bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Planning, teaching and assessing the curriculum for pupils with learning difficulties: curriculum guidelines to support the revised National Curriculum
Authors: Colwill Ian , Peacey Nick
Published: March 2003

In this article, Ian Colwill and Nick Peacey provide an authoritative commentary on the publication of QCA's guidelines on developing the curriculum for pupils with learning difficulties. They link these guidelines to the recent review of the National Curriculum and identify some of the key contributions these guidelines can make to planning, teaching and assessment. The authors conclude by raising some challenging issues for future practice and enquiry.

Ian Colwill and Nick Peacey were both principal managers at QCA with responsibility for Curriculum Co‐ordination and Support and Equal Opportunities and Access respectively. They co‐chaired the Steering Group for the curriculum guidelines project. Ian Colwill supervised the production of the booklets and the website.
Non‐finite loss and challenges to communication between parents and professionals
Authors: Bruce Elizabeth , Schultz Cynthia
Published: March 2003

Elizabeth Bruce PhD, a psychologist in private practice, and Cynthia Schultz PhD, honorary associate at LaTrobe University, both live and work in Australia. Their work on supporting parents who have children with special needs, however, has been published around the world. In this article Bruce and Schultz explore the notion of ‘non‐finite loss’, defined as the ongoing sense of grief experienced by parents caring for children with severe disabilities. The authors discuss the issues that professionals need to consider when working with parents in these circumstances. The article closes with a set of recommendations for promoting more effective partnerships between parents and professionals.
Research Section: Teaching as a ‘research‐based profession’: encouraging practitioner research in special education
Authors: Rose Richard
Published: March 2003

Richard Rose is head of the Centre for Special Needs Education and Research at University College Northampton as well as being Research Section Editor for BJSE. In this article, he reviews aspects of the relationship between teaching, special education and research. He argues that ‘educational research, and consequently policy making, has too often taken insufficient account of teachers’ professional credibility and expertise’. He proposes that teachers should be encouraged to become more involved in research activities and that practitioners and researchers should work together ‘in determining the agenda for a research‐based profession’.

Richard Rose and I hope that the Research Section in BJSE will have a key role to play in promoting this kind of partnership. It is our shared intention to publish a series of examples of practitioner or partnership research, showing the influence that systematic, practice‐focused enquiry can have on the evaluation, review and development of practice and the formulation of improved policy. We hope that many practitioner researchers will wish to put forward their work for publication in this series. Contact Richard Rose to discuss this possibility and watch for further guidance in future issues of BJSE.
The Stanley Segal Award: Do Social Stories Benefit Children with Autism in Mainstream Primary Schools?
Authors: Rowe Carol
Published: March 2003

The winner of the 1998 Stanley Segal Award, Carol Rowe, a specialist teacher with the Kent Behaviour Support Service who works in primary schools, reports on a small scale research project to investigate the possible benefits of a technique, ‘social stories’, for a pupil with an autistic spectrum disorder in a mainstream primary school.
Inclusion and the transition: Transfer from special to mainstream–ten years later
Authors: Hornby Garry , Kidd Roger
Published: March 2003

In this article, Garry Hornby and Roger Kidd provide a follow‐up to their own investigation of the outcomes of an inclusion project in Yorkshire ten years ago. Twenty‐nine students were transferred from their special school for pupils with moderate learning difficulties into mainstream schools. Hornby and Kidd now report high levels of unemployment amongst these young people and indications that the quality of their adult lives is less than satisfactory. The results of this small‐scale survey will raise important questions for all those concerned with current trends in the education of pupils with learning difficulties and their transition into adulthood.
Does the Code of Practice help secondary school SENCos to improve learning?
Authors: Lingard Tony
Published: March 2003

Tony Lingard is special educational needs co‐ordinator (SENCo) in a large comprehensive secondary school. He believes that the requirements of the Code of Practice detract from his capacity to support pupils with special educational needs. Anticipating the introduction of a revised, but still significant, bureaucratic burden in the new Code, he reports his use of a questionnaire to gather the views of other secondary SENCos in his LEA. The results are challenging but compelling. Do individual education plans (IEPs) help subject teachers to address individual pupils’ special educational needs? Do targets help pupils and parents to engage with priorities for learning? Would whole‐school strategies for meeting special educational needs be more effective, efficient and inclusive than the current individualised system? Tony Lingard’s article will prompt reflection in schools around the country as SENCos await the launch of the revised Code.
Theories underlying perceived changes in teaching and learning after installing a computer network in a secondary school
Authors: Wishart Jocelyn , Blease Derek
Published: March 2003

This paper discusses the theoretical links between motivation and learning and the use of information technology that arose during the evaluation, by both teachers and pupils, of the effects upon teaching and learning of the installation of an extensive new computer network in their secondary school.

