Predication and equation

English is one language where equative sentences and non-equative sentences have a similar surface syntax (but see Heggie 1988 and Moro 1997 for a discussion of more subtle differences). In this paper we address the fact that many other languages appear to use radically different morphological means which seem to map to intuitive differences in the type of predication expressed. We take one such language, Scottish Gaelic, and show that the real difference is not between equative and non-equative sentences, but is rather dependent on whether the predicational head in the structure proposed above is eventive or not. We show that the aparently odd syntax of “equatives” in this language derives from the fact that they are constructed via a non-eventive Pred head. Since Pred heads cannot combine with non-predicative categories, such as saturated DPs, “equatives” are built up indirectly from a simple predicational structure with a semantically bleached predicate. This approach not only allows us to maintain a strict one-to-one syntax/semantics mapping for predicational syntax, but also for the syntax of DPs. The argument we develop here, then, suggests that the interface between the syntactic and semantic components is maximally economical— one could say perfect

'Crossing the threshold - leaving looked-after children services' : semi-structured interviews with young men aged 15-21 in Bedfordshire.

A thesis submitted to the Bedfordshire & Hertfordshire Postgraduate Medical School for the University of Bedfordhire in partial fulfilment of a MSc in Public HealthFor this research a content analysis was conducted on semi-structured interviews with looked after young men to explore their understanding of health and emotional well-being, their perception of support available for them during the transition from leaving Looked After Care Services, and their knowledge of local services accessible to young men aged 15-21 in Bedfordshire when working towards independence. The focus of the research was centred on masculinity and the transitional period of adolescence referred to as the 'threshold stage', a time when a young person may feel lonely and emotionally unsupported due to the conflicting expectations about their needs for both independence and attachment. An overview of relevant public health and local authority policies that inform the study is provided in the introduction with a literature review highlighting previous research, emphasising the need to develop and tailor interventions according to the views and experiences of young men. The overall message from both the young men and professionals were about the difficulties of providing consistent support against the barriers of masculinity and not wanting to be seen reaching out for help. A number of suggestions have been drawn out from the data and presented in the conclusions

Changing places: migration and adaptation to climate change

PublishedThis is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from Routledge via https://www.routledge.com/products/978184971301

Spatial, network and temporal dimensions of the determinants of adaptive capacity in poor urban areas

This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from Elsevier via the DOI in this record.Slums and informal settlements are home to rapidly growing populations in urban areas globally and face a range of significant shocks and stresses. The sustainability of these places is critically intertwined with the resilience of their populations. The nature of the capacity for populations to adapt to shocks, as an element of resilience, is related to the evolving knowledge and networks of those populations and is suggested here to have significant spatial and temporal variation. We analyse the key determinants of adaptive capacity and hypothesise that they are related to spatial dimensions of urban form, temporal dimensions of migration, place attachment, and to social differentiation. We investigate these dynamics of adaptive capacity across a transect of urbanisation from inner city to periphery in Kampala, Uganda using diverse methods including a sample survey of residents (n = 720) and ego-network analysis. Results show that the key determinants of individual-level adaptive capacity are attachment to place, social networks, and duration of residence. There are significant differences in adaptive capacity between slum areas, as well as strong social group and temporal dimensions. These findings suggest the importance of measuring adaptive capacities at appropriate spatial and temporal scales in order to identify specific interventions for slums that build the resilience of their populations

Interactions of migration and population dynamics with ecosystem services

This is the final version. Available from Routledge via the link in this record.Understanding how to sustain the services that ecosystems provide in support of human wellbeing is an active and growing research area. This book provides a state-of-the-art review of current thinking on the links between ecosystem services and poverty alleviation. In part it showcases the key findings of the Ecosystem Services for Poverty Alleviation (ESPA) programme, which has funded over 120 research projects in more than 50 countries since 2010. ESPA’s goal is to ensure that ecosystems are being sustainably managed in a way that contributes to poverty alleviation as well as to inclusive and sustainable growth. As governments across the world map how they will achieve the 17 ambitious Sustainable Development Goals, most of which have poverty alleviation, wellbeing and sustainable environmental management at their heart, ESPA’s findings have never been more timely and relevant. The book synthesises the headline messages and compelling evidence to address the questions at the heart of ecosystems and wellbeing research. The authors, all leading specialists, address the evolving framings and contexts for the work, review the impacts of ongoing drivers of change, present new ways to achieve sustainable wellbeing, equity, diversity, and resilience, and evaluate the potential contributions from conservation projects, payment schemes, and novel governance approaches across scales from local to national and international. The cross-cutting, thematic chapters challenge conventional wisdom in some areas, and validate new methods and approaches for sustainable development in others. The book will provide a rich and important reference source for advanced students, researchers and policy-makers in ecology, environmental studies, ecological economics and sustainable development.This chapter draws on research under Assessing Health, Livelihoods, Ecosystem Services and Poverty Alleviation in Populous Deltas (NERC Grant No. NE/J000892/1), part of the Ecosystem Services for Poverty Alleviation programme; and on Deltas, Vulnerability and Climate Change: Migration and Adaptation project (IDRC 107642) under the Collaborative Adaptation Research Initiative in Africa and Asia Programme, with financial support from the UK Government’s Depart - ment for International Development and the International Development Research Centre, Canada

Methodologies and Institutions in Zimbabwe's Evolving Environmental Assessment Framework

AEE Working paper.Environmental assessment (EA) is "a procedure for assessing environmental implications of a decision to enact legislation, to implement policies or plans, or to initiate development projects ... and the conveying v of this information at a stage when it can materially affect their decision, to those responsible for sanctioning the proposal". (Wathern, 1988). As a regulation it has become integrated into land use planning to greater or lesser degrees in countries throughout the developed and developing world. As a technique for decision-making EA is often claimed to promote sustainable development if it is rigorously applied. Although this is a grandiose claim, the provision of timely information to decision-makers and the ex ante highlighting of possibly unforeseen impacts may be expected to enhance environmental management. Indeed, the World Commission on Environment and Development (Brunutland Report) (WCED, 1987) specifically advocated the use of this technique to promote the management of natural resources

Evidence and future potential of mobile phone data for disease disaster management

This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from Elsevier via the DOI in this record.Global health threats such as the recent Ebola and Zika virus outbreaks require rapid and robust responses to prevent, reduce and recover from disease dispersion. As part of broader big data and digital humanitarianism discourses, there is an emerging interest in data produced through mobile phone communications for enhancing the data environment in such circumstances. This paper assembles user perspectives and critically examines existing evidence and future potential of mobile phone data derived from call detail records (CDRs) and two-way short message service (SMS) platforms, for managing and responding to humanitarian disasters caused by communicable disease outbreaks. We undertake a scoping review of relevant literature and in-depth interviews with key informants to ascertain the: (i) information that can be gathered from CDRs or SMS data; (ii) phase(s) in the disease disaster management cycle when mobile data may be useful; (iii) value added over conventional approaches to data collection and transfer; (iv) barriers and enablers to use of mobile data in disaster contexts; and (v) the social and ethical challenges. Based on this evidence we develop a typology of mobile phone data sources, types, and end-uses, and a decision-tree for mobile data use, designed to enable effective use of mobile data for disease disaster management. We show that mobile data holds great potential for improving the quality, quantity and timing of selected information required for disaster management, but that testing and evaluation of the benefits, constraints and limitations of mobile data use in a wider range of mobile-user and disaster contexts is needed to fully understand its utility, validity, and limitations.A portion of this research was funded as part of the Science for Humanitarian Emergencies and Resilience (SHEAR) programme, by the UK Department for International Development (DFID), the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) and the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC)