tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4190710284328551052024-02-19T08:04:18.112-08:00Paul CairneyI have moved to wordpress - http://paulcairney.wordpress.com/ Paul Cairneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16251742655255971584noreply@blogger.comBlogger104125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-419071028432855105.post-80041673919887015352014-03-27T04:41:00.001-07:002014-03-27T04:42:50.132-07:00Public policy <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNr_ILF0Qz1K_raDiIiNK_pRFfqxUkUAPiagzmyDCQyBQscSI8yMEZBgLblq7EpUMlQ5hKZK0yLi8V6BPvh-bMvjk2d8OXuIURv_Itg1a_geQD7nomw1gEVvKr-qr3O2i_URptsY1rK2nS/s1600/UPP+1st+2+chapters.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNr_ILF0Qz1K_raDiIiNK_pRFfqxUkUAPiagzmyDCQyBQscSI8yMEZBgLblq7EpUMlQ5hKZK0yLi8V6BPvh-bMvjk2d8OXuIURv_Itg1a_geQD7nomw1gEVvKr-qr3O2i_URptsY1rK2nS/s1600/UPP+1st+2+chapters.png" height="295" width="320" /></a></div>
<a href="http://paulcairney.wordpress.com/1000-words/">http://paulcairney.wordpress.com/1000-words/</a>Paul Cairneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16251742655255971584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-419071028432855105.post-90297049342993112292013-08-12T07:28:00.000-07:002013-08-12T07:28:12.004-07:00On the MoveMy new blog can be found here - <a href="http://paulcairney.wordpress.com/">http://paulcairney.wordpress.com/</a>Paul Cairneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16251742655255971584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-419071028432855105.post-70753617223231124302013-08-10T02:30:00.000-07:002013-08-13T02:47:25.542-07:00Social Change and Our Part in ItOoh, the suspense ... it has moved to here <a href="http://paulcairney.wordpress.com/2013/08/10/social-change-and-our-part-in-it/">http://paulcairney.wordpress.com/2013/08/10/social-change-and-our-part-in-it/</a>Paul Cairneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16251742655255971584noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-419071028432855105.post-36181920311465528632013-08-09T06:50:00.000-07:002013-08-13T02:48:06.055-07:00A Guide to the use of ‘Nationalism’ and ‘Scottish nationalism’ on TwitterThe guide has moved here <a href="http://paulcairney.wordpress.com/2013/08/09/a-guide-to-the-use-of-nationalism-and-scottish-nationalism-on-twitter/">http://paulcairney.wordpress.com/2013/08/09/a-guide-to-the-use-of-nationalism-and-scottish-nationalism-on-twitter/</a><br />
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Paul Cairneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16251742655255971584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-419071028432855105.post-8063022015105769232013-08-06T06:59:00.001-07:002013-08-13T02:51:14.587-07:00Would an Independent Scotland Become a Consensus Democracy?<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<a href="http://paulcairney.wordpress.com/2013/08/06/would-an-independent-scotland-become-a-consensus-democracy/">http://paulcairney.wordpress.com/2013/08/06/would-an-independent-scotland-become-a-consensus-democracy/</a></div>
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Paul Cairneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16251742655255971584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-419071028432855105.post-31623126406047619692013-08-04T11:12:00.001-07:002013-08-13T02:52:05.187-07:00Policy and Policymaking in the UK - chapter 1 draft 1<a href="http://paulcairney.wordpress.com/2013/08/04/policy-and-policymaking-in-the-uk-chapter-1-draft-1/">http://paulcairney.wordpress.com/2013/08/04/policy-and-policymaking-in-the-uk-chapter-1-draft-1/</a>Paul Cairneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16251742655255971584noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-419071028432855105.post-11527076789247450822013-07-23T08:16:00.001-07:002013-07-29T01:34:49.100-07:00How do people consume your research? A short video, on tobacco and alcohol policy, requiring attention and feedback This is a first draft of a simple video I am doing with <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><a href="http://zasmastersproject.wordpress.com/"><span style="color: black;">Tereza Procházková</span></a> </span>@ZasCreativeBag to accompany a blog post I did on the differences between tobacco and alcohol policies in the UK. I wouldn't mind some feedback (here or to @cairneypaul) on it before I ask to have it tweaked then embedded in the proper post (although, realistically, it's feedback for the next one, if there is a next one). From looking at it myself, I know that I try to pack a lot of information into 3 minutes (perhaps a bit like an inexperienced lecturer trying to tell students everything) and so the pictures and audio come thick and fast. Next time, I will speak more slowly. But maybe it still works because it is accompanied by a blog post with all of the information. Maybe you listen to the 3 minutes then decide if you want to fill in the blanks by reading the full post (and then maybe the full paper). My partner tells me that I take a while to get to the point and that there need to be more punchy bullet point moments (I didn't get too offended). Would you agree? There is also a bit of a skip in the audio towards the end (a big problem?), and I trail off at the very end (to press the stop button on the ipad). Note that I am not Glaswegian - the Irvine/ Ayrshire accent is a wee bit different. Polite comments on my voice/ pronunciation also welcome.<br />
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The post can be found here: <a href="http://blogs.lse.ac.uk/politicsandpolicy/archives/34735">http://blogs.lse.ac.uk/politicsandpolicy/archives/34735</a>. If the video doesn't play, you can get it here on youtube - <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fujeajKKa-E">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fujeajKKa-E</a> or here:<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/fujeajKKa-E?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
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UPDATE: here is the more polished version:<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/k6pkPTPohas?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k6pkPTPohas">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k6pkPTPohas</a><br />
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For more discussion of the 'impact' side of the work, see: <a href="http://paulcairney.blogspot.co.uk/2013/07/how-do-people-read-your-research.html">http://paulcairney.blogspot.co.uk/2013/07/how-do-people-read-your-research.html</a><br />
and <a href="http://paulcairney.blogspot.co.uk/2013/05/a-picture-of-pathways-to-impact.html">http://paulcairney.blogspot.co.uk/2013/05/a-picture-of-pathways-to-impact.html</a>Paul Cairneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16251742655255971584noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-419071028432855105.post-86649753849523227602013-07-09T03:45:00.005-07:002013-07-09T03:46:57.913-07:00How Do People Read Your Research? People may nod at you and say 'yes, hmm, very interesting', but do they understand what you are saying (in a satisfying way)? I would like to know if someone could read something of mine, write down the key points and then explain them back to me in a way that I recognised. It needn't be a regurgitation (which is not what I do when I read the work of others) but I'd like to think that they took the key points I tried to convey, with no major misinterpretations. That's one sensible interpretation of 'impact', isn't it? So, for me, these drawings by @ZasCreativeBag are excellent. A drawing also condenses an argument - and puts all the points together in one page - in a way that might take me 1000-2000 words. They may not convey the same points entirely, but they do a decent job of reinforcing the argument (I hope). <br />
<br />
<a href="http://paulcairney.blogspot.co.uk/2013/05/a-picture-of-pathways-to-impact.html">Here</a> (with a longer explanation) are some earlier examples (I did not get the grant!) and the most recent example is below (for the blogpost, see <a href="http://blogs.lse.ac.uk/politicsandpolicy/archives/34735">here</a>)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4eY-V3pb99ewtbxKz5OvWGk9L98gKxeD0ZywJZAFTrdeNtTu3yLZY_23r6zsfAR6Ws6uIO-Nkn29gznGIwqDkuuoev5vUlfHayQct6lRU3Dx5-XSW9-4yhD4vccz3d_v6QjlbLz0oxjyJ/s1600/cairney_illustration_2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4eY-V3pb99ewtbxKz5OvWGk9L98gKxeD0ZywJZAFTrdeNtTu3yLZY_23r6zsfAR6Ws6uIO-Nkn29gznGIwqDkuuoev5vUlfHayQct6lRU3Dx5-XSW9-4yhD4vccz3d_v6QjlbLz0oxjyJ/s640/cairney_illustration_2.jpg" width="380" /></a></div>
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Paul Cairneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16251742655255971584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-419071028432855105.post-65574135793484346342013-06-29T05:43:00.003-07:002013-06-29T05:53:00.251-07:00Notes From a Conference Part 1: Arrogance and Recognition<br />
It’s hard to tell if people are
(a) predisposed to arrogance at an early age and/ or (b) if they develop this
trait as they age and become more powerful or better recognised in the
profession. All I know is that some (generally well established) academics
appear to ‘less modest’ than others. So, I have this general angst about becoming
(or, at least, appearing) more arrogant when engaging with other people and,
crucially, not knowing it. This is perhaps more of a concern for people in
subjects like social science where some conference discussions will be about
challenging the statements, methods and views of other people. There is a fine
line between a positive challenge and a negative dismissal, so we need a high
degree of self-awareness to reflect on our behaviour and ask ourselves if we
have crossed a line. This is particularly important:<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-align: justify; text-indent: -18pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]-->In international conferences where people bring
different levels of expectation about politeness. For example, many UK based
scholars may be less likely to start their comments with ‘thank you for your
interesting paper’. Instead, like me, they may see a strong (thoughtful)
challenge as a strong signal of respect (since, it shows that you care enough
about the paper to listen and engage in a meaningful way).<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-align: justify; text-indent: -18pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]-->If you are in a room with a dominant view – it
is only by being open to opinions from others that you can avoid being close
minded and dismissive of things you don’t agree with initially but might
appreciate if you allow yourself the time to listen and reflect (something that
is too easy to dismiss if you are in a room with people that largely agree with
you). <o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt 36pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-align: justify; text-indent: -18pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]-->If we identify the subtext to many conference
proceedings: the desire to make one’s name by presenting papers and engaging
with the papers of others. I have said to a few colleagues that a large
conference is really a battle for attention and recognition, wrapped up in the
pretence of positive discussion, and only most of that statement is
tongue-in-cheek.<o:p></o:p></div>
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It is in that context that I’d
like to describe the crumbs of recognition I got at a recent conference
(International Conference on Public Policy). I figure that, if arrogance comes
with age, I’d better write this down before it’s too late. The thing about this
profession is that it is so full of negative signals from other people:
critical reviews of articles; negative signals on promotion prospects;
deflating rejections for grant proposals; and, so on (if you are trying to do a
PhD, we might add deflating rejections for funding that threaten the completion
of the project; if you are not a white man, we might discuss further obstacles
relating to relative success rates). So, when people actually come up to you
and say that they have enjoyed something you’ve written (and can discuss it
with you in some depth, largely proving that they are not just being polite),
it’s brilliant. There will be better descriptions out there, but ‘brilliant’
will do for now. The same goes for general name recognition – there is just
something about people seeing your name badge and recognising your name (it
beats the quite-regular semi-sneer when people can’t be arsed with you). So,
the benefit of not being fully arrogant (yet) is that you can enjoy these
crumbs of comfort in a rather disproportionate way. This may be some comfort to
the PhD student wondering if it’s all worth it - in some cases it might be.<br />
<br />
See also Part 2 <a href="http://paulcairney.blogspot.co.uk/2013/06/notes-from-conference-part-2-what-are.html">http://paulcairney.blogspot.co.uk/2013/06/notes-from-conference-part-2-what-are.html</a><br />
See also Part 3 <a href="http://paulcairney.blogspot.co.uk/2013/06/notes-from-conference-part-3.html">http://paulcairney.blogspot.co.uk/2013/06/notes-from-conference-part-3.html</a><o:p></o:p></div>
Paul Cairneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16251742655255971584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-419071028432855105.post-83905072945811930722013-06-29T05:42:00.003-07:002013-06-29T05:47:18.233-07:00Notes From a Conference Part 2: What are They For? <br />
It’s probably not a good idea to
reflect on a conference too close to its end, when you are tired and homesick,
but I’m going to do it anyway. As with many large international conferences
I’ve been to, my usual response is to wonder if it was worth the bother of
being away from home, away from my family, (*middle class problems alert*) in a
crap hotel room and faced with the need to sit, stand, listen and talk politely
for such a long time – when the time could be put to better use at home (doing
or writing research and/ or watching the tennis/ football). So, what are the most
important benefits?<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-align: justify; text-indent: -18pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">1.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Meeting people, new and old. Many of us will
tend to have most contact with people by email, so it is good to get the time
to have an actual conversation with people (often from different countries). In
my case, I had a decent mix: meeting a longstanding co-author to discuss more
projects; meeting a new co-author to discuss our chapter; meeting a handful of
new people that I’d like to keep in touch, and do research, with; and having a
few quick discussions with one of my PhD students off campus and in a new
atmosphere (and immediately before and after her paper). <o:p></o:p></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">2.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Having your ego stroked a little bit and getting
yourself known a bit better (see previous blog).<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">3.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Giving you a deadline to complete a piece of
work in a way that other deadlines can’t do (for many, if not most, people the
thought of talking mince for 15 minutes in front of your peers is not an
enjoyable prospect).<o:p></o:p></div>