The school was visited throughout the 1996/7 academic year, and two questionnaire surveys were carried out during this time. The initial questionnaire was completed by 69 (73%) of the staff and a stratified, random sample comprising 161 (11%) of the pupils. Those originally surveyed were sent a follow up questionnaire at the end of the year. Responses to the questions were grouped by similarity into categories and these categories were related to theories of motivation and learning.

It is concluded that the installation of a computer network in a secondary school results in improved teaching and learning and increased enjoyment of learning in the school with both pupils and teachers viewing the use of IT as beneficial to learning.

Where such positive effects of using IT are noted they can be justified theoretically using Behaviourist, Cognitive and Social Constructivist theories of motivation and learning. The wide range of ways in which use of a computer can be both extrinsically and intrinsically motivating explains the increased motivation observed in the pupils.
The ideal online course
Authors: Carr‐Chellman Alison , Duchastel Philip
Published: March 2003

This paper addresses many of the key issues facing designers of web‐based university level courses. Drawing from experience in distance education and web‐based design, we develop a set of key components to be addressed when creating an ‘ideal’ online course. Such an analysis forces a consideration of what constitutes good online teaching as well as good use of the technologies that are more and more present in our instructional environments.
A follow‐up study of students using portable computers at a secondary school
Authors: Newhouse Dr. C. Paul
Published: March 2003

This paper reports on the findings of a 1999 study that set out to investigate the current perceptions of students and teachers towards the use of portable computers at a secondary school. The aim was to compare these with the findings of a 1995 study carried out by the researcher at the same school. Data were collected from 102 Year Twelve students (17 year old), 104 Year Eight students (13 year old) and 40 teachers. The results indicated that for the Year Twelve students the computers had been of limited value while the Year Eight students appeared to be divided with about a quarter indicating negative attitudes. For the younger students the computers appeared to be used more often and for a greater range of tasks. Many teachers indicated concerns about the management of computers in the classroom and linking computer use to learning outcomes. These perceptions underline the need for targeted professional development, systematic support for the development of student computer‐related skills, and changes in the curriculum towards more learner‐centred approaches.
Year 5 pupils reading an “Interactive Storybook” on CD‐ROM: losing the plot?
Authors: Trushell John , Burrell Clare , Maitland Amanda
Published: March 2003

The use of “interactive storybooks” in the primary classroom may facilitate small group and individual reading with minimal teacher intervention. This small‐scale study examines whether small groups of Year 5 pupils, without teacher supervision, progress linearly through an “interactive storybook” and whether such diversions as cued animations affect pupil comprehension. The study finds that more intensive choice of diversions affects some pupils' comprehension.
Design implications from a usability study of GramStain‐TutorTM
Authors: Kim Sara , Brock Douglas M. , Orkand Adam , Astion Michael L.
Published: March 2003

To examine interface issues in an educational software program, we recruited twenty‐two users in health sciences departments for a usability study. Using the GramStain‐Tutor™ (GST) CD‐ROM, these users performed tasks in navigating the program and using various interactive features. Their actions and comments were recorded with a digital video recorder and an audio recorder. The main results of our study are: (a) the majority of the users did not use the multiple navigational options available in the program; (b) navigational patterns differed based on the training background and content knowledge of the users; (c) several visual cues critical to program use were not discovered by the majority of the users; and (d) icons representing specific functions were not intuitive from users' perspectives. We demonstrated how a usability study of a relatively small number of users can identify specific problems in interface design. We recommend these interface problems be addressed before conducting educational studies that examine how educational software programs affect student learning.
Whither Hong Kong's Unions: Autonomous Trade Unionism or Classic Dualism?
Authors: Snape Ed , Chan Andy W.
Published: March 2003

This paper presents an evaluation of the ideologies and behaviour of the main union groupings in Hong Kong. The CTU's ‘adversarial’ line and ‘inclusive’ approach has threatened to break with the traditional industrial pacifism of Hong Kong's unions, while the FTU's recognition of its ‘dual functioning’ role has been balanced by the need to maintain credibility as an effective representative of workers' interests. The TUC has been passive in recent years, and the independent unions tend to be rather inward‐looking. Unions remain weak, particularly at the workplace, and it is uncertain to what extent union autonomy can be sustained.
Company Prospects and Employee Commitment: an Analysis of the Dimensionality of the BOCS and the Influence of External Events on Those Dimensions
Authors: Fenton‐O’Creevy M.P. , Winfrow P. , Lydka H. , Morris T.
Published: March 2003

The study described in this paper addressed two key objectives. Using structural equation modelling, the study examined first the dimensionality of the British Organizational Committment Scale (BOCS) and second, how employee perceptions of their company’s prospects and their perceptions of their own career opportunities might affect each commitment dimension. Analysis of the data (from an oil company) suggests that the BOCS has three principal dimensions but that there is a fourth (measurement artefact) factor, consisting of the negatively phrased items. Analysis also reveals that improved company prospects are positively related to the ‘loyalty’ dimension of the BOCS but are inversely related to the ‘involvement’ dimension. The paper considers explanations for this phenomenon.
Pay and Working Time: Towards Organization‐based Systems?
Authors: Arrowsmith James , Sisson Keith
Published: March 2003

The decentralization of pay and working‐time determination has widely been seen as marking a shift to organization‐based arrangements. Empirical investigation has been limited, however. This paper examines the process and outcomes of pay and working time through a survey of over three hundred workplaces in four important sectors: printing, engineering, retail and health. It finds that a strong sector effect is demonstrated whether or not there are national arrangements in place, and that employers tend to move like ships in a convoy when managing change. It is argued that the convergence and durability of existing arrangements is associated first with the structural boundaries provided by markets, technology and labour; second with the increased importance of legitimacy in a context of growing uncertainty; and third as a result of shared information sources and networks. The strength of the sectoral reference raises significant questions for much of current organizational research, notably its focus on levels of pay and the relevance of the analytical distinction between the internal and external labour markets. The research also has a number of important policy implications, drawing attention to the pros as well as cons of co‐ordination in pay and working‐time.
The British National Minimum Wage
Authors: Metcalf David
Published: March 2003

Great Britain has had statutory regulation of minimum pay for much of this century but never previously had a national minimum wage (NMW). This paper outlines the history of minimum wage regulation culminating in 1997 with the establishment of the Low Pay Commission (LPC) and the introduction of the NMW in 1999. The main issues considered by the LPC were the definition of the NMW, the rate itself, and what to do about younger workers. Although there is general agreement that minimum wage systems reduce wage inequality, their impact on the distribution of household income is more controversial. Evidence presented suggests the NMW may have a more egalitarian impact on household incomes than is sometimes asserted. The Report of the LPC is only the beginning of the story. Responses to it were generally favourable; parliamentary regulations are needed to translate the recommendations into law; the NMW has to be enforced and evaluated. This necessary follow‐up to the Report is discussed in the concluding sections.
The New Unionism and the New Bargaining Agenda: UNISON–Employer Partnerships on Workplace Learning in Britain
Authors: Munro Anne , Rainbird Helen
Published: March 2003

A model of new unionism has been developed which is characterized by features such as the servicing of members as customers and a shift to co‐operative industrial relations. The UNISON–employer partnerships in workplace learning in the UK initially appear to fit such a model. This paper outlines the model of new unionism and cautions against interpreting these partnerships as evidence of its development. The paper concludes that this initiative is organized within a collective framework and may provide a basis for the development of workplace trade union activism rather than being indicative of its decline.
New Employee Relations Strategies in Britain: Towards Individualism or Partnership?
Authors: Bacon Nicholas , Storey John
Published: March 2003

This article addresses the themes of individualism, partnership and collectivism in British industrial relations by reporting on a detailed three‐year case‐study‐based research project. Drawing on this data set, we offer insights into practical developments in contemporary workplaces and into the thinking of managers and employee representatives as they attempt to steer new paths in their relations. In particular, we examine what happens in practice when senior management teams, in previously collectivized organizations, set out with the explicit intent of shifting the balance of emphasis towards more ‘individualized’ relations with employees and/or to devise new ‘partnership’ arrangements.
Union Decline in Britain
Authors: Machin Stephen
Published: March 2003

This paper considers the rapid decline in unionization that has occurred in Britain since the late 1970s. The overwhelming factor underpinning falling unionization was a failure to organize new establishments set up in the last twenty years or so, thus confirming that developments since 1990 represent a continuation of the pattern revealed in earlier work for the 1980–90 period. The sharpest falls in unionization occurred in private manufacturing establishments set up after 1980. Finally, there is some evidence that it is age of workplace, rather than age of worker, that is the critical age‐based factor behind union decline.
New Labour’s Reform of Britain’s Employment Law: The Devil is not only in the Detail but in the Values and Policy Too
Authors: Smith Paul , Morton Gary
Published: March 2003

The Labour government’s goal of social partnership embodies a particular view of the appropriate role of labour within the employment relationship, which requires the marginalization of trade unionism as an autonomous force. Its programme of employment law reform combines a dual focus: first, the reaffirmation of measures that weaken workers’ collective power through the exclusion of autonomous trade unionism, and second, initiatives to regulate the labour market, strengthen workers’ rights within the employment relationship, and include enterprise‐confined, cooperative unions as subordinate ‘partners’. However, the second policy dimension has been diluted because of the commitment to free‐market values.
The Individualization of Irish Industrial Relations?
Authors: Roche William K.
Published: March 2003

Research claims that industrial relations in greenfield sites in Ireland are commonly individualized. Data from a representative sample of workplaces in Ireland show that no trend towards more pronounced individualization is apparent in the use of HRM practices in new as compared with established workplaces. The state of collective industrial relations in workplaces in general is also shown to be independent of the extent to which individually focused HRM practices have been adopted. The Irish findings, and recent international research, question the idea of individualization as a useful way of understanding the character and dynamics of employment relations in advanced economies.
Flexible and Family‐Friendly Working Arrangements in UK‐Based SMEs: Business Cases
Authors: Dex Shirley , Scheibl Fiona
Published: March 2003

Interest in researching flexible working arrangements has been growing as such practices have been heralded as the way to reconcile or balance the increased pressures of work and family life. Relatively little attention has been paid to the experiences of flexible working arrangements in small and medium sized enterprises. We report the findings of empirical work on ten small and medium‐sized enterprises and four larger organizations. The reasons for introducing particular flexible working arrangements in SMEs were explored. Our findings show that business case reasons were used when introducing flexible working arrangements in both SMEs and larger organizations, although in different ways.
Women’s Groups in British Unions
Authors: Parker Jane
Published: March 2003

Women’s groups in unions are collective spaces within which women seek to advance their concerns and access empowering positions. This paper examines their pursuit of gender equality in unions. The need to explore unions and women’s groups is heightened by women’s significance as a source of union membership, and the connection between union revitalization and responsiveness to women. The paper uses case studies of two unions, MSF and USDAW, and seven women’s groups. The analysis is structured by a typology of two frameworks: (i) a typology of gendered equality ideas derived from various literatures, and (ii) the dynamic and linked dimensions of Hyman’s (1994) union organization model. Implications for research and theory, and for union policy and practice, are discussed.
A Critical Assessment of the Theoretical and Empirical Research on German Works Councils
Authors: Frege Carola M.
Published: March 2003

The article reviews the existing English‐ and German‐speaking literature on the German works council. Three major research topics are discussed: the ontology and typologies of works councils; their current practice and transformation; and their economic outcomes. Although much research has been conducted on the internal functioning of the works council–management relationship, it is clear that we still know little about the determinants of different workplace relations and their outcomes. The article concludes by advocating a reviving research interest in the link between codetermination and political democracy.
Stability in Germany’s Industrial Relations: A Critique on Hassel’s Erosion Thesis
Authors: Klikauer Thomas
Published: March 2003

In a recent article entitled ‘The Erosion of Industrial Relations in Germany’, Anke Hassel (1999) claimed that German industrial relations have been eroded during the last two decades. This paper questions the argument, maintaining that Germany’s basic industrial relations system remains intact and that the major changes in Germany relate to unification and the public sector.
Trade Union Growth and Decline in Asia
Authors: Kuruvilla Sarosh , Das Subesh , Kwon Hyunji , Kwon Soonwon
Published: March 2003

We examine trends in union density and union influence in several Asian countries. Though we find variation in union density, all countries experienced union decline in the 1990s. Asian countries also vary on our new union influence measure. We use a logics of action framework to examine the institutional context surrounding union growth, decline and influence in each country. Based on our examination of how these institutional contexts are changing, and what we know about the strategies of unions, we are not hopeful regarding the near term prospects for reversing union decline.
From I‐O Economics' S‐C‐P Paradigm Through Strategic Groups to Competence‐Based Competition: Reflections on the Puzzle of Competitive Strategy
Authors: Thomas Howard , Pollock Timothy
Published: March 2003

Over the past 20 years one basic question which has occupied the attention of both researchers and practitioners in the strategic management field is ‘with whom and how do firms compete?’ How research in strategy has attempted to answer this question over the past 20 years is the subject of this article. We begin by reviewing the literatures on industrial organization, spatial competition, strategic groups, cognitive communities and networks and examine how each of these theoretical perspectives have been used to answer basic questions of competition and rivalry. We then show how the resource‐based view of the firm and the theory of competence‐based competition can be used to integrate these perspectives. We conclude by proposing six issues which should motivate future strategy research, and which can help and enhance our understanding of how firms compete.
Supervising Professional Work under New Public Management: Evidence from an ‘Invisible Trade’
Authors: Kitchener Martin , Kirkpatrick Ian , Whipp Richard
Published: March 2003

