ECONOMIC ANALYSIS AND THE SHAPING OF PUBLIC POLICY: A 1995 FARM BILL PERSPECTIVE

The 1995 Farm Bill debate proved different than many economists expected. It was overwhelmingly budget-driven. Few early concerns about the role of government, efficiency, equity, competitiveness, environment, rural development, and food were addressed. Economic analysis played a different role than anticipated. Models of who and how farm policy is made proved misleading; the debate circumvented the traditional process. Economic models were used more to perform budget accounting than substantive analysis. And their substantive analyses often failed to capture the attention of policymakers. Hence, while a reformist economist's dream, the bill leaves as many issues unanswered as it addresses.Economic analysis of public policy, Economic modeling, Farm policy making, Policy reform, Agricultural and Food Policy,

The value of using sandplay as a tool for counselling within a school setting

This paper proposes that sandplay can be a useful tool for counsellors within the school setting. It follows previous work by O'Brien and Burnett (2000a, 2000b; O'Brien,1999), who proposed that sandplay allows the counsellor to integrate all eight intelligences proposed by Howard Gardner (1983). A short historical account of sandplay therapy is followed by a discussion of its therapeutic value, aims and client–therapist relationship. The authors propose that sandplay uses a combination of spoken language, deductive reasoning, art and music therapy, symbols, narratives, and social and intrapersonal skills. This combination is inclusive of children with disabilities and appreciates the diversity all learners bring into the counselling sessions. Constraints on its effective use in schools are also discussed. The conclusion encourages counsellors to overcome the constraints and use sandplay on a regular basis within the school setting

Discrimination against same sex attracted youth: the role of the school counsellor

Beginning with a discussion of current legislation in Australia around inclusion, this paper highlights recent research into the school experience of Same Sex Attracted Youth (SSAY), including the issues faced by students,and the negative outcomes of such experiences. The school experiences of SSAY youth is positioned within a social justice framework. The critical role that school counsellors can play in determining school culture is examined. The role of a school counsellor as part of a pastoral care team within school management is also highlighted. Factors that may influence a more supportive and inclusive school culture are discussed

The Formation of a Mercantilist State and the Economic Growth of the United Kingdom 1453-1815

military, sovereignty, mercantilism, political economy, taxation

Numerical and experimental comparisons of vortex-induced vibrations of marine risers in uniform/sheared currents

This paper presents a general theoretical reduced-order model capable of evaluating the multi-mode nonlinear dynamics of marine risers subject to uniform and sheared currents. The main objectives are to predict the vortex-induced vibration responses and parametrically compare between numerical and experimental results. The emphasis is placed on the analysis of cross-flow vibrations due to unsteady lift forces. The nonlinear equations governing riser axial/transversal motions are derived based on a top-tensioned beam model with typical pinned-pinned boundary conditions. The riser geometric nonlinearities owing to possible large dynamic displacements and multi-mode interactions are accounted for. To approximate the space-time varying lift force, the empirical hydrodynamic model, based on a nonlinear van der Pol wake oscillator with a distributed diffusive term, is used. A low-dimensional dynamic model and computationally-robust time-domain tool are then developed to evaluate the multi-mode fluid-riser interactions. These are very useful in dealing with large parametric studies involving varying system parameters

Comprehension and trust in crises: investigating the impact of machine translation and post-editing

We conducted a survey to understand the impact of machine translation and postediting awareness on comprehension of and trust in messages disseminated to prepare the public for a weather-related crisis, i.e. flooding. The translation direction was English–Italian. Sixty-one participants—all native Italian speakers with different English proficiency levels— answered our survey. Each participant read and evaluated between three and six crisis messages using ratings and openended questions on comprehensibility and trust. The messages were in English and Italian. All the Italian messages had been machine translated and post-edited. Nevertheless, participants were told that only half had been post-edited, so that we could test the impact of post-editing awareness. We could not draw firm conclusions when comparing the scores for trust and comprehensibility assigned to the three types of messages—English, post-edits, and purported raw outputs. However, when scores were triangulated with open-ended answers, stronger patterns were observed, such as the impact of fluency of the translations on their comprehensibility and trustworthiness. We found correlations between comprehensibility and trustworthiness, and identified other factors influencing these aspects, such as the clarity and soundness of the messages. We conclude by outlining implications for crisis preparedness, limitations, and areas for future research

Judges and politics: the parliamentary contributions of the Law Lords 1876-2009

There is a common perception that, prior to the exclusion of serving judges from the House of Lords in 2009, a ‘politics convention’ operated which required judges to avoid party-political controversy and ensured that they contributed to debate only rarely. On this view, the presence of the Law Lords in parliament prior to 2009 presented a judicial independence and separation of powers problem in theory only. An examination of the contributions of serving Law Lords and other judicial peers to debates in the House of Lords from 1876–2009 (and retired judges from 1876–2015) reveals that the convention either did not exist or was frequently ignored. While most judges were infrequent participants in parliamentary debate, some were enthusiastic – a small number among the most active parliamentarians in the Lords. The most active judicial peers were conservative in their politics and the best predictor that a judge would be active in the House was an association with conservative politics or causes

Introduction

The costs and benefits of European Imperialism from the conquest of Ceuta, 1415, to the Treaty of Lusaka, 1974.Twelfth International Economic History Congress. Madrid, 1998.Patrick K. O'Brien and Leandro Prados de la Escosura (eds.)Editada en la Fundación Empresa PúblicaPatrick K. O'Brien and Leandro Prados de la Escosura. The Costs and Benefits for Europeans from their Empires Overseas.Publicad

Theories of Technological Progress and the British Textile Industry from Kay to Cartwright

Editada en la Fundación Empresa PúblicaLa industria textil británica continúa en el centro del debate sobre la revolución industrial. Las innovaciones técnicas en el período produjeron una aceleración extraordinaria del crecimiento del output y una considerable reducción de los precios de los tejidos. En este trabajo presentamos un estudio de la comunidad de los inventores responsables de la transformación tecnológica, lo que nos permite alcanzar una serie de conclusiones nuevas sobre el ritmo y dirección de la actividad innovadora durante la revolución industrialThe cotton textile industry remains central to all accounts of the first industrial revolution. Innovations in this period precipitated an extraordinary acceleration in the growth of output and a steep decline in the cost of producing all varieties of cloth. In this paper we outline an explanation through an analysis of the community of inventors responsible for the technological transformation, which enables us to offer some generalizations of the pace and pattern of the inventive activity in this period.Publicad

Wars and long-run growth in european economies

El análisis de cuestiones como el impacto de las guerras, las catástrofes, el colonialismo o las políticas económicas se enriquece cuando se tratan con la profundidad que da una perspectiva a largo plazo. El enfoque de la historia económica nos proporciona la reflexión suficiente para afrontar los problemas que puedan surgir en el futuro y encontrar las soluciones adecuadas.The analysis of issues such as the impact of wars, disasters, colonialism or economic policies is enriched when treated with the depth that a long-term perspective gives. The approach of economic history provides us with sufficient reflection to face the problems that may arise in the future and to find appropriate solutions