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I think these are the least
important benefits:<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">1.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Getting new information from presentations and/
or papers. The quality of conference papers and presentations is so mixed that
it’s difficult to justify the time spent reading and listening. In fact, my
increasing impression is that many, if not most, people are *not* reading
papers and listening (indeed, you can tell that many people are not listening
because they have their laptops out and are replying to emails or having a sly
look at the news and sport). This problem can be compounded by inadequate rooms
(I had one seminar for 20 people in a 900 seat lecture hall; I had another in a
room where you could only *just* hear the speaker if no-one moved). <o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; text-align: justify; text-indent: -18pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">2.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Getting feedback on papers. Sometimes this
works. In fact, for one of my papers the audience was 7 people (it was at
8.30am, the day after the conference dinner, which ended after midnight),
allowing us to engage in an *actual conversation* (the other was about 30
people, which was quite good too, but in a different way – it allows you to see
if you can give convincing replies). Sometimes, it doesn’t work. In fact,
sometimes (for example if you are on a panel of 4) no-one will ask you a
question and you will wonder why you bothered.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt 36pt; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; text-align: justify; text-indent: -18pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">3.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Finding that all the interesting papers are all
being given at the same time (and. If you are very unlucky, at the same time as
your presentation).<o:p></o:p></div>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">In other words, the
benefit of a conference may not relate to the thing that seems to drive it and
take up most of its time. Maybe the notional equivalent in politics is either
the international summit (a set-piece event where most of the work is done in
advance and the most productive discussions are ‘away from the table’) or the
well-attended state funeral (which may involve fewer speeches and gives people
the chance to talk without any weight of expectation). </span><br />
<br />
See also part 1 <a href="http://paulcairney.blogspot.co.uk/2013/06/notes-from-conference-part-1-arrogance.html">http://paulcairney.blogspot.co.uk/2013/06/notes-from-conference-part-1-arrogance.html</a><br />
See also part 3 <a href="http://paulcairney.blogspot.co.uk/2013/06/notes-from-conference-part-3.html">http://paulcairney.blogspot.co.uk/2013/06/notes-from-conference-part-3.html</a>Paul Cairneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16251742655255971584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-419071028432855105.post-90266547572707420102013-06-29T05:41:00.003-07:002013-07-03T04:41:18.547-07:00Notes From a Conference Part 3: The International Conference on Public PolicyThe ICPP (Grenoble) symbolised
both the best and worst aspects of scholarship. The best bits include:<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 54pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-align: justify; text-indent: -18pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->The unexpected levels of attendance (900) –
which showed many of us (perhaps used to the limited focus on policymaking at
general conferences) that we had many international colleagues engaged in
similar research.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 54pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-align: justify; text-indent: -18pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->The ability to see beyond your specialism and
listen to plenary discussions and panels on topics you may not consider in your
day-to-day research.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt 54pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-align: justify; text-indent: -18pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->The opportunities to meet people, exchange ideas
and make research plans. <o:p></o:p></div>
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But, being a tired, dour Scot, I
was struck mostly by the problems symbolised by the conference:<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
1.Are we talking *to* or *past*
each other? <o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
The plenary on the so called
‘tribes’ of policymaking (IAD, new institutionalism, ACF, etc.) involved a
brief discussion, by each representative of a ‘tribe’, of the first principles
of each approach – without giving much information about how they relate to
each other. This is characteristic of much of the literature which involves
specialisation. Such specialisation is often valuable and necessary - it is perhaps
only when we immerse ourselves in, and fully understand, an approach that we
can assess its merits and relate it to other approaches. However, it also seems
parochial if there is a limited level of self-awareness and a tendency to
ignore other approaches. Watching the event, you would struggle to identify a
sense of *general purpose*. For me, the idea behind specialisation is that we are
boundedly rational – we cannot produce all research ourselves. So, we produce
some work and rely on others to produce the rest. Then we try to compare our
experiences and: (a) explore or ability to generalise from those combined
experiences; and (b) explore our ability to accumulate knowledge from a range
of studies. This exchange of ideas and information will not be effective if we
are all talking a different language; if we don’t know how to communicate our
findings (and their significance) to each other in a meaningful way. Maybe the
plenary served that purpose by reminding us of the wider world out there, but
you would have to be a super-positive person to come to that conclusion. <o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
2.Are we even talking about the
same thing? <o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
I was often struck by the
relative lack of cohesion of many panels even when they came under a common
banner. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So, they were not only
describing very different case studies but also very different ways to
understand them. Again, this can produce a degree of innovative thinking when
we consider new possibilities. However, it can also make you wonder if you can
slip out of the room when no-one is watching.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
3. Self-contradictory case study
approaches. <o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
The papers were either
mainly-theoretical or contained a theoretical and case-study-based empirical
section. What follows is a caricature of some presentations to make a broad
point:<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 39pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo2; text-align: justify; text-indent: -18pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->First, they say that existing theories cannot
fully explain their case study.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 39pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo2; text-align: justify; text-indent: -18pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->So, they propose a ‘new’ theory which it
explains it better.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt 39pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo2; text-align: justify; text-indent: -18pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Then, they might imply that this new theory has
a more general application.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
The overall effect can appear to
be contradictory: no theory can explain my case because it is (a) more
complicated than theory suggests; and/ or (b) the case has some unusual
elements that are difficult to explain. If so, such papers perpetuate the
problem – we are forever seeking novel and parsimonious theories to explain
many cases, only to be faced with complexity and a significant level of
non-comparability when we try to apply them in different cases.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
In that light, my preference is
for a problem-focused approach to presentation: <o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo3; text-align: justify; text-indent: -18pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Talk about a real research problem – what do you
want to explain?<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo3; text-align: justify; text-indent: -18pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Talk about the insights that one or more
theories can give you when you seek explanation.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo3; text-align: justify; text-indent: -18pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Accept that theories are simplifications to aid
general explanation; don’t express mock surprise when they fail to explain
everything. This is just not possible.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt 36pt; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo3; text-align: justify; text-indent: -18pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->If a key tenet of public policy studies is that
politics and policymaking vary from issue to issue (and country), we should not
be surprised that a theory based on some issues and countries does not map
directly onto others. The same can be said for the case study – don’t just
assume that the usefulness of a new or old theory in one case applies to
another. Instead, reflect on the ways in which your case compares to the cases
described by other studies. <o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
We might then want to talk about
the research outcomes. Such conversations require a common language – a requirement
that is not served well by the constant pursuit of new theories and a rejection
of the old. If we are constantly claiming to be reinterpreting the fundamental
nature of policymaking, how can we communicate our findings to each other? <o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
Instead, we can pursue a common
language by focusing on what Peter John describes as the five ‘core causal
processes’ in public policy. We may say that policymakers operate within the
following context:<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt; mso-list: l3 level1 lfo4; text-align: justify; text-indent: -18pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">1.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Institutional – they are influenced by the
(written and unwritten; formal/ statutory and informal) rules and norms within
systems and organisations.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt; mso-list: l3 level1 lfo4; text-align: justify; text-indent: -18pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">2.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Agenda-setting – policymakers are ‘boundedly
rational’, prompting them to (a) pay more attention to some issues and
solutions at the expense of most others; (b) understand issues in a biased way.
So, the way in which they act follows from the way in which they understand,
interpret, define or frame their problems and actions.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt; mso-list: l3 level1 lfo4; text-align: justify; text-indent: -18pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">3.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Networks/ Subsystem – policy is devolved from
elected policymakers to bureaucrats who consult with groups to gather
information and advice. This low level of government may be where most policy
work is processed. Some groups are more powerful than others; they are
considered more worthy of attention than others. Relationships develop between
some groups and civil servants and these networks often represent the main arena
in which information is exchanged, then given to elected policymakers (or,
choices are made on their behalf by civil servants operating in these networks).
<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt; mso-list: l3 level1 lfo4; text-align: justify; text-indent: -18pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">4.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Socio-economic – for example, some problems may
appear more pressing than others, and some solutions may be more or less
attractive, because they are linked closely to the economic environment. Or,
demographic change presents new problems. Or, a policymaker’s understanding of
social attitudes may underpin their policy strategy. In each case, policymakers
interpret a range of policy conditions, or operate in policy environments, that
appear to present obstacles to, or opportunities for, action. <o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt 36pt; mso-list: l3 level1 lfo4; text-align: justify; text-indent: -18pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">5.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->The role of ideas – policymaking is underpinned
by the beliefs present within political systems, such as the world views of
policymakers or the actors most influential in that system. We talk of ‘core
beliefs’, ‘paradigms’ and ‘policy monopolies’ to describe the fundamental importance
of a common understanding of the world that may be so dominant that it is taken
for granted. We also talk about ideas as new ways of thinking about problems,
and solutions, which challenge such fundamental beliefs (often following a
period of ‘learning’ from the past, other issues or other political systems)..<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
We may have different interpretations
of these concepts and they all overlap (the links between 2 and 5 may seem most
obvious; we may also say that institutions are shared beliefs; that close
networks are based on common understandings; that people interpret
socioeconomic conditions and new ideas; and so on). Of course they do – these
are analytical simplifications not present in the ‘real world’. Further, we may
say that some issues transcend these factors – such as the role of gender
inequalities which may be present in institutions, shape the way that people
understand problems, influence the consultation process, and underpin belief
systems. <o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
However, at least they give us
the chance for a common starting point for discussion and explanation. We might
even say that our reference to these factors represents the product of our
accumulation of knowledge in the field (or not). <o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
4. What is a satisfactory
explanation? Can we ever agree? <o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
In a broader sense, we are talking
about our ability to agree about what constitutes a satisfactory explanation. In
my opinion, a convincing explanation comes from a detailed account of
policymaking (stability and instability; policy continuity and change) with reference
to all five of these causal factors. We discuss their individual importance –
as an analytical device to aid the simplification of complex issues – and
discuss the extent which outcomes are caused by the interplay between all five.