This paper assesses the extent to which the new public management (NPM) project has succeeded in replacing the custodial mode of professional work supervision with a more bureaucratic approach. The paper conceptualizes the key components of each mode within two ideal types of professional work supervision. It then draws on findings from a study of local‐authority social service departments to consider current arrangements against these ideal type configurations. The findings demonstrate that elements of the bureaucratic mode have emerged unevenly. So far, they have not displaced the emphasis that the supervisors of professional work place on protecting autonomy and limiting management control systems. This suggests that custodial approaches to the supervision of professional work may be more resilient than has been assumed within previous analyses of NPM.
From Global Knowledge Management to Internal Electronic Fences: Contradictory Outcomes of Intranet Development
Authors: Newell Sue , Scarbrough Harry , Swan Jacky
Published: March 2003

This paper considers the adoption of intranet technology as a vehicle for encouraging organization‐wide knowledge sharing within a large, global bank. Ironically, the outcome of intranet adoption was that, rather than integrate individuals across this particular organization, the intranet actually helped to reinforce the existing functional and national boundaries with ‘electronic fences’. This could be partly explained by the historical emphasis on decentralization within the bank, which shaped and limited the use of the intranet as a centralizing, organization‐wide tool. This is possible because the intranet can be described as an interactive and decentred technology, which therefore has the potential for multiple interpretations and effects. Thus, while the intranet is often promoted as a technology that enables processes of communication, collaboration and social coordination it also has the potential to disable such processes. Moreover, it is argued that to develop an intranet for knowledge‐sharing requires a focus on three distinctive facets of development. These different facets may require very different, sometimes contradictory, sets of strategies for blending the technology and the organization, thus making it extremely difficult for a project team to work effectively on all three facets simultaneously. This was evidenced by the fact that none of the independent intranet‐implementation projects considered actually managed to encourage knowledge‐sharing as intended, even within the relatively homogeneous group for which it was designed. Broader knowledge‐sharing across the wider organizational context simply did not occur even among those who were working on what were defined as ‘knowledge management’ projects. A paradox is that knowledge‐sharing via intranet technologies may be most difficult to achieve in contexts where knowledge management is the key objective.
Strategic Influences of Technological Innovation in Greece
Authors: Souitaris Vangelis
Published: March 2003

This exploratory paper analyses the ‘importance’ and ‘awareness’ of a set of established ‘strategic’ influences of technological innovation in the context of a European newly‐industrialized country. The author interviewed 105 Greek manufacturing firms (mainly SMEs) and measured their perceived innovation rate as well as 17 ‘strategic’ factors regarding top‐management practices and characteristics. Using correlation and regression analysis the initial group of factors was reduced to a subset of five ‘major importance’ influences of innovation, namely: incorporation of technology plans in the business strategy, managerial attitude towards risk, perceived intensity of competition and rate of change of customer needs, and finally status of the CEO (owner‐CEOs were associated with higher innovation rate than appointed CEOs). The ‘statistical’ results are exploratory and have to be treated with caution, as they are highly dependent on the accuracy of the respondents' perception of their company's innovation rate and top‐management practices and characteristics. The ‘statistical’ results were then compared with the managers' perception on the important factors determining innovation (also measured during the interviews). Overall the perceptual analysis confirmed the significance of the statistically important variables, with the exception of a disagreement in the direction of association between the status of the CEO and the rate of innovation. In general, top‐management characteristics proved more important ‘strategic’ influences of innovation for the Greek SMEs than corporate practices. The study also indicated that the important influences of innovation were generally scarce in the Greek institutional context. The highly innovative companies were the ones to overcome country‐specific innovation barriers such as the low supply of technology, the low level of competition and the risk‐averse national culture.
Corporate Financial Distress and Turnaround Strategies: An Empirical Analysis
Authors: Sudarsanam Sudi , Lai Jim
Published: March 2003

Extant research on corporate turnaround from financial distress has prescribed a range of strategies to effect corporate recovery. However, no large sample study has examined the general applicability and effectiveness of these strategies. We set out to test the effectiveness of strategies and identify the underlying factors of effectiveness – the impact of timing, intensity and implementation of strategies on corporate recovery. We examine a sample of 166 potentially bankrupt UK firms drawn from 1985 to 1993 and track their turnaround strategies for a period of three years from distress. These strategies include operational, asset, managerial and financial restructuring. Our results show recovery and non‐recovery firms adopt very similar sets of strategies, and managers of non‐recovery firms restructure more intensively than recovery firms Nevertheless, non‐recovery firms seem far less effective in strategy implementation than their recovery counterparts. Whereas recovery firms adopt growth‐oriented and external‐market focused strategies, non‐recovery firms engage in fire‐fighting strategies.
Business Ethics and Business History: Neglected Dimensions in Management Education
Authors: Warren R. , Tweedale G.
Published: March 2003

