Woolworths and Wales: A Multi-Dimensional Analysis of the Loss of a Local Brand

In this paper we present a multi-dimensional analysis of the closure of Woolworths in Wales and the way in which the loss of this familiar high-street brand can be accounted for at a number of levels and within different social arenas. Primarily, the paper demonstrates how Woolworths is positioned as a symbol a previous era of consumption centred upon community and place based notions of nostalgia and community. What is striking in the analysis is the similarities in the way in which Woolworths is mobilised as a symbol by the general public and elites; albeit with varying outcomes and affects. In presenting the analysis the paper demonstrates a processual framing as providing a fruitful approach to the combination of different approaches and fields of inquiry (sociology, geography, and political science) without diminishing their distinct contributions.Recession, 'Credit Crunch', Community, Economy, the High-Street, Welsh Assembly Government, Woolworths, Consumption

Devolution in Wales: between economic constraint and political opportunity

The UK experience and in particular the case of Wales, raises doubts regarding any mechanical effect of re-centralization through the economic crisis. Drawing on an interview panel of 26 stakeholders interviewed between October 2012 and July 2013 (representing three main groups, namely devolved government, professional and policy communities, and elected representatives at the devolved level), the paper examines devolution in Wales in relation to the key themes identified in the foreword: the experience of fiscal discipline related to the crisis; the impact of the European Union; State restructuring and the major challenges identified by the regional decision makers. The UK’s position outside of the Eurozone has meant that Wales has not been subject to the “hard” convergence pressures which have increasingly constrained sub-national actors across Europe. Although Wales has faced increasing economic constraints and fiscal pressures akin to “hard” convergence due to the UK Government’s austerity programme, it was able to shelter local public services in the short term. Further, the economic crisis has acted as a catalyst for the opening of policy windows in terms of both the development of devolution and the reform of public services. Welsh decision-makers attempted to make good use of the crisis and to demonstrate that the devolved authorities could manage change

The rise, fall and resurrection of soft spaces? The regional governance of transport policy in Wales

This paper is focused on the emergence of new institutional structures and geographies within the context of complex processes of state rescaling characterized by ‘hollowing out’ and ‘filling in’. It explores the regionalization of transport policy within Wales post-devolution and examines the potential of Haughton et al.’s concepts of ‘soft’ and ‘hard’ spaces as useful tools in furthering our understanding of state rescaling. The paper suggests that the case of transport policy in Wales post-devolution provides a useful example of the evolution of ‘soft spaces’ through processes of hardening and softening, and that ‘stickiness’ of regional spatial imaginaries

Adapting water management to climate change in the Murray–Darling Basin, Australia

Climate change is threatening water security in water-scarce regions across the world, challenging water management policy in terms of how best to adapt. Transformative new approaches have been proposed, but management policies remain largely the same in many instances, and there are claims that good current management practice is well adapted. This paper takes the case of the Murray–Darling Basin, Australia, where management policies are highly sophisticated and have been through a recent transformation in order to critically review how well adapted the basin’s management is to climate change. This paper synthesizes published data, recent literature, and water plans in order to evaluate the outcomes of water management policy. It identifies several limitations and inequities that could emerge in the context of climate change and, through synthesis of the broader climate adaptation literature, proposes solutions that can be implemented when basin management is formally reviewed in 2026

Throwing the baby out with the bath water? The impact of coalition reforms on identifying sub-national transport priorities in England

The coalition government has set out plans to dismantle the regional tier and return powers to localities and Whitehall departments. These changes will have significant implications for the way in which transport policy is formulated and delivered in England. When in power, New Labour introduced a range of measures to strengthen governance arrangements for promoting a more joined-up and decentralised approach to transport policy, including Regional Funding Allocations (RFAs). This paper examines the opportunities and limitations of the RFA process and considers the consequences of removing these regional structures for transport policy in England. We conclude that important progress made in recent years to develop effective arrangements for identifying transport priorities at the sub-national tier could be derailed by the Coalition's intention to remove regional governance structures in their entirety

Towards a territorial political capacity approach for studying European regions

This article proposes a framework for studying the territorial political capacity of regions in Europe. The proposed framework identifies three main dimensions of territorial political capacity. Mainly material indicators include institutions and institutional resources. Mixed material and constructed indicators centre on causal mechanisms of party and leadership capacity. Mainly constructed indicators are drawn from territorial praxis. Understanding a region requires combining different levels of analysis and distinctive ways of knowing; broad-based (quasi-statistical) variables facilitate comparison, while the focus on resilience and capacity requires primary data collection, drilling down into the practices of comparable panels of actors. This article discusses this framework in relation to four European regions that were the object of empirical investigation in 2012–2014: namely Brittany (France), Andalusia (Spain), Wallonia (Belgium) and Wales (United Kingdom). It contributes to the conceptualization of comparative territorial capacity, in a manner distinct from, but largely consistent with the Regional Authority Index

Exploring extensions to the standard cosmological model and the impact of baryons on small scales

It has been claimed that the standard model of cosmology (ΛCDM) cannot easily account for a number of observations on relatively small scales, motivating extensions to the standard model. Here, we introduce a new suite of cosmological simulations that systematically explores three plausible extensions: warm dark matter, self-interacting dark matter, and a running of the scalar spectral index of density fluctuations. Current observational constraints are used to specify the additional parameters that come with these extensions. We examine a large range of observable metrics on small scales, including the halo mass function, density, and circular velocity profiles, the abundance of satellite subhaloes, and halo concentrations. For any given metric, significant degeneracies can be present between the extensions. In detail, however, the different extensions have quantitatively distinct mass and radial dependencies, suggesting that a multiprobe approach over a range of scales can be used to break the degeneracies. We also demonstrate that the relative effects on the radial density profiles in the different extensions (compared to the standard model) are converged down to significantly smaller radii than are the absolute profiles. We compare the derived cosmological trends with the impact of baryonic physics using the EAGLE and ARTEMIS simulations. Significant degeneracies are also present between baryonic physics and cosmological variations (with both having similar magnitude effects on some observables). Given the inherent uncertainties both in the modelling of galaxy formation physics and extensions to ΛCDM, a systematic and simultaneous exploration of both is strongly warranted

An exploration of the effectiveness of artificial mini-magnetospheres as a potential solar storm shelter for long term human space missions

If mankind is to explore the solar system beyond the confines of our Earth and Moon the problem of radiation protection must be addressed. Galactic cosmic rays and highly variable energetic solar particles are an ever-present hazard in interplanetary space. Electric and/or magnetic fields have been suggested as deflection shields in the past, but these treated space as an empty vacuum. In fact it is not empty. Space contains a plasma known as the solar wind; a constant flow of protons and electrons coming from the Sun. In this paper we explore the effectiveness of a “mini-magnetosphere” acting as a radiation protection shield. We explicitly include the plasma physics necessary to account for the solar wind and its induced effects. We show that, by capturing/containing this plasma, we enhance the effectiveness of the shield. Further evidence to support our conclusions can be obtained from studying naturally occurring “mini-magnetospheres” on the Moon. These magnetic anomalies (related to “lunar swirls”) exhibit many of the effects seen in laboratory experiments and computer simulations. If shown to be feasible, this technology could become the gateway to manned exploration of interplanetary space