpose of the chapter is to investigate how far Rae is representative of the Scottish Political Economy Tradition, where tradition is understood in terms of continuity in a shared approach, allowing for theoretical differences. While Rae conforms to most features identified with the Scottish tradition, his opposition to Smith&rsquo;s methodology suggests a divergence of approach which would put him outside the tradition. It is argued here that this divergence applies only to Rae&rsquo;s professed methodology, not to his practice

Regulation of ROS signal transduction by NADPH oxidase 4 localization

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) function as intracellular signaling molecules in a diverse range of biological processes. However, it is unclear how freely diffusible ROS dictate specific cellular responses. In this study, we demonstrate that nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate reduced oxidase 4 (Nox4), a major Nox isoform expressed in nonphagocytic cells, including vascular endothelium, is localized to the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). ER localization of Nox4 is critical for the regulation of protein tyrosine phosphatase (PTP) 1B, also an ER resident, through redox-mediated signaling. Nox4-mediated oxidation and inactivation of PTP1B in the ER serves as a regulatory switch for epidermal growth factor (EGF) receptor trafficking and specifically acts to terminate EGF signaling. Consistent with this notion, PTP1B oxidation could also be modulated by ER targeting of antioxidant enzymes but not their untargeted counterparts. These data indicate that the specificity of intracellular ROS-mediated signal transduction may be modulated by the localization of Nox isoforms within specific subcellular compartments