Power in global agriculture: economics, politics, and natural resources

Recent events, such as the 2008 food price crisis, have focussed global attention on the agriculture and food sectors. In particular, many countries have become increasingly concerned with the issue of ensuring the security of their food supply and one key element of this is who has power within the food supply chain. Through examining three dimensions of power – Economic, Political, and Natural Resources – this paper explores where power currently lies in world agriculture and how this might change in the future. Whilst recognising that power is a somewhat abstract concept, through a process of deriving potential indicators, a picture of the distribution of power is drawn. These indicators were also used to develop a simple 'global power index'. The power index indicates that the US and the EU dominate world agriculture in terms of economics and politics, but are potentially vulnerable in terms of their possession of natural resources. On the other hand, the emerging economies have lower political and corporate power, but seem better placed in terms of natural resources. The paper concludes by discussing the implications of these findings for the main food producing regions

Tubercular bronchial glands: their diagnosis and treatment in relation to pulmonary tuberculosis

Many cases present themselves at hospital showing signs of early pulmonary tuberculosis, which upon investigation appear to be the result of pressure on the lungs by enlarged bronchial glands. Some years ago, Percy Kidd drew attention to this occurrence but did not suggest any specific treatment. In view of the fact that hospitals for tuberculosis refuse so far as possible - all cases so far advanced that there is little hope of permanent arrest, it is most important to discriminate between early and advanced stages of the disease. It is the object of this thesis to discuss certain cases which at first sight appear far more advanced than is really the case, but in which the symptoms are misleading and apparently inconsistent, and to submit the theory that certain patients who appear to show signs of established pulmonary tuberculosis and who would be classed as fairly advanced cases, may in reality be suffering from enlarged bronchial glands, yielding very satisfactorily to treatment. This is based on a number of cases in the Brompton Hospital for Consumption and Diseases of the Chest and at a Tuberculosis Dispensary, of which six hospital cases have been appended in illustration. It will be noted that the patients are all children or young persons and this point is important - (1) because tuberculosis in children has a much greater tendency to become widespread than in adults; (2) because there is far greater hope of complete arrest while the trouble is still confined to the lymphatic system; (3) because if there be any truth in Dr. Batty Shawls contention that development of tuberculosis in later life is more often due to auto-infection than to re-infection from outside sources, it is the more important to arrest the disease in its earliest manifestations

Tales of Two Referendums: Comparing Debate Quality between the UK and New Zealand Voting System Referendums of 2011

Two voting system referendums in the same year in two countries with institutional and cultural similarities provide an excellent opportunity for comparison, particularly given the significant differences in how those referendums were regulated and conducted. In New Zealand, a well-funded and balanced official information campaign led the debate; in Britain, the debate was dominated by campaign organisations. Based on content analysis of newspaper coverage of the campaigns, this paper explores how regulatory differences between these two cases shaped the quality of debate as reflected in media discourse. It finds that they made a difference, suggesting that positive interventions to promote better debate can work. It also concludes, however, that contextual factors are crucial too: interventions that work in one context will not necessarily work in another

A Referendum on Irish Unification: Why it Needs Attention

As calls for a ‘border poll’ on Irish unity grow, Alan Renwick and Katy Hayward report on new research on the politics and practicalities of any future referendum on both sides of the border

Electoral Reform: What Do Political Scientists Know That Practitioners Do Not? Lessons from the UK Referendum of 2011

Political scientists might hope to offer practitioners involved in debates about electoral reform insights regarding either the process of reform or its potential effects. In respect of each of these, the practitioners whom we engage might by either elite decision-makers or the activists, journalists, and regular citizens who constitute the bedrock of democracy. The UK’s electoral reform referendum of 2011 offers a good opportunity to explore the degree to which political scientists in fact offer original insights in these various areas. The paper argues that, despite the great efforts that political scientists have expended in refining ever more sophisticated models of electoral system effects, elite practitioners have often – though not always – got there before us. By contrast, at least in the UK, practitioners sometimes fall short of political scientists in their understanding of how reform processes might unfold, and there is also a clear and strong need for political scientists to assist in educating public opinion. These findings have implications for how we should think about political science research: the research that practitioners most value is often not the research that has the highest prestige within the discipline

What kind of Brexit do voters want? Lessons from the Citizens’ Assembly on Brexit

The Citizens’ Assembly on Brexit was a major exercise in deliberative public engagement conducted in autumn 2017. It brought together fifty randomly selected members of the public for two carefully structured weekends of listening, learning, reflecting and discussing. Assembly Members considered what post-Brexit arrangements the UK should pursue, focusing on trade and migration. On trade, most Members wanted the UK to pursue a bespoke arrangement with the EU and rejected the option of leaving the EU with no deal. On migration, most wanted the UK to maintain free movement of labour while using already available policy levers to reduce immigration numbers. These findings provide unique insight into informed public opinion on vital, pressing policy questions. The Assembly also illustrates the valuable role that such deliberative exercises could play in UK democracy. We suggest they could be particular helpful for unlocking progress on issues, such as the future of social care, that are often felt to be ‘too difficult’ to handle