European Regional Development Policies: History and Current Issues

The objective of this paper is to demonstrate that the European regional development funds do not allow simultaneous achievement of goals of efficiency and equity when they are dedicated to financing transportation infrastructures. The paper first gives some insights on the history and the nature of regional development funds. Then we focus on the degree to which Ireland, Spain and Portugal (but not Greece), the main beneficiaries of regional policies, have been able to move to the European average (in terms of per capita income) since their membership in the EU, which also corresponds to the time when regional assistance was initiated in these countries. Empirical evidence also reveals that income disparities are increasing among regions within each of these countries and this raises the question as to whether the impact of regional funds is or is not rather favorable to this particular convergence pattern, given that one of the primary objectives of regional funding has been to ensure greater cohesion over the whole European territory. The answer comes mainly from the type of infrastructure regional funds finance. Since a significant part of regional funds is devoted to transportation issues, their impact on regional development has to be seen in the light of characteristics of the transport sector and the specific requirements in transport of each individual sector. The paper concludes that transportation infrastructures promote the country's aggregate growth but cannot be seen as an efficient instrument to reduce interregional disparities in Europe.published or submitted for publicatio

“Pusser grub? My God but it was awful!” Feeding the Fleet During the Second World War

When Canada declared war on Germany in September 1939 the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN), Royal Canadian Naval Volunteer Reserve (RCNVR), and Royal Canadian Naval Reserve (RCNR) consisted of perhaps 3,000 officers and men. The RCN was manning six destroyers and seven smaller craft out of Halifax and Esquimalt. While the men of the RCNR had seagoing experience through the merchant navy and the fishing fleets, only a limited number of men from the RCNVR had managed to spend any time in RCN vessels. No reservist from either category that had any significant prewar training or experience in food supply or preparation for large groups could be located for an interview. However, former navy cooks who joined just before and during the course of the war have been interviewed by this author or by other researchers, as have seamen who served with these men and consumed the meals they prepared at sea. This study will examine the validity of the statement quoted in the title. It will look at the victualling and cook trades, the drafts (postings) these men had between 1939 and 1945, the type of trade training they received, the foods they were permitted to order and were given to prepare, the conditions under which they worked in different classes of ships, how the seamen responded to their meals, and the role they played in feeding the men as well as keeping up morale and playing their part in fighting the ship

Editorial in "Fashion Practice: Design, Creative Process and the Fashion Industry"

The landscape of research in fashion has blossomed over the last decades. A marked increase in academic debate and a burgeoning number of publications have begun to map the diversity, complexity, and breadth of fashion as simultaneously a major industry and a cultural medium, often dismissed as superficial and “merely” commerce. Fashion is by its complex nature multidisciplinary, comprising: design in both two and three dimensions, textile development, old and new technologies, craftsmanship and artisan skills, business and production, marketing, promotion and consumption, global economics, material and visual culture, history, social anthropology, and so on

Editorial

Fashion Practice is the first peer-reviewed academic journal to cover the full range of contemporary design and manufacture within the context of the fashion industry. Design processes and new technologies fuel the most vibrant areas of fashion practice and commerce today, yet they have been largely ignored by scholarship. Fashion Practice fills this major gap by providing a much-needed forum for topics ranging from design theory to the impact of technology, economics and industry on fashion practice. Interdisciplinary and wide-ranging, Fashion Practice addresses the entire business of fashion, including: -innovation in fashion design and practice -sustainability and ethics within the industry -micro-and nano-technologies within the fashion context -'smart' textiles and digital fashion -materials, design, concepts and process -fashion consumption and production from retail/e-tail to performance fashion -new developments in fashion and clothing retai

Higher Education Earnings Premium: Value, Variation, and Trends

Overall, people with a college education do better in the labor market than people with no education beyond high school. Higher levels of education correspond, on average, to higher levels of employment and higher wages. Yet, as college prices rise and as examples of graduates struggling to find remunerative employment despite their credentials become more visible, both potential students and the general public are questioning the value of a college education. The data, however, remain clear: even at current prices, postsecondary education pays off for most people. Promising occupational and personal opportunities are disproportionately available to college graduates. It is increasingly difficult to maintain a middle class lifestyle without a postsecondary credential, and the economic, social, and civic benefits of a more educated population are well documented. Outcomes do vary considerably, however, both among people with similar levels of education and across types of credentials. Growing income inequality does not just involve a growing gap between the earnings of the most educated and the least educated people; there is also increasing variation within educational categories. Greater understanding of these patterns and of the changes over time in the earnings premium for different levels of education can add perspective to discussions of the importance of increased educational attainment for both individuals and society as a whole. This brief highlights some of the complexities underlying discussions of the return to the investment in postsecondary education and describes some of the variation in outcomes that leads to the prevalent uncertainty about the value of the investment, clarifying that disappointing outcomes for some are not inconsistent with a high average payoff and significant benefits for most student