So, for example, institutions alone do not explain behaviour (unless we use a
ridiculously broad definition of an institution) and neither does the
socioeconomic context (however pressing), the ideational context, or the strong
relationships between some groups and government - but a combination of such
factors may help explain why policymakers act in certain ways (and perhaps why
their actions are more or less acceptable or successful). <o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
The alternative is to specialise;
to focus on certain aspects of this process to gain a better understanding of
them. This is good too, but not if it comes at the expense of the bigger
picture (or, if we simply try to quantify the relative effect of one factor in
a naïve way – which, in many cases, misses the point of complex explanation). It
would be good for presenters on particular topics to reflect, however briefly,
on how these topics relate to the concerns of others – to recognise that they
know a lot about the foot but that the heart might be important too.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
5. Are we really talking to each
other? How do we exchange information in a meaningful way?<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
I attended every possible session
in the ICPP and so I received a concentrated dose of the tendency of presenters
to give out information in an unsatisfactory way. My pet peeve is slides of
very small numbers which are presented for a few seconds without explanation;
without the presenter taking the time to give them meaning. For me, this tops
the presenter-reads-every-word-on-the-powerpoint approach (because at least, in
that case, you can close your eyes to listen). This is not good. <o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
It is perhaps a symptom if the
wider tendency to cram a ridiculous amount of presentations into short slots –
either the 4 papers/ 2 discussant approach (90 minutes) of APSA or the 5 papers
(2 hours) at the ICPP. Who can possibly sit through all of those presentations
without daydreaming or nodding off?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It
is also a symptom of the lack of awareness of the needs of an audience. If we
are there to talk to each other (and not simply represent an awake audience), we
need the time to discuss papers rather than just listen to them. Only then will
we know if the information we present is useful, or if the round of applause is
really just a symbol of audience relief.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
6. Last but not least – too many
men.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
Even I (a male, white, middle
class and increasingly privilege professor who benefits from these
inequalities) am getting tired of seeing panels that are all, or predominantly,
male. Most plenary sessions were embarrassingly male and, when the photos go on
the web, will not serve as a good advertisement for the profession (although we cannot simply blame the organisers - <a href="http://occamstypewriter.org/athenedonald/2013/06/24/all-male-invited-speakers-its-complicated/">http://occamstypewriter.org/athenedonald/2013/06/24/all-male-invited-speakers-its-complicated/</a>).<br />
<br />
See also Part 1 <a href="http://paulcairney.blogspot.co.uk/2013/06/notes-from-conference-part-1-arrogance.html">http://paulcairney.blogspot.co.uk/2013/06/notes-from-conference-part-1-arrogance.html</a><br />
See also Part 2 <a href="http://paulcairney.blogspot.co.uk/2013/06/notes-from-conference-part-2-what-are.html">http://paulcairney.blogspot.co.uk/2013/06/notes-from-conference-part-2-what-are.html</a></div>
Paul Cairneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16251742655255971584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-419071028432855105.post-73252475200342360612013-06-23T06:18:00.001-07:002013-06-23T06:18:24.357-07:00Scottish Labour and Independence
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
Since I was writing about Man of Steel today, I thought I’d
keep up the fanciful theme by making a simple recommendation for Scottish
Labour. What I think they should do is to start talking about the future of an
independent Scotland in terms of old Labour values. They should say that independence
would give them a chance to test the myth that Scotland is socially democratic.
They should promise a Nordic style programme of redistribution and
universalism. They should say that public services, free at the point of sale,
are expensive and that we can only afford them if we change taxes. They should
say that they are committed to reducing inequalities, so those taxes will be super-progressive.
This is the solution to the current problem of devolution: we give the
universal services to all without charging the better-off more to use them. If
the Yes vote does not tip 50% in 2014, Scottish Labour can then say ‘well, we
offered that new Scotland and you didn’t want it’. Then, they can charge for
all sorts of services, arguing that if people wanted universalism they should
have voted for a government with the willingness and ability to match it with redistribution.<o:p></o:p></div>
Paul Cairneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16251742655255971584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-419071028432855105.post-31900721620135046802013-06-23T06:11:00.003-07:002013-06-23T06:19:51.673-07:00Man of Steel<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
Superman might look like just an
exciting* film about a superhero, but it’s really a** profound statement about the
environment, feminism and anti-Social-Darwinism hidden within an action film. It
starts by showing us the unfortunate consequences of the hubris of a government
intent on solving its environmental and energy problems with technology. Then,
we quickly move on to the idea that Krypton is the logical conclusion of
eugenics – every child is created to serve a purpose. Superman’s*** mum and dad
then have a natural birth to give him the choice to be different. It’s the
classic ‘we are not biologically determined’ argument (which reinforces the
decent range of relatively strong female characters, including Lois Lane who saves
the day before being saved). The clearest statements are easily missed because
they come towards the end when everyone is getting thrown through walls. One is
when Faora-Ul is about to throw Superman somewhere and she tells him that her
race is superior because it has evolved to the point where they are better
warriors because they (a) are more powerful and able to survive in their
environment; and (b) they have fewer feelings and connections to others (this sounds
like Social Darwinism but, confusingly, not necessarily what Darwin was going
on about). <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Another is when Zod justifies
his behaviour in terms of being designed with a particular purpose (and the
consequences of achieving his aim are largely irrelevant). <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Finally, it gives some men something to aspire
to – big muscles and being nice (and, if possible, destroying satellites
designed to spy on him).<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
See also: <a href="http://www.btchflcks.com/2013/06/man-of-steel-wonderful-women-super.html"><span style="color: blue;">http://www.btchflcks.com/2013/06/man-of-steel-wonderful-women-super.html</span></a>
<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
*No, it’s not boring.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
**Perhaps unintentionally<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
***I know he isn’t yet Superman
and they refuse to call him that. Symbol of hope my arse.<o:p></o:p></div>
Paul Cairneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16251742655255971584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-419071028432855105.post-16365611694800126202013-06-21T02:53:00.002-07:002013-07-05T07:07:53.771-07:00Alcohol: the Harmful versus Healthy Debate<span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">I predict a lot of debate and attention to the idea that alcohol consumption is
healthy or harmful. A key strategy for public health groups and other advocates
of further alcohol controls (such as a minimum unit price of alcohol) is to
reframe the debate - by challenging the idea that alcohol can be healthy, in
particular circumstances, if consumed in small amounts. A key strategy for the alcohol
industry is to maintain that image so that they can argue that alcohol policy
should be targeted at problem drinkers only. One is a public health argument
calling for general policy measures that influence the drinking habits of the
population (e.g. raise prices, ban promotion). The other is an individualised
argument calling for specific measures that deal with particular people (e.g.
provide NHS services for alcoholism; change police powers to deal with
anti-social behaviour). So, the *way we understand the evidence* is key battle
ground in the policy debate. That is why you will find public health groups so
bothered by the fact that the industry takes such an important part in the
production, dissemination and interpretation of the evidence within government and
when communicating with the public (e.g. drinkaware.org is funded by the
industry). <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">The obvious contrast, at least in the UK, is between alcohol and tobacco.
In the latter, in the not-too-distant past, tobacco companies had similar
amounts of joy in government and public circles: funding scientific research;
arguing that the link between smoking (and then passive smoking) and ill health
was not proven; and portraying the issue as one of individual choice based on
their thoughts on the evidence and how they might way it up against their enjoyment
of smoking. Key strides were made in tobacco control when the evidence on harm
(from smoking and passive smoking) were ‘set in stone’ within government and stated
unequivocally to the public. A good example is in health education before and
after tobacco company influence. In the heyday of smoking (when men were men),
the public health advice was overshadowed by tobacco advertising. It was also
more likely to be harm reduction in nature – e.g. smoke pipes rather than
cigarettes (not too long after companies introduced healthful (not really) filtertips
and moved from high to low tar). Then, the health advice changed markedly to
reflect a ‘no safe level’ message (as in the health advice suggesting that a
move from high to low tar was like jumping from the 38<sup>th</sup> floor of a building
rather than the 39<sup>th</sup>). <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">Now, in my day, as an undergraduate, we might try to interpret that sort
of story in terms of early insights on Power by people like <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Power-Poverty-Practice-Peter-Bachrach/dp/0195008197">Bachrach</a> and <a href="http://www.columbia.edu/itc/sipa/U6800/readings-sm/bachrach.pdf">Baratz</a>. </span><span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">Power is not simply about visible conflicts in which one group wins and
another loses (such as in a policy debate in government). Rather, groups may
exercise power to reinforce social attitudes (perhaps to make sure that the
debate does not get that far). If the weight of public opinion is against
government action, maybe governments will not intervene. In this case, if the
vast majority of people think that moderate alcohol consumption is healthy (or
not harmful), they may not support control measures that affect the whole
population. In fact, it is a measure of public health group success that it even *occurs* to us to consider the issue. Still, a key part of the minimum-unit-price debate is that it
punishes responsible drinkers as much as problem drinkers. This will not be
such a powerful argument if the vast majority of the public begins to believe
that we are *all* problem drinkers (well, apart from me – I don’t touch the
stuff). </span><br />
<span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"></span><br />
<span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">See also: <a href="http://paulcairney.blogspot.co.uk/2013/06/why-is-there-more-tobacco-control.html">http://paulcairney.blogspot.co.uk/2013/06/why-is-there-more-tobacco-control.html</a><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
Paul Cairneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16251742655255971584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-419071028432855105.post-80056562528778272872013-06-19T06:01:00.001-07:002013-06-21T03:02:58.979-07:00The IndyRef and the Scottish ParliamentI have done a 3-minute podcast on this topic and it can be found here - <br />
<br />
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<br />
or go here: <a href="http://paulcairney.podbean.com/2013/06/19/the-indyref-and-the-scottish-parliament/">http://paulcairney.podbean.com/2013/06/19/the-indyref-and-the-scottish-parliament/</a><br />
<br />
I hope to make it a bit more exciting soon, but this will have to do just now.<br />
<br />
See also: <a href="http://paulcairney.blogspot.co.uk/2013/06/testing-testing-podcast-on-independence.html">http://paulcairney.blogspot.co.uk/2013/06/testing-testing-podcast-on-independence.html</a><br />
<br />
If you want to spoil the magic and just read the 'script', here it is:<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
A debate on constitutional change provides the main (or
only) opportunity to discuss its constitution. A constitution can be a written
document with bells and whistles or just an acknowledged set of relationships
between governing organisations and “the people”.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
Yet, we have not seen the same debate around independence as
we did around devolution.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
Remember all the hopes associated with the push for
devolution:<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->In general, a new form of politics to get away
from all that was wrong with Westminster<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->A new and more proportional electoral system<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->A new relationship between the government, the
parliament and the people<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->A move away from top-down government
policymaking<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->A rejection of adversarial and excessively
partisan politics<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->An effective unicameral system<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->A chance for a wide range of (previously
excluded) groups and individuals to have a routine say in policy<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->A chance for MSPs to spend quality time in their
constituencies rather than sitting around being whipped in Parliament<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt 36pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->A chance to redress ridiculous imbalances in
representation, particularly for women<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
A lot of these aims proved to be unrealistic, but at least
