The Just in time self? : work, aspiration and the limits of flexability in the creative economy

Several writers who have analysed the ‘new economy’ and reflexive individualism have suggested that in recent times young people from working class backgrounds have broken decisively with the vocational patterns their parents’ generation. No longer wedded to fixed occupational identities and communities of practice, they are now more likely to pursue individualistic dreams, developing capacities for flexibility and reinvention. This paper will evaluate the relative pulls of individualism and collectivism by exploring the biographical reflections of John, a man in his late twenties from the Western Suburbs of Sydney, who has worked in the music industry for seven years and is now facing the consequences of long-term precarious labour

The impact of individualization on pregnancy practices : the case of prenatal diagnosis

Risk, according to the works of Beck and Giddens, has become a force of social change. It can be seen to actively shape our concept of health, desire for perfection, and our relationship to technology and responsibility. These themes will be employed in the following analysis of the use and impact of prenatal diagnosis on the pregnant woman. It will be argued that amongst the unforseen consequences of this form of technology are not only the increased choices that the expectant woman is faced with but also the increased responsibility. Because of the emphasis on responsibility towards one’s own health, within high modernity, as well as notions of perfection, parents are rapidly becoming faced with an obligation to use these technologies for not only the future of their child but also to secure their own future. What is of essence in this argument is not only the obligations and responsibilities towards one’s life path that Beck’s notion of individualization focuses on, but also a voluntary compulsion to actively engage with science and technology to fulfil these obligations

Knowledge networks among Australian biological scientists

Scientific and technical human capital (STHC) is central to economic development in knowledge societies. Traditional models have viewed human capital as a private good. This has given rise to zero-sum understandings of the mobility of highly skilled human capital such as research scientists. Public policies to attract and retain STHC are designed to enable a region or a country to compete for knowledge workers and avoid the brain drain phenomena. However, recent theoretical and empirical studies have emphasized an alternative approach focused on a network model of human capital distribution. These approaches look at connections between scientists, seeking evidence for the transnational organization of knowledge production through distributed or diaspora knowledge networks (DKNs). This approach poses an alternative to the zero-sum approach to scientific human capital, by positing real knowledge flows and economic benefits that can spillover into different countries and regions. This paper uses evidence regarding a small number of Australian biologists working overseas to test the idea that transnational collaboration can result in real knowledge benefits flowing back to the sending country. The paper uses survey and bibliometric data to search for evidence of such knowledge flows through networks and research collaboration. The data shows that amongst this group of biological scientists there is evidence of transnational networks involving Australian scientists overseas and professional colleagues working in Australia. There is also empirical evidence that these networks are producing scientific knowledge in the form of co-authored scientific papers

Changing professions: General Practitioners’ perceptions of autonomy on the frontline

This is a post-peer-review, pre-copyright version of an article published in Journal of Sociology 39(1) 2003: 44-61. The definitive version is available at: http://jos.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/39/1/44Professional autonomy is a much used concept which has operated with scant empirical attention directed at understanding its meaning amongst practitioners. This study investigates how General Practitioners (GPs) understand their professional autonomy, and what they perceive to be the main threats to it. Four focus groups were attended by 25 GPs in Melbourne. We found that GPs aspire to an ‘ideal type’ of professional who has the freedom to determine what is best for patients, but they believe their autonomy is threatened by financial constraints, greater accountability requirements, and more demanding patients. These findings reveal how GPs understand autonomy in their practice, and indicate that their concerns may have little to do with the deprofessionalisation and proletarianisation theses. Micro level studies of GPs in the workplace, combined with greater understandings of different aspects of professional autonomy, appear useful in understanding how GPs work and autonomy is changing

In defence of the 'new qualitative methods' : the Australian context

The growth and employment of non-traditional research methods has increased dramatically over the last few decades, especially within the United States and the United Kingdom. With the increase of globalisation of research these new methodologies are gaining use and credibility within the human disciplines in Australia. The following paper attempts to examine the new methodologies movement from an historical context, funding perspective and as part of the wider, morally oriented ‘culture wars’ that have been playing out on the main arena of Australian socio-political life over the past decade. It argues that regardless of the increased call to employ engaged and innovative research the constraints of the Australian funding and political environment has resulted in the maintenance and dominance of traditional methodological approaches