This article highlights two large gaps in the business school curriculum: the neglect of historical and ethical dimensions. An overview is provided of progress made so far in the UK in the evolution of business history as an academic discipline; and also of the take–up of business ethics in university teaching. Both have had some success, but overall the response to these areas has been somewhat lacklustre — at least in the UK. A justification is provided for adding both components to a fully relevant business education. When the two are combined, the result can be a highly rewarding combination that provides insights that may not be possible for management writers, who work only in the present. Corporate ethics, the social responsibility of companies, disclosure, the environment, the actions of multinational companies overseas, the dilemmas of whistle–blowing, the impact of lobby groups and health and safety issues can all be understood more fully by students if they approach these subjects from an ethical and historical standpoint.
Globalization, Social Identities and Employment
Authors: Herriot P. , Scott–Jackson W.
Published: March 2003

On the basis of social identity theory, we predict various outcomes of current reactions against globalization which have important implications for the management of employees. Globalization and its associated developments have added impetus to two social trends: increases in inequality and in individualism. Inequalities have increased both between and within nations, whilst individualism is increasingly apparent in social life in general, and in organizational life in particular. It is argued that individualism has led to a preference for personal identities over social identities, but that these are not always satisfying because they are often based upon consumerist values. Moreover, inequalities have resulted in feelings of injustice. Consequently certain social movements have increased in popularity. The most important of these are religious fundamentalism, nationalism and single–issue politics.

Increasing numbers of employees have at least one of these social identities central to their selves. Social identity and self–categorization theory suggest certain hypotheses about the likely implications for employment. First, to the extent that these social identities are salient for employees in the work situation, they will maintain the beliefs, values and norms associated with their identity at the expense of organizational beliefs, values or norms which are incompatible. Second, they will further the interests of their own category at the expense of other social categories of employee. Third, they will fail to differentiate between individuals within their own category, and between individuals within other categories. The implications of these hypotheses, if supported, for organizations are then explored. Finally, certain preventative strategies, also based upon social identity theory, are described.
Ideas and Interests; Agendas and Implementation: An Evolutionary Explanation of Policy Change in British Local Government Finance
Authors: John Peter
Published: March 2003

This article develops an evolutionary theory to account for how policies change. As an extension of Kingdon's policy streams approach and Baumgartner and Jones' punctuated equilibrium model, the article sets out the mechanisms which select certain ideas as policy choices, both in the policy formulation and implementation stages of public decision-making. After responding to the likely criticisms of the uses of evolutionary models in politics, the article sets out five conditions for the theory to apply in practice. The empirical section examines the turbulent period of policy for British local government finance, which culminated in the selection in 1990, and then abolition in 1993, of the community charge or poll tax. The conclusion is that evolutionary theory offers more of an understanding of policy change in the poll tax case than other explanations and that researchers may wish to extend these insights to other examples.
Studying British Government: Reconstructing the Research Agenda
Authors: Bevir Mark , Rhodes R. A. W.
Published: March 2003

This article seeks to place the study of British government in a broader context by exploring the potential contribution of an anti-foundational epistemology. We seek to ‘reinvent’ a self-conscious, sceptical and tentative approach rooted in philosophy and history. The first section defines the Westminster model and the family of linked narratives: traditional sceptics, social science, radical theory, new public management. The second section outlines an anti-foundational epistemology, focusing on the notions of traditions, narratives, de-centering and dilemmas. The third section applies this approach to one prominent school of thought about British government: policy networks. We argue that an anti-foundational approach will decenter networks, shifting the locus of analysis from the institutions to individuals, and focus on dilemmas to explain how networks change. Finally, we conclude there is no essentialist account of British government, only complex and diverse narratives, and no tool kit for solving problems, only lessons drawn from many stories.
Crisis and the Structural Transformation of the State: Interrogating the Process of Change
Authors: Hay Colin
Published: March 2003