we talked about ideals rather than just getting bogged down in petty disputes.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
In fact, now is the only time in which we can properly
reassess devolution and ask ourselves if we want to simply keep and build on
existing arrangements or seek to change them. Obvious examples include:<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -18pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Should we keep the mixed member electoral system
rather than STV? <o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt 36pt; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -18pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Are we content with only one-third of MSPs being
women?<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
The less visible question is:<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo3; text-indent: -18pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->What do we do about the Scottish Parliament?<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo3; text-indent: -18pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->The problem is that there is not a ‘power
sharing’ relationship between government and parliament<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo3; text-indent: -18pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->The government makes policy and the parliament
examines it<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo3; text-indent: -18pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->It does not have the resources to examine it
well<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo3; text-indent: -18pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->There are too few MSPs and too few staff<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo3; text-indent: -18pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->So, the Parliament examines *some* policy, to
some extent, and has to ignore most of it<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo3; text-indent: -18pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->This happened under all forms of government so
far: coalition majority, single party minority, single party majority<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo3; text-indent: -18pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->So, if we simply add more powers or full powers
onto the current system, its ability to scrutinise government will be much more
limited<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo3; text-indent: -18pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Now is the only time to discuss what we want to
do about that<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt 36pt; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo3; text-indent: -18pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Whatever you think about independence debate, it
may be the only event that allows us to re-examine the role of the Scottish
Parliament and do something about it<br />
<o:p></o:p> </div>
Paul Cairneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16251742655255971584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-419071028432855105.post-57694034772797761032013-06-18T04:59:00.001-07:002013-06-21T03:03:35.412-07:00Testing, testing, podcast on independenceThis is a 10-minute podcast on Scottish independence - What Does it Mean and What Are The Big Questions? - recorded on my Ipad. The production values are fairly low and, on two occasions, it seems to flicker a bit (much like in those horror or sci-fi films where things go a little bit, spookily, wrong). I also get a text which distracts me a bit. Then I sound like I am getting bored and more sarcastic from 8 minutes (any of my former students will be used to that). Other than that, it is OK, as long as you like the Andy Murray style monotone (although our accents are very, very different).<br />
<br />
<br />
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You can also get it here: <a href="http://paulcairney.podbean.com/2013/06/18/scottish-independence/">http://paulcairney.podbean.com/2013/06/18/scottish-independence/</a><br />
<br />
The book is out in August and it won't really be £25 - <a href="http://www.palgrave.com/products/title.aspx?pid=569083">http://www.palgrave.com/products/title.aspx?pid=569083</a><br />
<br />
See also: <a href="http://paulcairney.blogspot.co.uk/2013/06/the-indyref-and-scottish-parliament.html">http://paulcairney.blogspot.co.uk/2013/06/the-indyref-and-scottish-parliament.html</a><br />
<br />Paul Cairneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16251742655255971584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-419071028432855105.post-22102544377233378562013-06-17T12:00:00.001-07:002013-07-09T13:59:14.044-07:00Why is there more tobacco control policy than alcohol control policy in the UK?The obvious answer is that drinking
is less bad for you than smoking. Or, if you are the optimistic sort, drinking
is really, really, really, really, really good for you – mm, mm, delicious and nutritious.
And it’s cool. And it’s sexy and it makes you sexy. Especially when you are
pissed.<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
The non-obvious answer is that,
although the same sort of public health evidence has been produced to suggest
that: (a) both smoking and drinking are unhealthy; and, (b) both should be
controlled using similar instruments – the alcohol-is-unhealthy evidence is
less accepted in government and alcohol control policies are a harder sell (for
now). <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Alcohol can still be advertised,
there is less tax on booze and the alcohol industry has a regular say in
the interpretation of the evidence (and what we should do about it).<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
The aim of this ICPP paper (<a href="https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B-vqUYxLrgufTzc3R1Y5T0EtUFU/edit?usp=sharing">link</a>)
is to explain the difference between policy choices in tobacco and alcohol. It
says: here is what would have to happen for alcohol control to mimic tobacco
control (I do the same in a comparison of tobacco controls in different countries
<a href="http://paulcairney.blogspot.co.uk/2012/11/global-tobacco-control.html">here</a>). We can break the policy process down into five key factors:<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-align: justify; text-indent: -18pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">1.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Institutional change. Government departments,
and other organisations focused on health policy, would take the main
responsibility for alcohol control, largely replacing departments focused on
finance, trade, industry, tourism and employment (and crime). <o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-align: justify; text-indent: -18pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">2.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Paying attention to, and ‘framing’ the problem. The
government would no longer view alcohol primarily as a product with economic
value, central to the ‘night time economy’.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It would be viewed primarily as a public health problem; a set of
behaviours and outcomes to be challenged.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>This happened with tobacco, but it is trickier in alcohol because the
government may only be worried about aspects of alcohol consumption (such as
the binge drinking and anti-social behaviour of certain individuals) rather
than the broader notion of public health. <o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-align: justify; text-indent: -18pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">3.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->The balance of power between participants.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The department of health would consult public
health and medical groups at the expense of groups representing the alcohol
industry. This is central to the type of evidence it gathers, the interpretation
of the evidence, and the advice it receives.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-align: justify; text-indent: -18pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">4.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->The socioeconomic context.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The economic benefit of alcohol consumption
would fall (or, the tax revenue would become less important to the Treasury), the
number of drinkers would fall and opposition to alcohol control would decline
(although it already seems fairly low).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt 36pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-align: justify; text-indent: -18pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">5.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->The role of beliefs and knowledge.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The scientific evidence linking alcohol
consumption to ill health would have to be accepted and ‘set in stone’ within government
circles.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The most effective policies to
reduce alcohol consumption would also be increasingly adopted and transferred
across countries.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
Change in these factors would be
mutually reinforcing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For example, an increased
acceptance of the scientific evidence helps shift the way that governments ‘frame’
or understand the alcohol policy problem.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The framing of alcohol as a health problem allows health departments to
take the policy lead.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Alcohol control
and alcohol use go hand in hand: a decrease in drinking rates reduces the
barriers to alcohol control; more alcohol control means fewer drinkers (or less
drinking).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
It is tempting to think that this
sort of process is more likely under Labour and less likely under the Conservatives
– and there is some evidence to back up this argument. However, the point of
the paper is that these long term processes develop during the terms of both
parties. Major policy change, of the level we have witnessed in tobacco (but
not as much in alcohol), takes several decades. Indeed, you can be suitably
impressed or depressed with my hunch that alcohol control is at least a decade
(if not two or more) behind tobacco. <o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<o:p> </o:p></div>
See also: <a href="http://paulcairney.blogspot.co.uk/2013/06/alcohol-harmful-versus-healthy-debate.html">http://paulcairney.blogspot.co.uk/2013/06/alcohol-harmful-versus-healthy-debate.html</a><br />
Compare with: <a href="http://velvetgloveironfist.blogspot.co.uk/2013/07/the-real-reason-for-public-smoking-bans.html">http://velvetgloveironfist.blogspot.co.uk/2013/07/the-real-reason-for-public-smoking-bans.html</a> and <a href="http://dickpuddlecote.blogspot.co.uk/2013/07/an-lse-guide-on-how-to-denormalise.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed:+DickPuddlecote+(Dick+Puddlecote)">http://dickpuddlecote.blogspot.co.uk/2013/07/an-lse-guide-on-how-to-denormalise.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed:+DickPuddlecote+(Dick+Puddlecote)</a>Paul Cairneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16251742655255971584noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-419071028432855105.post-9218099826942365522013-06-04T01:29:00.002-07:002013-06-04T05:48:01.813-07:00Making Sense of Policymaking: why it's always someone else's fault and nothing ever changes<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">I am writing a paper about the ability of policy scholars to describe
and explain policymaking in a way that is understandable to policymakers and
practitioners (it will appear <a href="http://www.icpublicpolicy.org/Expertise-and-involvement-in-the">here</a> and <a href="https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B-vqUYxLrgufNDBRSVBVYVBSME0/edit?usp=sharing">here</a>). The background discussion is about the extent to which there is
too much jargon in the literature. If so, it may act as a barrier to meaningful
discussions between academics and policymakers (which may be seen as
particularly problematic in this new age of academic ‘impact’). The paper
suggests that many academic insights are useful, as a basis for discussion with
policymakers, if we take the time to discuss them together. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">The aim of this post is a bit different: to see if I can summarise and translate
the concepts to the readers of the post *without* any discussion! I will do it
by removing almost all of the jargon from the paper (which often means more
words – the jargon is a useful shorthand). I think that this task is made much
easier by the slow trickle of these ideas into the public consciousness. For
example, one conclusion you can take from the discussion is that a change of
party in government does not produce a massive change in policy. This is
something that you tend to hear in public discussions (although I admit that
the discussions may not draw much from policy theory). So, I will continue this
theme, by outlining some common phrases (associated largely with the pathology
of policymaking) and using policy theory to help explain them in a way that
might, in some cases, make the whole business of government a bit less
disheartening. Or, I will make up these phrases for effect. Definitely one or
the other. I will also put those phrases in capital letters, so that you can
imagine them being shouted by someone looking for attention.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">IT’S ALWAYS SOMEONE ELSE’S FAULT – NO ONE EVER TAKES THE BLAME. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">I think that you can divide this sort of frustration into two main
parts: ministers generally don’t take the blame for things going wrong; and/ or
no-one seems to get the blame for something going wrong in individual cases
(such as in cases of child cruelty or hospital mismanagement). <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">The argument with ministers is so strong because we support the idea
that governments are accountable to the public via Parliament. So, ministers
are in charge and they report to Parliament. Or, they get a telling-off from
Jeremy Paxman on Newsnight. Yet, ministers have two good reasons not to take
the blame. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">First, policy is often now made at many levels (and types) of
government. For example, something like ‘tobacco policy’ is actually a
collection of policies made by the European Union, UK and, in some cases,
devolved governments (and sometimes local authorities). Policy is also often
carried out by a range of bodies which often operate at ‘arms length’ from
ministers. In some cases, this looks like ministers are simply passing the buck
to other bodies, to avoid making controversial decisions. In others, there is
good reason to maintain these arrangements. My favourite example is in mental
health where there are arms-length bodies there to make sure that doctors and
social workers use the Mental Health Act correctly when they ‘section’ people.
Those bodies have to exert a degree of independence to assure the public that
they are not simply there to back up the decisions of others. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">The outcome of these multi-level and arms-length arrangements is that
ministers cannot simply make policy. Instead, they are increasingly obliged to
negotiate policy with a wide range of other bodies. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">The second defence for ministers is that they cannot pay attention to all
of the issues for which they are responsible. In fact, they can only pay
attention to a tiny proportion – which makes it entirely plausible for them to
look shocked when a decision, made in their name, has gone badly. This is also
why </span>regular changes of government do not cause wholesale shifts in policy:
most decisions are beyond the reach of ministers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The sheer size of government means that it
could easily become unmanageable. So, governments break policy down into more
manageable departments, and a large number of divisions within departments,
dealing with issues that involve a smaller number of knowledgeable
participants.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Most policy is made at a
level of government not particularly visible to the public or Parliament, and
with minimal ministerial or senior civil service involvement.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>These arrangements exist because there is a
logic to devolving decisions and consulting with certain groups.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ministers rely on their officials for
information and advice.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For specialist
issues, those officials rely on specialist organisations.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Organisations trade that information and
advice (and other things, such as the ability to generate agreement among large
and influential groups) for access to, and influence within, government.
Ministers are *responsible* for this activity, and they can set the tone of
many of the debates, but they cannot pay attention to everything going on. In
fact, paying attention to one issue means ignoring most others. So, that look
of permanent befuddlement on Newsnight may be entirely understandable. <span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">The other sort </span>of problem relates to things going wrong in local
and health authorities when, for example, a child is not protected or a patient
is treated badly while in care. Organisations hold inquiries and learn lessons
but no one is necessarily strung up and blamed for the problem. The defence in
this case is that public sector professionals do not have the ability to carry
out all of their responsibilities. They are subject to such a wide range of
rules, regulations and expectations from government that they cannot pay
attention to them all (I tend to think of this comic strip, but it’s not that
bad - <a href="http://dilbert.com/strips/comic/1995-06-25/"><span style="color: blue;">http://dilbert.com/strips/comic/1995-06-25/</span></a>)
. Instead, they use their judgement to satisfy an adequate proportion of
government objectives. As a result, things go wrong and we find that some
people or organisations did not carry out government policy. In these cases, it
is not easy to blame an organisation – they *have* to ignore some directions to
make sure that they follow others. It is also difficult to blame ministers,
because the chances are that they already have policies in place to deal with
these sorts of things – they just weren’t carried out.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">IT’S ONE IDEA AFTER ANOTHER WITH THIS GOVERNMENT – THEY HAVE THE
ATTENTION SPAN OF A GNAT …<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">The explanation for this practice is quite similar:</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>policymakers can only pay attention to a
small number of the issues for which they are responsible.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So, they ignore most and promote a few to the
top of their agenda, often following a major event or a successful media
campaign by certain groups. So, for every issue to which ministers (and senior
civil servants) pay attention, they must ignore (say) 99 others.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The tendency to focus on that one issue
*might* produce major policy change when, for example, so much pressure is
required to get ministerial attention that, when they do, it is a bit like a
dam busting; a wide range of people get involved to influence policy in a short
space of time. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, the logical
consequence to their attention to that one issue is that the same thing does
not happen in most other cases. In most cases, it is business as usual, since
so much policymaking is devolved to people who operate out of the public and
political spotlight. <o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">… AND YET NOTHING EVER CHANGES. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">I said that this concentrated attention on some issues *might* change
things because it also might not. There are four main reasons to expect less
than radical change following these bursts of attention. First, people might
find that there is no easy solution to the problem receiving so much attention.
Good, sensible, acceptable solutions take time to develop and it is possible
for public and ministerial attention to lurch to another issue before this
problem is solved (or at least solved to the satisfaction of policymakers and
influential groups). Indeed, as silly as it sounds, a key feature of
policymaking is that the solution to a problem may be devised *before* there is
significant attention to the problem. Second, policymakers do not have the
brain power or resources to consider all options and the consequences of their
policies. So, many rely on trial-and-error policymaking or depart from
current policy in a series of steps. For policymakers, this has the added
benefit of reduced controversy: radical policy change always produces winners
and losers; a government could try to impose its will, but this can be
politically expensive and governments can only spend so much. Third,
governments inherit policy before they choose. Any ‘new’ policy is likely to be
a revision of an old one, perhaps following some degree of failure. They might
want to make serious changes, but they are also constrained by decisions made
by governments in the past – decisions that produce organisations, rules,
regulations and employees that are difficult to remove.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">Finally, things don’t change overnight because people’s beliefs don’t
change overnight. In most cases, policymakers ‘learn’ from their experience
(which includes their mistakes) but their learning is influenced heavily by the
way that they understand the world. Or, in a wider sense, there may be a
particular understanding of the policy problem, and its solution, that is
promoted by a wide range of powerful groups. Events may draw attention to
policy problems without changing that balance of power or the fundamental
beliefs of those involved. Maybe the most obvious example just now is the
banking crisis which produced some changes but not radical change in the way
that governments treat the financial sector – but the same point could be made
whenever we see crises in areas such as health or education.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
WHY DO I FEEL POWERLESS?<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">The final point to remember is that the study of policy is the study of
power: the relatively powerful and the relatively powerless; the winners and
the losers. Importantly, power is not simply about visible conflicts in which
one group wins and another loses. Rather, it can take at least two other
important forms. First, groups may exercise power to reinforce social
attitudes. If the weight of public opinion is against government action, maybe
governments will not intervene. The classic example is poverty – if most people
believe that it is caused by fecklessness, what is the role of government? In
such cases, power and powerlessness may relate to the (in)ability of groups to
persuade the public, media and/ or government that there is a reason to make
policy; a problem to be solved.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In other
examples, the battle may be about the extent to which issues are private (with
no legitimate role for government) or public (and open to legitimate government
action), including: should governments intervene in disputes between businesses
and workers? Should they intervene in disputes between husbands and wives?
Should they try to stop people smoking in places that might be considered
private or public? If you reached this blog via twitter, you will be very
familiar with how this process looks in practice: people make policy
suggestions, they receive some support, then they receive an absolute barrage
of criticism, and often abuse, by others. In this context, groups may be
powerful if they are able to reinforce the anti-policy-change attitudes already
held by many people.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">Second, groups may exercise other forms of power to keep an issue off
the government agenda. As I said above, policymakers can only pay attention to
a tiny amount of issues for which they are responsible. So, groups may exercise
power to keep some issues on their agenda at the expense of others. </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Issues on the agenda are sometimes described
as ‘safe’ – more attention to these issues means less attention to the
imbalances of power within society. Again, if you are a follower of twitter,
you may get the impression that people pay attention to nothing but safe issues
for a few seconds at a time. I’m afraid I can’t do anything to make *that* seem
less dispiriting. <span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
Paul Cairneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16251742655255971584noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-419071028432855105.post-8887759394125806272013-05-27T04:07:00.002-07:002013-05-27T04:16:44.426-07:00From the archives: two Scotsman articles on pornography in newsagents To celebrate the new 'The Lose the Lads' Mags' campaign by UK Feminista and Object (<a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-22674928">http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-22674928</a>), here are a couple of older articles on why the campaign is important:<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="loose">
The Scotsman July 20, 2000, Thursday</div>
<div class="loose">
<br />
<span class="SS_L0">BARE FACED CHEEK</span><br />
<br />
<b>BYLINE:</b> <a href="http://www.blogger.com/null" name="ORIGHIT_2"></a><a href="http://www.blogger.com/null" name="HIT_2"></a><span class="hit">Linda Watson Brown</span><br />
<br />
<b>SECTION:</b> Pg. 6<br />
<br />
<b>LENGTH:</b> 1336 words<br />
<br />
Jennifer is 17, but looks much younger. She is described as a "sex pixie" but looks tired, small and lost. She has an obsession with the Yorkshire Ripper and is photographed with traditional pornographic props in cliched scenarios.</div>
<div class="loose">
You'd think you would find the pictures in a top-shelf publication - but this is GQ and it is available in your local supermarket and garage. It is one of the new batch of lads' mags which are read openly by young men who would feel some degree of embarrassment about gaping at Hustler or Playboy on a bus. This month GQ focuses on "the Lolita Syndrome" - the main interview is with Jennifer Ellison from Brookside.</div>
<div class="loose">
Ellison is not underage, but is dressed in revealing beach and underwear, and is described as part of a tempting band of adolescent girls who should make every man ensure he asks for proof of age. The message is clear - although these young girls are not yet legally sexually available, they are irresistible.</div>
<div class="loose">
<br />
By manufacturing a "syndrome" from the Lolita myth, GQ is entering dangerous territory. The content of men's magazines has been disturbing since their inception, but the way in which boundaries are being pushed back and taboos questioned is particularly evident in recent months. These publications have been accused of airbrushing thongs and knickers from images of celebrities who have posed for photospreads. Women are constantly reduced to sexually available objects .</div>
<div class="loose">
"There is very little difference between the content of loaded and the more obvious pornographic titles on the market," says Catherine Harper of Scottish Women Against Pornography. "But there is much more dishonesty in how it is dressed up. The covers alone are pushing things every month: it has been crotches in your face for a while. Now the content is taking things to a completely unacceptable level. There is stuff here that would not be allowed elsewhere. What is particularly worrying is that a large number of young men get their information about sex from sources like these."</div>
<div class="loose">
Despite the fact that there has been little debate about the ways in which men are negatively affected by this type of material, the immediate concern has to be with the messages which are being sold - and this month's commodity is underage sex. GQ summarises instances of desirable young women who have only been made more tempting by the fact that sex with them would not only be illegal, it would be rape and abuse too. Jennifer Ellison is photographed half -naked enjoying childish pursuits - on a slide holding her top off, eating ice cream, and, in one particularly questionable image, on a bike surrounded by "real" children. The text raises still more issues: a ten-year-old girl whispers to Ellison that she looks lovely. Is this what we want our daughters to aspire to? A ten-year-old boy suggests that she show her breasts, and we are expected to snigger at the precocity of his early interest rather than be appalled.</div>
<div class="loose">
Liz Kelly of the Child & Women Abuse Studies Unit at the University of North London believes the links between pornography - in its many forms - and child abuse are clear. "Child pornography is not a separate and distinct genre," she says. While we can all claim to be horrified by such images, the boundaries are not as clear as we may think. " Playboy is particularly devious - the centrefold is depicted from childhood onwards with captions like 'Age one - Playmate material already'; 'Age three - anytime dad'. Children are sexualised in pornography and women are 'childified' by being made to appear as if they are children."</div>
<div class="loose">
This is certainly the case in mainstream men's magazines - this month in GQ sees a glorification of pubescent images and full-frontal shots of women without pubic hair who are represented as innocent and angelic.</div>
<div class="loose">
The sexualisation of children, and the ways in which society has become desensitised to the danger this can cause, has been researched in-depth by Michele Elliot of the children's charity Kidscape. "Children's images are being sexualised because they sell. Without our knowing, soft-core child pornography has crept into our everyday lives and most of us are unaware that this has happened."</div>
<div class="loose">
The availability of magazines such as GQ and loaded has contributed to that development. They are full of breasts-out, legs-open shots, and generally feature "celebrities" who are put in their place by being reduced to nothing more than tits-and-bum commodities. These images of availability and accessibility may be the choice of the individuals involved - although that too can be debated - but what they contribute to our stock of ideas about sex and sexuality is much more threatening.</div>
<div class="loose">
"What we are seeing," says Catherine Harper of SWAP, "is the undermining of women - and now children. They are saying: 'It's OK lads, go for it - adolescent girls are tempting, how can you help yourselves?' They are openly advocating abuse. The messages undermines and debases real lives and real experiences, and people need to realise what's going on."</div>
<div class="loose">
The fact that these publications are so widely available may make many think they must be acceptable. Major supermarket chains have removed "top-shelf" publications but regularly feature lads' mags at checkouts and petrol kiosks. All of those contacted said it was up to consumers to complain. A spokesperson for Asda says: "We always put these magazines out of the reach of children. That's the rule. If customers or shop colleagues complain about something they find offensive, we will act on it immediately. We will not censor magazine selection, but we will give customers what they want. We have boundaries, and we will act on anything people feel strongly about."</div>
<div class="loose">
Safeway takes a similar position: "We review on a three-monthly basis. If the front cover is explicit, we would put the magazine on the top shelf where children couldn't get at it. If the content is complained about, we would review the situation. We are aware that these magazines can contain issues which are explicit or contentious, and we need to avoid kids browsing through them. We have family shoppers and if there was a serious complaint, we would take immediate action. In the last three or four years, there have been less than five complaints."</div>
<div class="loose">
It is clear that many people are not complaining because they do not know what is being sold, and yet retailers say that only a few comments are enough to make them review the situation. The lack of control and regulation in this area is startling and the removal of straightforward pornography from major stores has only gone some way toward removing sexually explicit and offensive material from the high street.</div>
<div class="loose">
Pornography is, and always has been, big business - yet again it seems as if the only way to have an effect will be to make a financial impact, rather than anything as irrelevant as public concern.</div>
<div class="loose">
This month's mags</div>
<div class="loose">
GQ devotes over 20 pages to "The Lolita Syndrome" focusing on pubescent full -frontal shots, "reasons why you should always ask for ID", the "nubile innocents" featured in David Hamilton's photography, and overt references to the "indecently young" Brookside actress who has the "face of an angel on a bod made all for sin".</div>
<div class="loose">
Loaded has a "Pornalikes" features in which readers select their favourite images from pornographic publications featuring celebrity lookalikes. A naked Angelina Jolie is described as "wanting it like a thirsty mule." There is the usual list of B-list celebs naked or in poses clearly taken from pornographic imagery. One TV presenter is asked how much money it would take for her to have sex with convicted paedophile Gary Glitter.</div>
<div class="loose">
Maxim relies on the usual half (or completely) naked images of women with headlines screaming "Do you want some?" Women are asked whether they would consider lapdancing, innumerable questions about their breasts, and it all ends with six pages of ads for pornography and sex lines.<br />
<br />
The Scotsman November 24, 2000, Friday<br />
<br />
<span class="SS_L0">YOUR CHANCE TO OBJECT AS WH SMITH BRINGS BACK THOSE MAGAZINES</span><br />
<br />
<b>BYLINE:</b> By <a href="http://www.blogger.com/null" name="ORIGHIT_2"></a><a href="http://www.blogger.com/null" name="HIT_2"></a><span class="hit">Linda Watson-Brown</span><br />
<br />
<b>SECTION:</b> Pg. 15<br />
<br />
<b>LENGTH:</b> 757 words<br />
<br />
I HAD completely forgotten how modern and entertaining pornography could be. Until recently, I had considered it insulting, dangerous and degrading. Thankfully, WH Smith has put me straight on that outmoded perception. Three years ago, it decided to stop selling glossy pictures of women's genitals in its high-street shops. It still distributed the magazines. It still profited enormously from them. But in terms of its family-friendly consumer projection, they disappeared.<br />
<div class="loose">
Partially. In terms of the somewhat spurious distinction made between top -shelf magazines and other material, well-known names such as Playboy, Hustler, Men Only, Razzle et al were consigned to the dustbin of unmarketable misogyny. Of course, all that really happened was that they continued to be bought elsewhere - generally provided by the same suppliers - and high-street retailers sold harmful images under other guises, such as lads' mags and photography literature.</div>
<br />
Now, WH Smith says it is going to reintroduce pornography to its stores. Apparently, in the three years that we have been without gynaecological illustrations of dehumanised women, things have changed. Pornography is now a heterosexual haven of consensual, post-modern relationships.<br />
<div class="loose">
Does that make those who find such depictions offensive feel a lot better about its renaissance? The next time you go to the Gyle or the Braehead shopping centres in Edinburgh or Glasgow and you see their awards for family -friendly initiatives, will you have any lingering concerns? Previously there may have been a few worries. After all, "novelty shops" stock bondage tape beside their cuddly toys; Marks and Spencer sell bras for girls who should still be wearing vests; major supermarkets peddle paedophile imagery as they punt GQ and Loaded alongside their groceries and two-faced consumer equality strategies.</div>
<div class="loose">
But now, how will you reconcile buying your children their Barbie and Action Man comics as they stand next to someone perusing a catalogue of exploitation which ensures the buyer that models are "barely legal"? You could justify it in the same way that you will have to if you are a Daily Express reader, for now its new owner will promote his pornography catalogue alongside OK! and the children's comics he has also founded his empire on.</div>
<div class="loose">
Or, you could realise that something is intrinsically wrong here. And yes, even if it is boring and unfashionable, you could also wake up to the fact that it is morally reprehensible.</div>
<div class="loose">
If you agree, I am clearly preaching to the converted. If you disagree, there is probably little I can do until you send me the intellectually-challenged letters raising the same, stultifying points which pro-pornographers always rely on. However, if you're not sure, there are a few things for you to think about.</div>
<div class="loose">
Pornography is not about simple pictures of naked women. It is central in creating and maintaining sex as a basis for discrimination. It is a systematic practice of exploitation and subordination based on sex, and it harms women, men and children. It produces bigotry and contempt. It justifies aggression and hatred. Like other media messages, pornography reinforces and helps create the idea that women are second-class citizens, and it reinforces distorted notions of women's sexuality.</div>
<div class="loose">
There will always be women who say that they are not exploited by pornography. Personally, I couldn't care less whether every other woman in the world thinks pornography is great. It offends me and it affects me. As such, I have a right to try to do something about it. WH Smith does not believe I, or anyone like me, will exercise that right. The company has stated that it does not believe any of its customers will protest. Indeed, it has said it thinks the publications will be welcomed. I have been told by most stockists of pornography - whether top-shelf or lads' mag in nature - that people simply do not complain. I have also been told that unless those who do write in give their name, address and telephone number, their letter will go straight in the bin. For many people, this is just another effective way of silencing dissent.</div>
<div class="loose">
I am happy to act as the conduit here. Send me your letters and your petitions, and I will pass them on to WH Smith on your behalf, with personal details made anonymous. If that seems a bit extreme, perhaps you would rather spend your time preparing the best way to explain the joy of iconoclastic pornographic imagery to your five-year-old next time you go shopping.</div>
</div>
Paul Cairneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16251742655255971584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-419071028432855105.post-8969550839910534172013-05-21T02:39:00.000-07:002013-05-21T02:39:30.614-07:00Howarth's Aggressive Homosexuals
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
One problem with twitter is that, if you don’t check it
often enough, all the good jokes are taken and then everyone moves on too quickly
for me to contribute. Here is what I would have come up with on the hashtag
#aggressivehomosexuals (following <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/audio/2013/may/20/same-sex-marriage-howarth-audio">Gerard Howarth MP’s speech</a>, which included the
phrase: <span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;">'There are plenty in the
aggressive homosexual community who see this as but a stepping-stone'</span><span lang="EN"> </span>)
if someone had just given me the chance to think, then go to bed, then go for a
run the next day and listen to ‘<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HTN6Du3MCgI">Gay Bar’ by Electric 6</a> .
Even then, it’s all a bit tenuous:<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<ul>
<li><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
Something about Howarth regretting getting all his information from a few seconds of Radio 1 that he put on by accident in his car (‘let’s start a war, let’s start a nuclear war, at the gay bar’)<o:p></o:p></div>
</li>
<li><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">Now tell me do ya, a do ya have any money? I wanna spend all your money, implementing same-sex marriage and then civil partnerships for heterosexual couples</span></li>
<li>I've got an amendement to put in you, at the report stage</li>
</ul>
Paul Cairneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16251742655255971584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-419071028432855105.post-2981908779272759482013-05-15T12:11:00.000-07:002013-06-08T12:45:35.071-07:00This is How You Set TargetsAs fans of the UK Government know, it is important to set targets. For those targets to work, they need to be measurable. In other words, you have to know when they have been met. There should also be safeguards so that people don't game the system and meet targets at the expense of the underlying aim of the policy. Finally, when those targets have been met, the policymaker should be congratulated for the aim, the effort and the outcome.<br />
It is in this context that I would like to present one of my personal targets: to get more Twitter followers than my daughter within a year of joining Twitter. At the time, this felt like an ambitious target, not least because she had benefited from an artificial bump in her figures after being tweeted by minor celebrity Chipmunk (I think his tweet was ;) or something like that). However, I then benefited from the short attention spans of Evie's followers, and her score has fallen to a highly achievable 537. Tonight, after 11 months on Twitter, I reached the heady heights of 538 followers. I don't think that I gamed the system. I am being followed by someone selling boxes and one or two people selling some dodgier looking things, but I did not invite those organisations to follow me. I might have once made a plea for more followers, but only to level the Chipmunk field (and I think I only got 20 followers from the appeal). Otherwise, I have developed a small but good quality following with a triple Twitter strategy: blogs for students/ academics, vague complaints about Scottish politics and more general inane drivel as it occurs to me. So, congratulations are in order. I hope you will understand that, although I love my children very dearly, I am also a very petty person who likes to wind up close family members on a regular basis. This fits the bill nicely.<br />
<br />
Please note: if you want to wind me up by following my daughter, to get her numbers above mine again, you should know that we are one of those trendy families in which our children share the surname of their mother, not father. So, you will have to make quite the commitment to the joke.<br />
<br />UPDATE 8th June 2013 - I have now been on twitter for a full year and have 661 followers. I now need a new target. I reckon it should be: go from 9 tweets per day to 8. Paul Cairneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16251742655255971584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-419071028432855105.post-48016312756298811232013-05-13T11:23:00.003-07:002013-05-20T03:20:02.234-07:00What is ‘Evolution’? What is ‘Complexity’? [and How does it inform the study of policymaking?] <br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
There is a long history in the social sciences of using the natural sciences as a source of comparison. Much of the comparison is based on little more than the (often very useful) metaphor. There is now an equally important but shorter history of trying to draw more direct parallels; to say that this process in a social system is directly comparable to a process in a natural or living system. The study of evolution provides the potential for that sort of direct comparison, and we can find the use of terms such as ‘complexity’ (or ‘complex systems’) employed partly to that end. However, there are two major obstacles to this sort of direct comparison (and indeed to the use of evolution-based metaphors):<o:p></o:p></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
1. We may not agree about the meaning of evolution. For example, when it is used loosely in everyday language, ‘evolution’ tends to refer to a very long term, gradual process of change. However, evolution can also refer to the idea of ‘punctuated equilibrium’ in which long spells of gradual change are interrupted by relatively short but profound bursts of activity and change. Consequently, the study of evolution is instantly confusing because it can refer to the *opposite of* and/ or the *same thing as* revolution. There are also some other sources of potential confusion about, for example, the nature of evolution (does it necessarily refer to advancement?) and the nature of ‘selection’ (do species simply respond blindly to their environments or help create them?). <o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
2. Some people have really ruined evolution for the rest of us. We can blame so-called ‘social-Darwinism’ for the racist/ sexist idea that some people are more evolved than others. In other words, ‘evolution’ comes with a lot of baggage when we apply it to social science discussions. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
This sort of confusion can be found in the study of public policy where evolution can refer to a wide range of things, including:<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<ul>
<li><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
the cumulative, long-term development of policy solutions; </div>
</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
major disruptions in the way that policy makers think about, and try to solve, policy problems; </div>
</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
the maintenance *or* radical reform of policy-making institutions;</div>
</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
‘emergent’ behaviour within complex systems </div>
</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
the trial-and-error strategies adopted by actors, such as policy entrepreneurs, when adapting to their environment </div>
</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
the coming together of multiple factors to create the conditions for major policy change (which can be a creative, ‘window of opportunity’ style process, or a destructive, failure-related ‘perfect storm style process).<o:p></o:p></div>
</li>
</ul>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
This range of understandings may not put us off evolutionary discussions completely, but it shows us that we should be super-clear about our meaning of evolution when we seek to make these sorts of comparisons with evolution in nature.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I suppose this has been a roundabout way for me to advertise the fact that I have just published a journal <a href="http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/tpp/pap/2013/00000041/00000002/art00008">article</a> about this very topic (if you can't access it, I can send you a *non-final* version or you can try getting it through a free <a href="http://www.policypress.co.uk/journals_pap_trial.asp">trial</a>). It compares the most prominent theories of politics and policymaking which draw on references to evolution in different ways. For example: <o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<em>Multiple Streams Analysis</em> (Kingdon) – uses the term ‘policy primeval soup’ to suggest that, although policymaker attention may lurch from one problem to another, problems will not be addressed until policy solutions have evolved sufficiently within a policy community and policymakers have the motive and opportunity to adopt them. ‘Evolution’ describes the *slow progress* of an idea towards acceptability within the policy community.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<em>Punctuated Equilibrium theory</em> (Baumgartner and Jones) – suggests that that ‘incremental’ policy change in most cases is accompanied by ‘seismic’ change in a small number of cases – an outcome consistent with ‘power laws’ found in the natural and social worlds. Kingdon’s picture of slow progress producing partial mutations is replaced by Baumgartner and Jones’ *fast, disruptive, pure mutation* (in some cases).<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
Then there is <u>complexity theory</u>, which I have discussed in my blog <a href="http://paulcairney.blogspot.co.uk/2013/03/complexity-theory-and-policymaking.html">here</a>. The relevance to a discussion of evolution is that complexity theory may help us understand processes in which people, institutions and their environments are interacting constantly to produce rather unpredictable outcomes (or, at least, outcomes may ‘emerge’ locally, in the absence of central control). This might be broken down into three steps: <o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<ol>
<li><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
Institutions, as sets of rules and norms, represent ways for people to retain certain ideas and encourage particular forms of behaviours.</div>
</li>
<li><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
Complex systems represent (partly) a large number of overlapping and often interdependent institutions. </div>
</li>
<li><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
New behaviours and rules arise from the interaction between multiple institutions and the actors involved. <o:p></o:p></div>
</li>
</ol>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
In other words, different ‘worlds’ are in constant collision, producing new ways of thinking and behaviour that ‘emerge’ from these interactions. They are then passed down through the generations, but in an imperfect way, allowing new forms of thinking and behaviour to emerge. <o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
To describe these processes as ‘evolutionary’, we really need to use the language of evolution - variation, selection and retention - to describe and explain outcomes. The idea in the natural world is that living things want to do at least two things: (1) pass on their genes; (2) cooperate with others to secure resources and share them out to their kith and kin. The idea in the political world is a bit different and perhaps a bit of a stretch, but here goes:<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<ul>
<li><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
The equivalent of passing on genes is passing on ‘memes’, or ideas (beliefs, ways of thinking – as described in the 70s by Richard Dawkins before he moved onto God).</div>
</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
‘Variation’ refers to the different rules adopted by different social groups to foster the collective action required to survive. </div>
</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
‘Selection’ describes the interaction between people and their environments; particular environments may provide an advantage to some groups over others and encourage certain behaviours (or, at least, some groups may respond by adapting their behaviour to their environment). </div>
</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
‘Retention’ describes the ways in which people pass on their genes (memes) to ensure the reproduction of their established rules (we might call them ‘institutions’).<o:p></o:p></div>
</li>
</ul>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
The key difference in the study of evolution and policymaking is the idea of passing on memes through the generations. We think of passing on genes through the generations as a process that takes hundreds, thousands or millions of years. Passing on memes through the ‘policy generations’ is more like the study of fruit flies (months), viruses or bacteria (days or weeks). In other words, ways of thinking, and emerging behaviour, change constantly as people interact with each other, articulating different beliefs and rules and producing new forms of thinking, rules and behaviour as they interact. Big jumps in ways of thinking may be associated with key generational shifts, but that can take place, for example, as one generation of scientists retires or, more quickly still, one generation of experts is replaced (within government circles) by another. <o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
Complexity theory may be used to capture, describe and explain that sort of interaction on a grand scale. We can zoom in to see individuals interacting with each other, or zoom out to observe mass behaviour and the sorts of outcomes that emerge from them. For me, this means that the field is wide open when it comes down to research methods. If we are interested in people understanding this complex process of interaction, we can study those individuals using interviews and/ or various forms of observation. If we are interested in the whole system, we might adopt mathematical models and computer simulations. There is nothing to stop us combining such methods (and more) if we avoid the sort of people that adhere slavishly to one fixed understanding of the world and, therefore, one method to help us understand it. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
I don’t hold out much hope of this sort of discussion capturing the public imagination. However, the chances are that this sort of discussion of evolution (and its relationship to complexity theory) is taking place in a wide range of disciplines without much exchange between them. So, if you see a blog like this written by someone else in some other field, please let me know. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
Cairney, P. (2013). What is evolutionary theory and how does it inform policy studies?. <i>Policy & Politics</i>, <i>41</i>(2), 279-298.<o:p></o:p></div>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><a href="http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/tpp/pap/2013/00000041/00000002/art00008"><span style="color: blue;">http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/tpp/pap/2013/00000041/00000002/art00008</span></a></span>Paul Cairneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16251742655255971584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-419071028432855105.post-79348595630333496752013-05-03T05:30:00.000-07:002013-07-09T09:49:01.839-07:00A Picture of Pathways to Impact This picture went into my recent ESRC application and it seemed a shame to just go to waste there (so to speak) ...<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkV0APhmWyjQCA2GcmGBxzj2FmONkSx_DiUIkwmEA823it2ms_6y_g3bEqdmLPViYizTWqvzpozxAJYin01tt0BQbm3WOIh67SxvzRoli6xEeiZP6ZEgiGObaTXsHixt5CCiZeoB9NTKYp/s1600/Za's+pathways+to+impact.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkV0APhmWyjQCA2GcmGBxzj2FmONkSx_DiUIkwmEA823it2ms_6y_g3bEqdmLPViYizTWqvzpozxAJYin01tt0BQbm3WOIh67SxvzRoli6xEeiZP6ZEgiGObaTXsHixt5CCiZeoB9NTKYp/s640/Za's+pathways+to+impact.jpg" width="452" /></a></div>
<br />
....It was drawn by <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><a href="http://zasmastersproject.wordpress.com/">Tereza Procházková</a>, who is a
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">Masters student of Service Design, a course run by <a href="http://www.dundee.ac.uk/djcad/staff/hazelwhite/">Hazel White</a> at the
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art & Design. I had asked Tereza to interpret my 'Case for Support' so that I could demonstrate to the ESRC how I would try to work with Tereza to produce some reports using words and pictures. The point is not to make superificial or simplistic arguments about complicated topics. Rather, the idea is that the production of drawings forces you to decide what the key points of a document are (perhaps in a stronger way than an abstract or set of bullet points would make you choose). The interpretation of my reports by someone else also allows me to check if I have managed to get my point across to an audience that doesn't understand the issues in the same way (see also <a href="http://paulcairney.blogspot.co.uk/2013/07/how-do-people-read-your-research.html">http://paulcairney.blogspot.co.uk/2013/07/how-do-people-read-your-research.html</a>). </span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">The idea came from <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">the CIPFA annual conference in Scotland in
2013. White’s students contributed to her lecture/ workshop on ‘Service
Design’ at the event and Tereza also summarised my
lecture (on complex policymaking systems) using text (found <a href="http://zasmastersproject.wordpress.com/2013/03/14/paul-cairney-complexity-theory-complex-adaptive-systems/">here</a>, compare with my lecture/ blog post <a href="http://paulcairney.blogspot.co.uk/2013/03/complexity-theory-and-policymaking.html">here</a>) and pictures. I don't *think* that it appealed to me simply because the picture of me was flattering. </span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><img alt="cipfa2" class=" wp-image-457" src="http://zasmastersproject.files.wordpress.com/2013/03/cipfa2.jpg?w=600" style="border: 0px currentColor;" width="600" /></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"></span></span><br />
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<o:p></o:p><br />Paul Cairneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16251742655255971584noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-419071028432855105.post-73410761712116048702013-04-29T14:14:00.000-07:002013-04-29T14:14:32.187-07:00Using the Internet for Political Research (POL9RM 30.4.13)
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
Since I am giving a lecture on
using the internet for political research (for POL9RM), it seems appropriate to upload it
to your actual internet. This is, depending on how you view these things,
either an excessively long or good-value blog. We might settle on ‘generous’.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
The lecture will be split into
two basic issues:<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
1. What type of information
should you seek, and from where?<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
2. What are the best (or, at
least, most used) tools to use to source that information?<o:p></o:p></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Types of Information<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
Before we examine how best to use
the internet for political research, we should consider why you (as a former first
year student) may have been advised *not* to rely on the internet to produce
essays. Why would there be such an objection to using freely available
information produced by such a wide range of people? Why, perhaps, would people
criticise you for favouring the democratic, as opposed to the elite, production
of knowledge? The answer is not that your older lecturers - who still remember
the days of punch cards, rolodexes, hard copy journals and the need to speak to
someone about borrowing books - resent the fact that you can get information so
quickly without going to a library or even leaving your home. It is also not a
form of group closure, in which we protect and promote our own people, methods
and types of information. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is not that
lecturers associate undergraduate student internet research with a small bunch
of people copy-and-pasting from Wikipedia into their essays (although this does
happen, sometimes). <o:p></o:p></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
The more important explanation is
that, in a world where the amount of information seems infinite, it may be
increasingly difficult to identify the information to which we should pay most
or least attention. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We need to identify
some sort of hierarchy of important and/ or reliable information. This is a
skill like any other. Your successful development of this skill will be
reflected in your grades, since it will relate to the willingness of your essay
markers to accept the information you present, according to the way in which
you account for your information.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
One way to address this issue is to
consider why lecturers tend to treat books and/ or journal articles as the gold
standard of information - at least as secondary sources, before you are
expected to do your own research using primary sources such as government
documents. <o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
Possible answers (though not
always useful answers) include:<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
