Voting over economic plans

We review and provide motivation for a one-sector model of economic growth in which decisions about capital accumulation are made by a political process. If it is possible to commit for at least three periods into the future, then for any feasible consumption plan, there is a perturbation that is majority-preferred to it. Furthermore, plans that minimize the maximum vote that can be obtained against them yield a political business cycle. If it is impossible to commit, voters select the optimal consumption plan for the median voter

Beyond the Constitution? Englishness in a post-devolved Britain

The notion that we are currently witnessing a growing commitment to English nationalism and deeper and wider identification with Englishness, as opposed to Britishness, is becoming part of the political wisdom of the age. The suggestion that the English are beginning to think of themselves as a nation with a separate identity from the other nationalities within the United Kingdom feeds into a vexed debate among politicians and commentators about the identity and future of ‘Britishness’ itself. This paper argues for the adoption of a greater sense of historical proportion about these trends, and challenges the widely held presumption that the rise of Englishness signals the death-knell of values and identities associated with Britishness

Justice unbound? Globalisation, states and the transformation of the social bond

Conventional accounts of justice suppose the presence of a stable political society, stable identities, and a Westphalian cartography of clear lines of authority--usually a state--where justice can be realised. They also assume a stable social bond. But what if, in an age of globalisation, the territorial boundaries of politics unbundle and a stable social bond deteriorates? How then are we to think about justice? Can there be justice in a world where that bond is constantly being disrupted or transformed by globalisation? Thus the paper argues that we need to think about the relationship between globalisation, governance and justice. It does so in three stages: (i) It explains how, under conditions of globalisation, assumptions made about the social bond are changing. (ii) It demonsrates how strains on the social bond within states give rise to a search for newer forms of global political theory and organisation and the emergence of new global (non state) actors which contest with states over the policy agendas emanating from globalisation. (iii) Despite the new forms of activity identified at (ii) the paper concludes that the prospects for a satisfactory synthesis of a liberal economic theory of globalisation, a normative political theory of the global public domain and a new social bond are remote

The Richard Review of Apprenticeships

In his independent report Doug Richard calls on the government calls to improve the quality of apprenticeships and make them more focused on the needs of employers. His recommendations include: Redefining apprenticeships: They should be targeted only at those who are new to a job or role that requires sustained and substantial training. Focusing on the outcome of an apprenticeship - what the apprentice can do when they complete their training - and freeing up the process by which they get there. Trusted, independent assessment is key. Recognised industry standards should form the basis of every apprenticeship. All apprentices should reach a good level in English and maths before they can complete their apprenticeship. Government funding must create the right incentives for apprenticeship training. The purchasing power for investing in apprenticeship training should lie with the employer. Greater diversity and innovation in training - with employers and government safeguarding quality

Modelling primary proteolysis in cheddar cheese in commercial cool stores : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Technology in Bioprocess Engineering at Massey University

One issue identified as a possible problem during the manufacture of cheddar cheese is the possibility of producing a non-uniform product. It was proposed that a pallet of cheese experiencing different time-temperature histories, depending on the position within the pallet, could cause the heterogeneity. This work involved the investigation of that issue. The level of primary proteolysis observed in cheese was measured over time in cheeses of different compositions, stored at different temperatures. The remaining intact α s ₁casein was measured using reverse phase high performance liquid chromatography. Several trends were observed during maturation. High temperatures caused a faster rate of disappearance of α s ₁casein. The temperature relationship followed Arrhenius law. High moisture content caused a faster rate of the disappearance of α s ₁casein. The level of rennet added to the milk during production had a directly proportional effect on the rate of the disappearance of α s ₁casein. Salt had no observable effect in the range investigated here. From the data a kinetic model was developed that described the rate of disappearance of α s ₁casein in terms of the temperature, the moisture content, and the level of rennet in the cheese. The heat transfer occurring in the commercial pallet of cheese was mathematically modelled and solved numerically. The heat transfer model was then applied to produce data describing the time-temperature profile throughout a pallet of cheese for a variety of possible industrial storage conditions. The kinetic model developed was then used to predict the extent of proteolysis in each case. It was found that there would be significantly different levels of proteolysis within a pallet of cheese that had undergone chilling. A 10% difference in the level of proteolysis between the surface and the centre was observed after chilling for 40 days. During freezing the difference in the level of proteolysis after freezing was complete ranged from 10-25%. It was found that the heterogeneity was reduced during the thawing process and that the greatest reduction in non-uniformity was observed when thawed at lower temperatures