26 research outputs found
Framing the agricultural use of antibiotics and antimicrobial resistance in UK national newspapers and the farming press
Despite links to animal disease governance, food and biosecurity, rural studies has neglected consideration of how actors make sense of the use of antibiotics in animal agriculture and the implications for animal and human health. As antimicrobial resistance (AMR) has become a high-profile problem, the contribution of animal antibiotics is frequently mentioned in scientific and policy documents but how different agricultural actors interpret its significance is less clear. This paper offers the first social scientific investigation of contestation and consensus surrounding the use of antibiotics in agriculture and their implications for AMR as mediated through mainstream news-media and farming print media in the UK. Frame analysis of four national newspapers and one farming paper reveals three distinct frames. A âsystem failureâ frame is the most frequently occurring and positions intensive livestock production systems as a key contributor to AMR-related crises in human health. A âmaintaining the status quoâ frame argues that there is no evidence linking antibiotics in farming to AMR in humans and stresses the necessity of (some) antibiotic use for animal health. A third frame â which is only present in the farming media â highlights a need for voluntary, industry-led action on animal antibiotic use in terms of farmer self-interest. Common to all frames is that the relationship between agricultural use of antibiotics and problems posed by AMR is mostly discussed in terms of the implications for human health as opposed to both human and animal health
Public policy and competition amongst foreign investment projects: A case study of the Daya Bay economic development zone in South China
Using simulation modelling to examine the impact of venue lockout and lastâdrink policies on drinkingârelated harms and costs to licensees
Abstract Objective: Many variations of venue lockout and lastâdrink policies have been introduced in attempts to reduce drinkingârelated harms. We estimate the public health gains and licensee costs of these policies using a computer simulated population of young adults engaging in heavy drinking. Method: Using an agentâbased model we implemented 1 am/2 am/3 am venue lockouts in conjunction with last drinks zero/one/two hours later, or at current closing times. Outcomes included: the number of incidents of verbal aggression in public drinking venues, private venues or on the street; and changed revenue to public venues. Results: The most effective policy in reducing verbal aggression among agents was 1 am lockouts with current closing times. All policies produced substantial reductions in streetâbased incidents of verbal aggression among agents (33â81%) due to the smoothing of transport demand. Direct revenue losses were 1â9% for simulated licensees, with later lockout times and longer periods between lockout and last drinks producing smaller revenue losses. Conclusion: Simulation models are useful for exploring consequences of policy change. Our simulation suggests that additional hours between lockout and last drinks could reduce aggression by easing transport demand, while minimising revenue loss to venue owners. Implications for public health: Direct policies to reduce lateânight transportârelated disputes should be considered
Using simulation modelling to examine the impact of venue lockout and last-drink policies on drinking-related harms and costs to licensees
Paradoxes and failures: 'new governance' techniques and the financial crisis
This article examines the performance of four 'new governance' techniques of regulation in the period leading up to the financial crisis: principles based regulation, risk based regulation, meta-regulation and enrolment. These techniques have been advocated on the basis that they are responsive, flexible, and in enrolling others in the regulatory project thereby expand its capacity, and even its legitimacy. However, experience in the crisis revealed that in their implementation they can be out of touch or indulgent, focus heavily on auditable systems and processes, and that in enrolling others they can increase vulnerabilities and the potential for negative endogenous effects. The argument is not that there should be a return to adversarial 'command and control' regulation, rather that experience of these strategies in the crisis suggests a need to understand in greater depth the refractive effects of the organisational, technical/functional and cognitive dimensions of regulatory governance, if we are to understand and adapt its performance in different contexts