The EPSRC's policy of responsible innovation from a trading zones perspective

Responsible innovation (RI) is gathering momentum as an academic and policy debate linking science and society. Advocates of RI in research policy argue that scientific research should be opened up at an early stage so that many actors and issues can steer innovation trajectories. If this is done, they suggest, new technologies will be more responsible in different ways, better aligned with what society wants, and mistakes of the past will be avoided. This paper analyses the dynamics of RI in policy and practice and makes recommendations for future development. More specifically, we draw on the theory of ‘trading zones’ developed by Peter Galison and use it to analyse two related processes: (i) the development and inclusion of RI in research policy at the UK’s Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC); (ii) the implementation of RI in relation to the Stratospheric Particle Injection for Climate Engineering (SPICE) project. Our analysis reveals an RI trading zone comprised of three quasi-autonomous traditions of the research domain – applied science, social science and research policy. It also shows how language and expertise are linking and coordinating these traditions in ways shaped by local conditions and the wider context of research. Building on such insights, we argue that a sensible goal for RI policy and practice at this stage is better local coordination of those involved and we suggest ways how this might be achieved

Alcohol/Leisure Complementarity: Empirical Estimates and Implications for Tax Policy

This paper provides a first attempt to estimate the cross-price elasticity between alcoholic beverages and leisure, which is critical for assessing how much alcohol taxation might be warranted on fiscal grounds. We estimate an Almost Ideal Demand System defined over alcohol, leisure, and other goods, using data from the Consumer Expenditure Survey and other sources. Our results suggest that alcohol is a relative complement for leisure over a range of specifications. This implies that the optimal alcohol tax may substantially exceed the Pigouvian tax, reinforcing the efficiency case for higher taxation. These findings should be viewed as preliminary however, given a number of data and other limitations of the analysis.alcohol tax, demand system, alcohol, labor supply, labor tax

High-throughput screening technologies for identification and expression of functional domains of proteins of biomedical importance

The ability to produce multi-milligram quantities of a recombinant ‘target’ protein in a proteolytically stable, soluble, and functional form is often necessary for subsequent biochemical, biophysical and structure-based analyses. Sub-constructs expressing only part of a large target protein can often be useful. Combinatorial Domain Hunting (CDH) is a methodology that allows the rapid production of sub- constructs via a random DNA fragmentation technique. One particular issue with CDH is that it can be used to identify globular regions or domains of a target protein, but does not take account of the functional properties of such domains; therefore some ‘hits’ are not useful, because they exclude these functional regions. Here, we have attempted to enhance the CDH methodology by including an additional screening step that could specifically identify those constructs expressing functional protein domains. However, whilst rigorous testing of this functionality screen proved it to be successful under selective conditions, it was not considered suitable for inclusion in the CDH method. CDH was also used to identify highly expressed, proteolytically stable regions of a previously largely uncharacterized protein, and to investigate their functionality. Human Claspin is a large, highly charged, S=phase specific ‘molecular scaffold’ protein, with no identifiable sub-domains or enzymatic function(s). However, Claspin is known to make multiple different protein-protein interactions at replication forks during the intertwined processes of DNA replication and DNA replication-coupled repair. CDH successfully identified a number of N-terminal expression constructs that could be expressed and purified to a high degree of homogeneity. Structural and functional analyses of these protein fragments indicated that the N-terminus of human Claspin is intrinsically disordered, and elongated in nature. However, these regions may become ordered upon binding to their respective protein or macromolecular partner(s). Furthermore, several N-terminal fragments were found to be able to bind to both single- or double-stranded DNA when longer than 16 nucleotides/base-pairs in length. Additionally, the phospho-specific protein-protein interaction made by human Claspin, with the checkpoint kinase Chk1 was further investigated

Fiscal and Externality Rationales for Alcohol Taxes

This paper develops and implements an analytical framework for estimating the optimal levels and welfare effects of alcohol taxes and drunk-driver penalties, accounting for externalities and how policies interact with the broader fiscal system. We find that the fiscal component of the optimal alcohol tax exceeds the externality-correcting component under many parameter scenarios and assumptions about revenue recycling; overall, the optimal tax is anything from three to more than ten times the current tax. For more incremental reforms, however, welfare gains from stiffer drunk-driver fines and non-pecuniary penalties are larger, even though they involve implementation costs, possible first-order deadweight losses, and fiscal considerations play a minor role. In contrast to current practice, fiscal considerations warrant relatively heavier taxation of beer and relatively lighter taxation of spirits.alcohol tax, drunk-driver penalty, fiscal effects, external costs, welfare effects