‘Crisis' is one of the most underdeveloped concepts in state theory and, indeed, in social and political theory more generally. In this article I suggest one way in which this persistent oversight might be rectified, making a distinctive case for rethinking the process of social and political change in terms of the transformation of the state, and for rethinking state crisis in this ‘restating of social and political change’ (see also Hay 1996a). I return to the etymology of the term and (re-)conceptualise ‘crisis' as a moment of decisive intervention and not merely a moment of fragmentation, dislocation or destruction. This reformulation suggests the need to give far greater emphasis to the essential narrativity of crisis, and the relationship between discourses of crisis and the contradictions that they narrate. The result is an analysis of crisis as a moment of transformation—a moment in which it is recognised that a decisive intervention can, and indeed must, be made. It is argued that during such moments of crisis a new trajectory is imposed upon the state. The intense and condensed temporality of crisis thus emerges as a strategic moment in the structural transformation of the state. Within this theoretical account crises are thus revealed as ‘epoch-making’ moments marking the transition between phases of historical–political time. They are thus suggestive of a periodisation of the development of the state.
Understanding the Welfare State: The Case of Health Care
Authors: Moran Michael
Published: March 2003

This article redresses an imbalance in the study of the welfare state: the comparative neglect of health-care programmes as sources of evidence about the changing politics of the welfare state. It explains why health care should be central to our understanding of the welfare state; summarises the present debates about the pressures on welfare states; explains how to think about health-care governance in this connection; develops a typology of ‘health-care states'; and shows how the experience of health care reflects, and how it departs from, the wider experience of welfare states.
New Labour's Third Way: Pragmatism and Governance
Authors: Temple Michael
Published: March 2003

The article critically examines New Labour's development of the concept of the Third Way. Despite the apparent centrality of ‘social democracy’ to the Third Way, it is proposed that a more pragmatic approach dominates, in that outputs and not ideology are driving the new agenda of governance under New Labour. This is seen to have its roots in the new ways of working the party has embraced in local governance, where public–private partnerships have become the norm and a new ethos of public service has emerged. In contrast with the top-down approach to setting output targets favoured by Tony Blair, the Third Way offers the possibility of a more experimental, pragmatic and decentralised decision-making process—and the local governance network (with elected local councils as pivotal and legitimising actors) is presented as the ideal agent to deliver this.
Imagining Europe: Political Identity and British Television Coverage of the European Economy
Authors: Gavin Neil T.
Published: March 2003

The article considers European economic news coverage on British television and its relationship with the UK public's perceptions of and identity with Europe. Stress is placed on the symbolic content of news about Europe; stories about the economic entitlements offered to citizens within the European Union; and portrayal of material benefits or losses for Britain. The results suggest that coverage offers mixed signals about Europe. As yet, they offer an unlikely platform for the development in the United Kingdom of European solidarity or identity. The results are assessed in the light of the way journalists approach political issues. The implications for statistical modelling of the media's relationship with attitudes towards Europe are also considered.
Tough on Debt, Tough on the Causes of Debt? New Labour's Third Way Foreign Policy
Authors: Dixon Rob , Williams Paul
Published: March 2003

This article critically evaluates New Labour's claim that it is pursuing a ‘Third Way’ foreign policy with specific reference to the issue of Third World debt relief. We discuss New Labour's efforts to pursue a Third Way foreign policy and describe the extent to which neoliberalism has become embedded in the global economy and in the strategies New Labour has adopted to alleviate the burden of debt. We analyse New Labour's efforts to reform the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) Debt Initiative and conclude that although New Labour has played an important role in establishing the eradication of poverty as a legitimate goal of foreign policy and secured the issue of debt relief on the G-8 agenda, their efforts remain embedded within a neoliberal approach. In practice, this is jeopardising the potential for genuine success.
In Their Own Words: New Labour Women and the Substantive Representation of Women
Authors: Childs Sarah
Published: March 2003

Political representation is an essentially contested concept. Contemporary feminist conceptions claim a link between the presence of women and the potential for a feminised transformation of politics. Previous empirical research in the UK, which examined the question of women representatives' attitudes, concluded that women representatives were attitudinally more liberal/feminist than male representatives. This article extends the existing literature through a consideration of how the new intake of Labour women MPs conceptualise political representation. Three different dimensions are explored. First, the article examines constituency-level representation focusing upon the women MPs' perceptions of shared identity, affinity and their relationships with women constituents. Secondly, the question of whether women representatives perceive that women's presence will effect a feminisation within parliament by regendering the political agenda is considered. Finally, the impact of women representatives' presence in and on government is examined in relation to the women representatives' understanding of the role of the minister for women. The research suggests that the new-intake Labour women MPs acknowledge a feminised dimension to political representation, albeit a secondary one. This supports, in a qualified way, theoretical and empirical arguments that women's presence in politics has the potential to transform women's political representation.
British Policy towards Northern Ireland 1969–2000: Continuity, Tactical Adjustment and Consistent ‘Inconsistencies’
Authors: Dixon Paul
Published: March 2003

