Inter-Regional Transfer Trade Flows in the English Football League

This paper examines the pattern and extent of inter-regional transfers of professional footballers between clubs in the English football league system over the period 1990-1991 to 1999-2000. Our study emlploys a variant form of an established trade flow model and, in presenting and confirming tbe pattern and extent of inter-regional transfers, it indicates the wider applications of the conventional trade model.

Modelling the Economic Impact of Brexit on the Welsh Economy

We provide an impact assessment of Brexit using a dynamic Computable General Equilibrium model. Three scenarios are considered: (a) no deal with the EU i.e. revert to WTO scenario in March 2019; (b) agree an extension to Article 50 between the UK and EU a status quo scenario; (c) negotiate a comprehensive EU-Canada style trade agreement between the EU and UK. We did not examine the option of EEA membership as this would cut across the UK Government?s red lines as announced in the Prime Minister?s Lancaster House speech. Our results show that the impact on the Welsh economy will be felt primarily through reductions in GDP, GDP per capita, trade, investment and employment. In sum, Wales loses under all scenarios, but with smaller losses under the status quo scenario. Continuation of an extended status quo for a limited period of time is the best policy option. A comprehensive EU-Canada style trade agreement is the next best option. Reverting to trading on WTO terms should there be a No Deal between the EU and UK, i.e. the two-year Article 50 process comes to an end without an agreement, will generate the highest losses.publishersversio

Does the Managerial Imagination play a role in choosing the location of Multinational Companies Regional Headquarters?

This paper proposes that the managerial imagination should be considered as a fundamental determinant of the location of a multinational company’s regional headquarters. The paper surveys the literature on the determinants of multinationals’ locational choice for regional headquarters and the role of the managerial imagination in company strategic decision making. It then develops a model, based on contingency theory, which outlines how locational choices are influenced by the managerial imagination. The model does this by incorporating it into decision making. The managerial imagination plays an important role in the decision making process by bringing congruence or harmony or alignment amongst several possibly conflicting decision variables. In this way the managerial imagination plays a central role in strategic decision making within the company and in particular in deciding the location of regional headquarters

Varieties of Health Care Devolution: “Systems or Federacies”? LEQS Discussion Paper No. 130/2018 February 2018

Some European countries have devolved health care services to subnational units. This is especially the case in unitary states that are organised as a national health service, where choice is not ‘built into’ the health care system. We argue that there are different models of devolving authority to subnational jurisdictions which have repercussions for regional health care inequalities and the amount of policy interdependence across regions. We examine broad trends in two institutional models of devolution: a ‘federacy model’, where only a few territories obtain health care responsibilities (such as in the United Kingdom), and a ‘systems model’, where the whole health system is devolved to a full set of subnational units (such as in Spain). This paper briefly discusses the impact of these two models of devolution on the regional diversity of the health system. Our findings suggest that a ‘systems model’ of decentralisation, unlike a ‘federacy model’, gives rise to significant policy interdependence. Another finding indicates that geographical dispersion of health care activity is larger in the ‘federacy model’

Policy interdependence and the models of health care devolution: “systems or federacies”?

A number of European countries have devolved health care services to subnational units. This is especially the case in unitary states that organise the health system as a national health service (NHS), where choice is not “build in” the system. This policy note argues that, in such settings, there are two distinct models of devolving authority to subnational jurisdictions: a “federacy model” where only a few territories obtain health care responsibilities (such as in the United Kingdom), and a “systems model” where the whole health system is devolved to a full set of subnational units (such as in Spain). The choice of one, or the other, influences the spatial diversity of health care activity and the extent of policy interdependence across regions. Drawing on evidence from the UK and Spain, we show that a “system model” gives rise to significant policy interdependence and lower regional dispersion than a “federacy model.”

Influence of phytophagous behaviour on prey consumption by Macrolophus pygmaeus

Omnivorous Heteroptera constitute an important component of predatory guilds with high potential for biological control. Understanding the relative effects of plant feeding on the suppression of prey by omnivores could be an important element for improving biological control strategies. In the current paper, the effects of different plant food sources on the predation rate of the omnivorous predator Macrolophus pygmaeus (Hemiptera: Miridae) were examined. In all the experiments, second instar nymphs of the aphid Myzus persicae (Homoptera: Aphididae) were used as prey at different densities. First, we evaluated the rate at which the predator preyed on M. persicae at various prey densities on pepper and eggplant leaves. Then, using eggplant flowers or pollen as additional food sources, we estimated predator efficiency for three different prey densities. The predation rate was not affected by the type of plant leaf used. However, the results showed that the predation rate of M. pygmaeus was significantly reduced when flowers or pollen were provided at high prey densities. The importance of these results in understanding the influence of phytophagy on predation rates of omnivorous predators is discussed