Understanding the Costs and Benefits of Deepwater Oil Drilling Regulation

The purpose of this paper is to provide a conceptual framework for understanding how analysis of costs and benefits might be incorporated into an assessment of regulatory policies affecting deepwater drilling. We begin by providing a framework for analyzing the life-cycle impacts of oil drilling and its alternatives, including onshore drilling and importing oil from abroad. We then provide background estimates of the different sources of oil supplied in the United States, look at how other oil supply sources might respond to regulations on deepwater drilling, and consider the economic costs of these regulations. After providing a comprehensive description of the potential costs and benefits from various types of drilling—including, when possible, estimates of the magnitude of these benefits and costs—we discuss the extent to which these costs and benefits may already be taken into account (or reinforced) through the legal, regulatory, and tax systems and through market mechanisms. We conclude by presenting a framework and simple example of how a cost–benefit analysis might be used to inform regulation of deepwater drilling, and sum up the policy implications of our work.catastrophic oil spill, cost-benefit analysis, government regulation, liability

Feminised concern or feminist Care? Reclaiming gender normativities in zero waste living

Growing awareness of environmental issues and their relation to consumption patterns has givenrise to calls for sustainable consumption across the globe. In this article, we focus on the zerowaste lifestyle movement, which targets high-consumption households in the Global North as asite of change for phasing out waste in global supply chains. Our article is concerned with askinghow gender and household sustainability are mutually constituted in the zero waste lifestylemovement. We establish an analytical tension between understanding zero waste living as afurther intensification of feminised responsibility for people and the planet and as offering potentialfor transformational change – as feminised concern or feminist care. Through qualitative contentanalysis of the 10 most influential zero waste blogs globally, we show how the five zero wasterules of conduct – refuse, reduce, reuse, recycle, and rot – guide consumers towards everydayand situated engagements with waste. Organised by three cross-cutting themes – communingwith nature, organising time, and spending money – we present the normativities these rules callinto being for reconfiguring domestic activities such as cooking, cleaning, and grocery shopping. Inthe discussion, we draw out the implications of zero waste living’s emerging, contradictory gendernormativities, while recalling the political economy in which it is situated, namely a neoliberal,postfeminist landscape. We identify a continued feminisation of domestic responsibilities that isuncontested in zero waste living but also explore the progressive potential of waste-free livingto bring collective, naturecultural worlds into being as part of domestic environmental labour. FSW - Global Connections --- Ou

“Something We Don’t Normally Do”: A Qualitative Study of the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award in the Secure Estate

The paper is based on findings from a qualitative study of the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award (DofE) in the secure estate, drawing on focus groups with young people in young offenders institutions in England and Wales (pre and post implementation of the DoE programme) and qualitative interviews with staff delivering the Award within the establishments. In exploring participant perceptions of the DofE, the paper focuses on the way in which programme participation provided young people with new experiences, arguing that it offers them some insight into alternative ways of existence, other than crime. At the same time the programme was perceived by young people as instrumental to accessing this ‘existence’ and hence a possible route to realise their ambitions. Young people were acutely aware of having discredited identities as a function of their offending and the Award, by dint of attributes it was perceived to confer upon recipients, was understood as a way of repairing this damage and easing entry into, and acceptance by, mainstream society. Moreover, the skills and experiences imparted by the DofE were perceived as appropriate and useful for acquisition of social skills necessary to make this transition. The authors conclude that DoE programme may usefully form part of a broader offending prevention programme because, based on the findings of this study of young people in custody, it may appeal to young disadvantaged young people, disillusioned by main stream education and who may be on the cusp of offending

Heterogeneous agendas around public engagement in stem cell research:The case for maintaining plasticity

Although public engagement is now part of the business of doing science, there is considerable divergence about what the term means and what public engagement ought to be doing. This paper refl ects on these heterogeneous meanings and agendas through an analysis of focus group data from research on public engagement in stem cell research. Three broad visions of public engagement are identifi ed: as education and information provision; as dialogue; and as participation in policy making. In analysing the implications of these visions three dimensions are highlighted: weakly and strongly structured visions of public engagement; the co production of roles and relationships; and the framing of what is at stake. Each of these has the potential to include or exclude some groups in public engagement. We conclude that social scientists should seek to maintain the plasticity of public engagement as a necessary condition for greater participation and reflexivity in science policy, practice and governance