Sustainability for all? a North-South-East-West model

This paper examines whether it is possible for all countries to simultaneously achieve efficient and sustainable allocations of resources even if they do not cooperate in a world with inter-generational and intra-generational externalities. Using a simple model with two governments one for the north- and one for the south- we show that one hemisphere cannot always achieve efficiency and sustainability independently of the other, that is, whatever allocation is chosen by the other hemisphere. However, the north and the south can simultaneously achieve efficiency and sustainability if each government aims separately at these two goals in its own hemisphere

Consumer behaviour with environmental and social externalities : implications for analysis and policy

In this paper we summarise some of our recent work on consumer behaviour, drawing on recent developments in behavioural economics, particularly linked to sociology as much as psychology, in which consumers are embedded in a social context, so their behaviour is shaped by their interactions with other consumers. For the purpose of this paper we also allow consumption to cause environmental damage. Analysing the social context of consumption naturally lends itself to the use of game theoretic tools. We shall be concerned with two ways in which social interactions affect consumer preferences and behaviour: socially-embedded preferences, where the behaviour of other consumers affect an individual’s preferences and hence consumption (we consider two examples: conspicuous consumption and consumption norms) and socially-directed preferences where people display altruistic behaviour. Our aim is to show that building links between sociological and behavioural economic approaches to the study of consumer behaviour can lead to significant and surprising implications for conventional economic analysis and policy prescriptions, especially with respect to environmental policy.PostprintPeer reviewe

Engagement barriers and service inequities in the NHS Breast Screening Programme: Views from British-Pakistani women

Objectives: Previous research has largely attempted to explore breast screening experiences of South Asian women by combining opinions from Pakistani, Bangladeshi and Indian women. This research often fails to reach the most underserved sub-groups of this population, with socioeconomic status not routinely reported and English fluency being a participation requirement. With uptake low amongst British-Pakistani women, this study explores the experiences these women encounter when accessing the NHS Breast Screening Programme.Setting: Participants were from East Lancashire, UK. Methods: Nineteen one-to-one semi-structured interviews were carried out with British-Pakistani women. Fourteen interviews were conducted via an interpreter. Results: Data were analysed using thematic analysis. Three themes were identified: ‘Absence of autonomy in screening and healthcare access’ describes how currently the screening service does not facilitate confidentiality or independence. Access requires third-party intervention, with language barriers preventing self-expression. ‘Appraisal of information sources’ makes distinctions between community and NHS communication. Whereas community communication was invaluable, NHS materials were deemed inaccessible due to translation incongruences and incomprehensible terminology. ‘Personal suppositions of breast screening’ explores the subjective issues associated with disengagement, including, the cultural misalignment of the service and perceiving screening as a symptomatic service.Conclusions: British-Pakistani women face some unique challenges when accessing breast screening. To promote uptake, the service needs to address the translation of screening materials and optimise upon community networks to disseminate knowledge, including knowledge of the screening environment within the context of culture to promote informed choice about attendance

Improving the quality of prison research: A qualitative study of ex-offender service user involvement in prison suicide prevention research

BackgroundSuicide is the leading cause of avoidable death in prisons worldwide and suicide prevention is an international priority. Consequently, there is an urgent need to develop evidence-based treatments. We conducted a randomized controlled trial of a novel suicide prevention psychological therapy for male prisoners. To promote ecological validity by addressing the “real-world” situation of suicidal prisoners, we involved a consultant group of ex-offenders with past experience of being suicidal during imprisonment. Service user involvement in prison research is challenging and underdeveloped.ObjectiveWe aimed to investigate the ex-offender service user consultants’ experiences of being involved in the research.DesignIndividual qualitative interviews were conducted and analysed using an Interpretative Phenomenology Analysis (IPA) framework.Setting/participantsThe study was conducted at a university in North England, UK, comprising four ex-offenders with experience of being suicidal during past imprisonments.ResultsTwo superordinate themes were identified: “Working Together” depicted participants’ perceptions of the pivotal role of good relationships with researchers, and “Journey of Change” outlined how participants’ involvement in the research impacted on their personal lives.DiscussionLittle is known about how to successfully involve ex-offender service users in research. Our results indicate the conditions necessary for successfully engaging ex-offender service users in research and have important implications for improving the quality of prison research.ConclusionsInvolving forensic service users in research is feasible and should be encouraged, as despite certain challenges, it is highly rewarding both for the research and the ex-offender service users

Parents' Experiences of Receiving the Initial Positive Newborn Screening (NBS) Result for Cystic Fibrosis and Sickle Cell Disease

The clinical advantages of the newborn screening programme (NBS) in the UK are well described in the literature. However, there has been little exploration of the psychosocial impact on the family. This study followed the principles of grounded theory to explore parents' experiences of receiving the initial positive NBS result for their child with cystic fibrosis (CF) or sickle cell disease (SCD). Semi-structured, qualitative interviews were conducted with 22 parents (12 mothers and 10 fathers) whose children had been diagnosed with CF or SCD via NBS and were under the age of 1 year at the time of interview. The main themes that arose from the data were; parents previous knowledge of the condition and the NBS programme, the method of delivery and parental reactions to the result, sharing the results with others, the impact on parental relationships and support strategies. Study conclusions indicate that most parents thought initial positive NBS results should be delivered by a health professional with condition specific knowledge, preferably with both parents present. Genetic counselling needs to include a focus on the impact of NBS results on parental relationships. Careful consideration needs to be given to strategies to support parents of babies who have positive NBS results both in terms of the psychological health and to assist them in sharing the diagnosis

The introduction of risk stratified screening into the NHS breast screening Programme: views from British-Pakistani women

From Springer Nature via Jisc Publications RouterHistory: received 2019-12-16, accepted 2020-05-13, registration 2020-05-14, pub-electronic 2020-05-20, online 2020-05-20, collection 2020-12Publication status: PublishedFunder: NIHR Programme Grants for Applied Research (GB); Grant(s): RP-PG-1214-200016Funder: Manchester Biomedical Research Centre; doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/100014653; Grant(s): IS-BRC-1215-20007Abstract: Background: UK national guidelines suggest women at high-risk of breast cancer should be offered more frequent screening or preventative medications. Currently, only 1 in 6 high-risk women are identified. One route to identify more high-risk women is via multifactorial risk assessment as part of the UK’s NHS Breast Screening Programme (NHSBSP). As lower socioeconomic and minority ethnic populations continue to experience barriers to screening, it is important that any new service does not exacerbate issues further. To inform service development, this study explored views of women from underserved backgrounds regarding the introduction of risk stratification into the NHSBSP. Methods: Nineteen semi-structured interviews were conducted with British-Pakistani women from low socioeconomic backgrounds from East Lancashire, UK. Fourteen interviews were conducted via an interpreter. Results: Thematic analysis produced three themes. Attitudes toward risk awareness concerns the positive views women have toward the idea of receiving personalised breast cancer risk information. Anticipated barriers to accessibility emphasises the difficulties associated with women’s limited English skills for accessing information, and their I.T proficiency for completing an online risk assessment questionnaire. Acceptability of risk communication strategy highlights the diversity of opinion regarding the suitability of receiving risk results via letter, with the option for support from a healthcare professional deemed essential. Conclusions: The idea of risk stratification was favourable amongst this underserved community. To avoid exacerbating inequities, this new service should provide information in multiple languages and modalities and offer women the opportunity to speak to a healthcare professional about risk. This service should also enable completion of personal risk information via paper questionnaires, as well as online