This article argues that British power in Northern Ireland has been subject to considerable constraints throughout the conflict and its policy has been marked more by continuity than is usually acknowledged. The survival of bipartisanship is an indication that such constraints affect governments of both major parties and result in a tendency towards continuity in government policy between the parties. There have been changes and short-term shifts in policy, or ‘tactical adjustments’, but the trajectory of British policy has been relatively consistent since at least 1972. Since the collapse of the Sunningdale Agreement in 1974, the thrust of British policy towards Northern Ireland has been directed at reconstructing that settlement. The continuity of British policy is also apparent in the consistency of its apparent ‘inconsistencies and contradictions’. These ‘contradictions' arise, first, out of the recognition of Northern Ireland's exceptional position in British politics and, secondly, out of the perceived requirements of the ‘propaganda war’ that has been waged over the conflict.
From Cats, Dogs, Parks and Playgrounds to IPC Licensing: Policy Learning and the Evolution of Environmental Policy in Ireland
Authors: Taylor George , Horan Avril
Published: March 2003

It was anticipated that the arrival of the Irish Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in 1992 would put a new ecological imprint upon Ireland's beleaguered system of environmental regulation. While the formation of the agency can be clearly traced to an upsurge in environmental protest in the 1980s, this article argues that our understanding of its origins is enhanced by an examination of the (historical) interaction between the Irish and UK regulatory systems. In adopting an extended time frame the article focuses on an area of policy learning that heretofore has received little attention but which has proven formative in the evolution of Irish environmental policy: institutional memory. As such, two (inter related) arguments emerge. First, that much of Ireland's ‘new’ regulatory framework (heavily influenced by the United Kingdom) displays rather more in the way of continuity than change. Secondly, that this tends to cast a shadow over one of the central (albeit very often implicit) themes of ecological modernisation: that policy development follows a linear form, one based upon a rejection of the principles of the past.
International Political Economy: A Tale of Two Heterodoxies
Authors: Murphy Craig N. , Nelson Douglas R.
Published: March 2003

International political economy (IPE) originated in the early 1970s. For almost 20 years it has been dominated by separate, largely non-communicating schools, one centred on scholarly institutions in Britain, the other associated with the US journal, International Organization (IO). In terms of the evolving norms of both economics and political science, both schools are surprisingly heterodox. Rather than developing strong systematic data collections and systematic theory, the IO school has been characterised by a shifting set of conceptual and metatheoretical debates. The British school, which has tended to take a deliberately critical position, has been characterised by an ever widening set of concerns topical concerns fuelled by a desire to include more and more voices in the study of IPE. These outcomes are explicable only by tracing the specific historical developments of the two schools.
Regional development and non‐material public infrastructure
Authors: Yagi Tadashi , Vliamos Spyros
Published: March 2003

The aim of this paper is to investigate the conditions under which public investment can be allocated to the infrastructure in material and non‐material capital so as to have a positive effect on regional development and interregional inequality. To investigate this issue, the paper focuses on the externalities created by investing in infrastructure for the transfer of information, know‐how or technical knowledge.
Product Diversity under Monopoly: Two High Quality Results
Authors: De Meza David
Published: March 2003

A mild relaxation of Mussa and Rosen's (1978) preference assumption implies that, contrary to their result, a monopoly selling a line of vertically differentiated goods may include higher‐quality varieties than would a competitive industry.
Staggered Wage Setting in Normal and Real Terms: A Comparative Analysis*
Authors: Péreau Jean‐Christophe
Published: March 2003

This paper analyses the behaviour of an economy characterized by staggered wage contract rules specified in nominal and in real terms. It is shown that staggered contracts in real terms imply complex eigenvalues which cause oscillatory paths both for output and unemployment and stonger output losses in response to an unexpected and permanent fall in the growth rate of money supply.
Price Discrimination, Regulation and Entry in the UK Residential Electricity Market
Authors: Otero Jesús , Waddams Price Catherine
Published: March 2003

The residential electricity market in Great Britain has recently been opened to competition and is served by 14 regional incumbents, and up to 15 entrants in each area. This study finds that the incumbents’ regulated prices are discriminatory between consumers using different payment methods, and that firms are practising third‐degree price discrimination between areas. The authors discuss the implications for regulatory policy both in the UK and in other countries where electricity markets are being deregulated.
Labour Market Efficiency with Discriminatory Unions
Authors: Dobson John R. , Sampson Anthony A.
Published: March 2003

The paper considers ‘efficient bargains’, with a union that weighs the utilities of its members unequally and negotiates over group employment levels. Such discrimination may lead to socially inefficient overemployment of the dominant group, and underemployment of the group suffering discrimination.