Housing and capital in the 21st Century

Thomas Piketty’s Capital in the 21st Century has attracted public, policy and academic attention. Although there is a growing research literature on the formation, distribution, utilization and wider implications of housing wealth there has been little discussion of Piketty’s work in housing studies. This paper outlines and assesses the major contributions of Piketty, including re-emphasizing distribution and political economy perspectives within economics, modelling growth and distribution, establishing detailed long run patterns of wealth change and policy implications. The paper highlights the significance of shifting housing wealth in increasing inequalities in some countries: housing matters in macro-shifts. We also draw out the implications of house price and wealth growth for the balance of rentier vs. entrepreneurial forms of capitalism. If Piketty’s work is important for housing research, we also argue the converse, that housing research findings can strengthen his analysis. The stylized facts of advanced economy metropolitan growth suggest that housing market processes and wealth outcomes will drive higher inequality and lower productivity into the future unless housing and related policies change markedly. Piketty, strong on evidence and conceptualization is weak on policy development and housing studies can drive more effective assessments of change possibilities

The evolution of lung function in newborn screened preschool children with cystic fibrosis

Most morbidity in cystic fibrosis (CF) is due to progressive pulmonary disease. Recently, small molecule therapies targeting the basic defect of the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator protein have been developed, and newborn screening (NBS) for CF allows intervention before irreversible lung damage occurs. Unless the evolution of pulmonary function in young children is known, the optimal age of starting new therapies or enrolling CF NBS children into interventional trials is unclear. The London Cystic Fibrosis Collaboration has studied CF NBS infants longitudinally from diagnosis, as well as a contemporaneous group of matched healthy controls, and reported lung function was normal in the NBS CF group at two years of age. This thesis reports the preschool follow-up of the same infants, and describes the evolution of lung function to six years of age. The primary hypothesis was that lung function would remain within the normal range. Secondary aims were to compare preschool pulmonary function to that measured in children diagnosed with CF a decade earlier, and to describe which measures in NBS infants could predict preschool lung function. 67 preschool children with CF and 41 healthy controls underwent multiple breath washout (MBW), specific airway resistance and spirometry measurements. Lung Clearance Index (LCI), measured by MBW, was abnormal in CF NBS preschool children, but was better than children diagnosed with CF a decade earlier. The most significant predictor of abnormal preschool lung function was LCI at two years of age. Contrary to the hypothesis, compared to contemporaneous controls, lung function deteriorates at preschool follow-up in CF NBS children managed with standard UK care. As two year LCI was a significant predictor of later decline, implying that the root causes of decline were before this age, disease modifying therapies and interventional trials should be targeted before two years of age

No Shortcuts to Progress: An Assessment of Agricultural Research Planning and Priority Setting in Africa

Research and Development/Tech Change/Emerging Technologies, Downloads July 2008-June 2009: 7,

Improving the sustainability of hospital-based interventions: a study protocol for a systematic review

Introduction Sustaining effective interventions in hospital environments is essential to improving health outcomes, and reducing research waste. Current evidence suggests many interventions are not sustained beyond their initial delivery. The reason for this failure remains unclear. Increasingly research is employing theoretical frameworks and models to identify critical factors that influence the implementation of interventions. However, little is known about the value of these frameworks on sustainability. The aim of this review is to examine the evidence regarding the use of theoretical frameworks to maximise effective intervention sustainability in hospital-based settings in order to better understand their role in supporting long-term intervention use. Methods and analysis Systematic review. We will systematically search the following databases: Medline, AMED, CINAHL, Embase and Cochrane Library (CENTRAL, CDSR, DARE, HTA). We will also hand search relevant journals and will check the bibliographies of all included studies. Language and date limitations will be applied. We will include empirical studies that have used a theoretical framework (or model) and have explicitly reported the sustainability of an intervention (or programme). One reviewer will remove obviously irrelevant titles. The remaining abstracts and full-text articles will be screened by two independent reviewers to determine their eligibility for inclusion. Disagreements will be resolved by discussion, and may involve a third reviewer if required. Key study characteristics will be extracted (study design, population demographics, setting, evidence of sustained change, use of theoretical frameworks and any barriers or facilitators data reported) by one reviewer and cross-checked by another reviewer. Descriptive data will be tabulated within evidence tables, and key findings will be brought together within a narrative synthesis. Ethics and dissemination Formal ethical approval is not required as no primary data will be collected. Dissemination of results will be through peer-reviewed journal publications, presentation at an international conference and social media

Comparing Yields and Profitability in MADER's High- and Low-Input Maize Programs: 1997/98 Survey Results and Analysis

Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Directorate of Economics, Republic of Mozambiquefood security, food policy, Mozambique, maize, Crop Production/Industries, Q18,

Comparing Yields and Profitability in MARD's High- and Low-Input Maize Programs 1997/98 Survey Results and Analysis

This paper summarizes the results from data collected during the study’s second year, 1997/98. The analysis is based on a sample of 210 smallholder farmers in Nampula Province using three different sets of production practices: the DNER/Sasakawa- Global 2000 Program (DNER/SG) high-input package (improved open-pollinated maize, 100 kg/ha each 12-24-12 and urea fertilizer on credit); improved planting and weeding practices only (using local seed, without fertilizer); and a control group of farmers using traditional practices (no improved seed or fertilizer). The objectives of the research were to: describe the characteristics, input use patterns and yield response by group; analyze the relative contribution to yield of the different technologies, environmental factors, and management practices; and assess the profitability of the three different technology types at the farm level.food security, food policy, Mozambique, maize, Crop Production/Industries, Q18,

Observations and Emerging Lessons from the 1998/99 High-Input Maize Program in Nampula Province, Mozambique

Research Results from the Department of Policy Analysis MARD-Directorate of Economicsfood security, food policy, Mozambique, maize, farmer associations, Crop Production/Industries, Q18,

Increasing Seed System Efficiency in Africa: Concepts, Strategies and Issues

The purpose of this paper is to provide a conceptual framework that can be used by agricultural leaders, administrators, policy makers, and seed program managers to (1) understand key factors affecting seed system development; and (2) compare organizational and institutional strategies for increasing seed system effectiveness. A literature review of recent studies on seed system development in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) was undertaken to achieve these objectives. The studies reviewed included published and unpublished reports, monographs, and case studies.food security, food policy, Sub-Saharan Africa, seed system, Crop Production/Industries, Downloads July 2008-July 2009: 22, F0,