Poverty and social policy in Europe 2020: ungovernable and ungoverned

This is a post-peer-review, pre-copy edited version of an article published in Policy and Politics. The definitive publisher-authenticated version of: Copeland, Paul, and Mary Daly. "Poverty and social policy in Europe 2020: ungovernable and ungoverned." Policy & Politics 42.3 (2014): 351-365 is available online at: http://dx.doi.org/10.1332/030557312X655503This article examines the latest iteration of EU social policy – the target to reduce poverty and social exclusion by 20 million. The application of a three-part conceptual matrix – focused on ideas, politics and governance – indicates key weaknesses. The target is ungovernable because it melds different approaches to poverty and social exclusion and because of the leeway to Member States to adopt an approach of their own choice. And the target is ungoverned because of low political priority and uncertainty around its legal status, as well as ambiguity over how it fits into the Europe 2020 governance process

Constraining the quintessence equation of state with SnIa data and CMB peaks

Quintessence has been introduced as an alternative to the cosmological constant scenario to account for the current acceleration of the universe. This new dark energy component allows values of the equation of state parameter $w_{Q}^0\geq-1$, and in principle measurements of cosmological distances to Type Ia supernovae can be used to distinguish between these two types of models. Assuming a flat universe, we use the supernovae data and measurements of the position of the acoustic peaks in the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) spectra to constrain a rather general class of Quintessence potentials, including inverse power law models and recently proposed Supergravity inspired potentials. In particular we use a likelihood analysis, marginalizing over the dark energy density $\Omega_{Q}$, the physical baryon density $\Omega_{b}h^2$ and the scalar spectral index $n$, to constrain the slopes of our Quintessence potential. Considering only the first Doppler peak the best fit in our range of models gives $w_{Q}^0\sim-0.8$. However, including the SnIa data and the three peaks, we find an upper limit on the present value of the equation of state parameter, $-1\leq w_{Q}^0\leq-0.93$ at $2\sigma$, a result that appears to rule out a class of recently proposed potentials.Comment: Accepted for pubblication in PRD, 7 pages, 6 figures. New revised analysi

Dynamics of Q-Balls in an expanding universe

We analyse the evolution of light Q-balls in a cosmological background, and find a number of interesting features. For Q-balls formed with a size comparable to the Hubble radius, we demonstrate that there is no charge radiation, and that the Q-ball maintains a constant physical radius. Large expansion rates cause charge migration to the surface of the Q-ball, corresponding to a non-homogeneous internal rotation frequency. We argue that this is an important phenomenon as it leads to a large surface charge and possible fragmentation of the Q-ball. We also explore the deviation of the Q-ball profile function from the static case. By introducing a parameter $\epsilon$, which is the ratio of the Hubble parameter to the frequency of oscillation of the Q-ball field, and using solutions to an analytically approximated equation for the profile function, we determine the dependence of the new features on the expansion rate. This allows us to gain an understanding of when they should be considered and when they can be neglected, thereby placing restrictions on the existence of homogeneous Q-balls in expanding backgrounds.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figure

Gravitational instantons and internal dimensions

We Study instanton solutions in general relativity with a scalar field. The metric ansatz we use is composed of a particular warp product of general Einstein metrics, such as those found in a number of cosmological settings, including string cosmology, supergravity compactifications and general Kaluza Klein reductions. Using the Hartle-Hawking prescription the instantons we obtain determine whether metrics involving extra compact dimensions of this type are favoured as initial conditions for the universe. Specifically, we find that these product metric instantons, viewed as constrained instantons, do have a local minima in the action. These minima are then compared with the higher dimensional version of the Hawking-Turok instantons, and we argue that the latter always have lower action than those associated with these product metrics.Comment: 10 pages, 5 figure

The European Union and the Social Deficit

This is an Accepted Manuscript of an article published by Taylor & Francis Group in Representation Journal on 01/04//2015, available online: http://www.tandfonline.com/10.1080/00344893.2015.1023104The aim of this article is to analyse democracy, legitimacy and interest representation within the European Union. Taking the recent rise of populist parties within the European Parliament and declining levels of public support for the European Union as a starting point, the article probes the relationship between levels of support for the European Union and the interests the European integration process represents. In doing so, it applies a political sociology approach to the EU's governance matrix to two periods: the revival of European integration from the mid-1980s up until the outbreak of the Eurozone crisis, and from 2008 onwards. It argues that the European Union has constitutionalised a system of economic governance that prioritises the objectives of liberalisation and deregulation and their actors. This sidelines more socially oriented actors and has resulted in the erosion of employment and social policy across the member states. As a result, European citizens do not believe that the European Union best serves their interests. In short, the European Union suffers from a ‘social deficit’ with respect to both the interests it represents and the policies it produces. In responding to the Eurozone crisis, the EU's policies have amplified the ‘social deficit’, thereby further narrowing interest representation in the European Union

EU enlargement, the clash of capitalisms and the European social model

This is a post-peer-review, pre-copy edited version of an article published in Comparative European Politics. The definitive publisher-authenticated version of: Copeland, Paul. "EU enlargement, the clash of capitalisms and the European social model." Comparative European Politics 10.4 (2012): 476-504. is available online at: http://dx.doi.org/10.1057/cep.2011.2

Scaling Laws for Non-Intercommuting Cosmic String Networks

We study the evolution of non-interacting and entangled cosmic string networks in the context of the velocity-dependent one-scale model. Such networks may be formed in several contexts, including brane inflation. We show that the frozen network solution $L\propto a$, although generic, is only a transient one, and that the asymptotic solution is still $L\propto t$ as in the case of ordinary (intercommuting) strings, although in the present context the universe will usually be string-dominated. Thus the behaviour of two strings when they cross does not seem to affect their scaling laws, but only their densities relative to the background.Comment: Phys. Rev. D (in press); v2: final published version (references added, typos corrected

Determination of thermodynamic properties of AeroZINE-50, phase 1

Literature survey of, and test procedure for determination of thermodynamic properties of AeroZINE-5