Pharmaceutical ecomonics and politics vs. patient safety : Lumiracoxib in Australia

Lumiracoxib (Prexige&copy;) 200 mg was listed in Australia&rsquo;s Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) schedules on 01 August 2006. The listing was intended as a cost-minimisation strategy, as lumiracoxib 200 mg was deemed equivalent in therapeutic effect to celecoxib (Celebrex&copy;) 200 mg, and was available at a lower cost. By the time of listing on the PBS, a safety re-evaluation of the recommended daily dose of lumiracoxib was being considered in other national regulatory jurisdictions. Within 3 months of listing, the manufacturer revised the recommended dosage to half that of the PBS-listed dosage. However, the PBS listing was neither revoked nor modified. At the time of listing on the PBS, lumiracoxib was known to be 17 times as biochemically selective in inhibiting the COX-2 isoform as celecoxib, and twice as selective as rofecoxib, already withdrawn for safety reasons. Safety concerns had already been raised about adverse hepatic outcomes on daily doses of lumiracoxib 200 mg. Communication of information about the risk potential of lumiracoxib was inadequate. Economic and political considerations were prioritised over patient safety, and lumiracoxib 200 mg remained available via the PBS until 10 August 2007, when it was withdrawn for safety reasons following cases of hepatic morbidity and mortality.<br /

Prophylactic antibiotics to prevent surgical site infection after breast cancer surgey

This review is published as a Cochrane Review in the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2006, Issue 2. Cochrane Reviews are regularly updated as new evidence emerges and in response to comments and criticisms, and the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews should be consulted for the most recent version of the Review.’ Cunningham, M., Bunn, F. and Handscomb, K. Prophylactic antibiotics to prevent surgical site infection after breast cancer surgey. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2006, Issue 2. Art. No.: CD005360. DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD005360.pub2Background: Surgery has been used as part of breast cancer treatment for centuries; however any surgical procedure has the potential risk of infection. Infection rates for surgical treatment of breast cancer are documented at between three and 15%, higher than average for a clean surgical procedure. Pre and peri-operative antibiotics have been found to be useful in lowering infection rates in other surgical groups, yet there is no current consensus on prophylactic antibiotic use in breast cancer surgery. Objectives: To determine the effects of prophylactic antibiotics on the incidence of surgical site infection after breast cancer surgery. Search strategy: We searched the Cochrane Wounds Group Specialised Register (14 August 2008); The Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) - (The Cochrane Library Issue 3 2008); Ovid MEDLINE (1950 to August Week 1 2008); Ovid EMBASE (1980 to 2008 Week 32); and Ovid CINAHL (1982 to August Week 2 2008). No language restrictions were applied. Selection criteria: Randomised controlled trials of pre and peri-operative antibiotics for patients undergoing surgery for breast cancer were included. Primary outcomes were, incidence of breast wound infection and adverse reactions to treatment. Data collection and analysis: Two authors independently examined the title and abstracts of all studies identified by the search strategy, then assessed study quality and extracted data from those that met the inclusion criteria. Main results: For the first update of this review one additional trial was identified which met the inclusion criteria, a total of seven studies were included in the review. All seven evaluated pre-operative antibiotic compared with no antibiotic or placebo. Pooling of the results demonstrated that prophylactic antibiotics significantly reduce the incidence of surgical site infection for patients undergoing breast cancer surgery without reconstruction (pooled RR 0.72, 95% CI, 0.53 to 0.97). No studies presented separate data for patients who underwent reconstructive surgery at the time of removal of the breast tumour. Authors' conclusions: Prophylactic antibiotics reduce the risk of surgical site infection in patients undergoing surgery for breast cancer. The potential morbidity caused by infection, such as delays in wound healing or adjuvant cancer treatments must be balanced against the cost of treatment and potential adverse effects such as drug reactions or increased bacterial resistance. Further studies of patients undergoing immediate breast reconstruction would be useful as studies have identified this group as being at higher risk of infection than those who do not undergo immediate breast reconstruction.Peer reviewedFinal Published versio