1. They are peer reviewed.
Lecturers may recommend journals that only allow publication after a number of
relevant academics have commented on the work, often anonymously. The number of
peer reviewers may vary from 1 to 6; in my experience an article is usually read
by 2 or 3 anonymous reviewers. Their evaluation of journals may be linked
partly to the reputations that some journals have in terms of academic rigour, linked
to the need for scholars to anticipate and address critical reviews before
having their work accepted.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
2. They are competitive and much
work is rejected. Some journals have an acceptance rate below 10%, which helps
them develop an image of prestige and cutting edge research. (You can get a
rough idea of acceptance rates in politics and IR here - <a href="http://www.reviewmyreview.eu/"><span style="color: blue;">http://www.reviewmyreview.eu/</span></a> ). Some
people also put some faith in proxy measures of journal reputations, such as
their ‘impact factors’ (although this is a problematic faith). It is also an
increasing trend to evaluate the status of individual scholars according to the
extent to which the publication is cited by other scholars (see below on Google
scholar). Being well cited is a proxy used increasingly to gauge respect for
the information. <o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
3. They may be based on a long
period of scholarly research. This varies from discipline to discipline. Consider,
for example, the historical research produced over years after painstaking
attention to thousands of documents.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
4. The research may be
theoretically informed. Being theoretically informed means being aware of the
general implications of individual pieces of information. In part, this focus
on theory is based on one role of scientific research: to draw lessons from
sets of single cases to produce insights that may apply to many or all cases. A
focus on theory is a focus on generalisation – something that is difficult to
do if we rely only on information that is produced in very particular circumstances.
<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
5. The research may be
methodologically sophisticated. Most research is required to reach some sort of
level of sophistication. For example, a quantitative survey requires a certain
(large) number of responses to be considered statistically significant (in
other words, for us to conclude that the results could not have happened by
chance). It is then subject to a series of statistical techniques (which you
may learn, using programmes such as SPSS) to explore the associations between
variables. Qualitative research may be judged on different criteria, but there
is a similar requirement that the conduct of the research meets certain
professional criteria. The data may then be subject to further techniques to
gauge its meaning and significance. It is often a condition of journal article
acceptance that the scholars set out clearly their methods (and often provide a
copy of the data for others to use). <o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
6. The research may be
empirically rich. Much research is based on surveys of thousands of people or
qualitative interviews of dozens or hundreds. The data may be combined with
documentary and historical analysis to produce a wealth of information. That
information may be compared with information from other studies, to help
accumulate knowledge within particular fields. <o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
7. The authors may be meticulous
when they identify the source of their information. One aim of the scholarly
text is to show the reader where they got their information, to allow the
reader to follow up, confirm and/ or read further. Most of you will have
noticed the attention that we pay to your referencing style and bibliographies
(hopefully most of us are looking for a consistent style rather than a
particular style, although be suspicious of people who don’t agree that Harvard
is best). This is because, when people make empirical or theoretical claims,
the understanding is that they show us the information on which they based
their claims (or, at least, they give us the option to follow up their work).<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
It is according to these kinds of
criteria that we may judge other sources of information. In many cases, the
information may be useful even if it does not live up to many or any of these criteria.
For example, it is legitimate to use newspaper stories and commentary pieces,
particularly if they provide much-needed timely information and the source is
seen as reliable (indeed, although some newspapers now suffer poor reputations,
we can still identify a tradition of fact/ source checking as a routine part of
information gathering – partly, but not exclusively, because journalists are
generally proud of their reputations and newspaper managers do not want to be
sued). However, we would then have to consider the trade off against the academic
‘gold standard’ (is the information likely to be theoretically informed and
based on a sophisticated method?) and consider the extent to which the trade is
appropriate. In many cases, this just comes down to a mix of sources – student
essays could benefit from immediate sources but those sources may not be an
alternative to a more comprehensive review of the relevant literature. <o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
However, this is not to say that
academic information is unproblematic. We may be meticulous when we catalogue
our sources of information, but that information may still be of varying value.
For example, quantitative work may be limited by the availability of
information provided by other actors (such as governments) and qualitative work
may be limited by access to the right sources of information and simple things
like the ability of interviewees to recall or provide an honest recollection of
relevant information. The more difficult task, then, is to consider in more
depth how people access and present information and how we might compare and
critically analyse those sources to produce what we consider to be an accurate
or valuable overall assessment of the available information.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Search Tools<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
We might divide that search
broadly intro two categories: primary and secondary sources. I will a focus on
Scottish politics to tailor the advice.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<u>Secondary sources<o:p></o:p></u></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
The starting point for most
students is likely to be a secondary source: you look through the existing
academic literature for your information. Those texts analyse things like
government documents, and you get your information about those documents
indirectly, through a secondary source. <o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
For me, the best way to start a
search for secondary sources is to use Google Scholar (<a href="http://scholar.google.co.uk/"><span style="color: blue;">http://scholar.google.co.uk/</span></a>). You
enter a small number of search terms and it produces a list of materials to
consult. Most Universities also have the ability (particularly if you search on
campus) to link the article access directly to the search. Your results are
likely to reflect your search terms. For example, a search for ‘Scottish
politics’ reveals a list of general texts, while a search for referendums in
Scotland produces more specific texts. They tend to be organised according to
the extent to which they have been cited elsewhere (which often produces a tendency
for older materials to be listed first). <o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
A good rule of thumb is that you
should use Scholar more as you progress in your studies. The ‘further reading’
section of a textbook, or list of readings in a course guide, is essential when
you are an early undergraduate. When you become an advanced undergraduate, and
start to plan to write a relatively independent piece of work, you are expected
to do your own searches for the relevant literature. This will require you to
think carefully about your research question and the keywords you will have to
use to get the most out of the search. You may also need to think about the
sources of offer from Google scholar. There is now a wide availability of
journals and books, but how do you prioritise and/ or determine the quality of
the information?<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<u>Primary Sources<o:p></o:p></u></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
An independent project will also
prompt you to seek primary sources of information, including government and
parliamentary sources. This requires a bit more thought, since you are unlikely
to get useful information unless you have first thought about what your
research problem is and how you intend to address it. In other words, you think
about what you want to know, what are the most appropriate methods to get the
right information, and *then* do these sorts of searches. <o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Government and parliamentary sources<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
It is quite amusing to look
through the Burnham et al (2008) 2<sup>nd</sup> edition of ‘Research Methods in
Politics’ because it still talks about CD ROMS. These were growing in
popularity when I was a student, but you may never have used a physical, round,
disk to secure information (and may never have to). Instead, sources of
government and parliamentary information tend to be available online directly
from them (or, if you are that way inclined, through sites that claim to
provide documents that governments don’t want you to see). For example the
Scottish Government has a fairly extensive site (<a href="http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics"><span style="color: blue;">http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics</span></a>)
which allows you to search using key terms. This tends to be less
straightforward than a Google Scholar search, forcing you to be much clearer in
your mind about what sort of information you want (since you will have to be
fairly specific in your search unless you want to sift through a tonne of
information). Similarly, the Scottish Parliament (<a href="http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/"><span style="color: blue;">http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/</span></a>)
provides a written record of virtually anything that any MSP has said in a
committee or plenary discussion since 1999, as well as a full record of written
and oral evidence to committees. Again, there is too much information to
browse, so you first need to think about what you want to know. <o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Newspapers<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
Lexis Nexis (which can be
accessed through library resources) is a key archive of UK newspapers and can
track the Scottish papers to some extent (it is OK for Scottish papers like the
Scotsman, Herald, Daily Record and Press & Journal, but it does not store
Scottish editions of the UK papers like the Daily Mail). The archive varies,
with papers like The Times providing the longest stretches of data (the
Scotsman has also begun to archive its really old material). Again, to make the
search manageable (below, say, 1000 stories), you need to be very specific
about what you want. For example, a search for Scotland AND referendum AND
independence will produce thousands of stories which will take you days to get through
(unless you focus on a short space of time). <o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Blogs<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
Blogs are a minefield. Consider
the extent to which they meet the gold standard criteria I outlined above. Some
of them might do, but how would you know? I would treat blogs in the way that I
might treat newspapers: you might trust them if they have a good reputation
(but, then, whose opinions do you trust on reputations?). You should also
expect biased, and often highly biased, opinions. That means that they can be a
good source of information, but you might ask yourself if you can rely on a
blog on its own, or as something to be compared with one or more sources. Interestingly
(for me at least), along with my co-author on the 2<sup>nd</sup> ed of Scottish
Politics, Neil McGarvey, I had to come up with a list of websites to check out.
The idea is that they would be relatively useful, but is this list (below)
particularly reliable? Or, are they simply the ones that came to mind at the
time?<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 12pt 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="color: black; mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt;">SCOTTISH POLITICS BLOGS<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 12pt 0cm 10pt;">
<a href="http://www.betternation.org/"><span style="mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt;"><span style="color: blue;">http://www.betternation.org/</span></span></a><span style="color: black; mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 12pt 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="color: black; mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt;"><a href="http://brightgreenscotland.org/"><span style="color: blue;">http://brightgreenscotland.org/</span></a> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 12pt 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="color: black; mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt;"><a href="http://underdogsbiteupwards.blogspot.com/"><span style="color: blue;">http://underdogsbiteupwards.blogspot.com/</span></a>
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 12pt 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="color: black; mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt;"><a href="http://lallandspeatworrier.blogspot.com/"><span style="color: blue;">http://lallandspeatworrier.blogspot.com/</span></a>
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 12pt 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="color: black; mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt;"><a href="http://burdzeyeview.wordpress.com/"><span style="color: blue;">http://burdzeyeview.wordpress.com/</span></a>
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 12pt 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="color: black; mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt;"><a href="http://www.labourhame.com/"><span style="color: blue;">http://www.labourhame.com/</span></a>
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 12pt 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="color: black; mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt;"><a href="http://andrewrunning.blogspot.com/"><span style="color: blue;">http://andrewrunning.blogspot.com/</span></a>
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 12pt 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="color: black; mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt;"><a href="http://bellacaledonia.org.uk/"><span style="color: blue;">http://bellacaledonia.org.uk/</span></a> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 12pt 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="color: black; mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt;"><a href="http://www.scotgoespop.blogspot.com/"><span style="color: blue;">http://www.scotgoespop.blogspot.com/</span></a>
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 12pt 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="color: black; mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt;"><a href="http://joanmcalpine.typepad.com/"><span style="color: blue;">http://joanmcalpine.typepad.com/</span></a> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 12pt 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="color: black; mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt;"><a href="http://www.gerryhassan.com/"><span style="color: blue;">http://www.gerryhassan.com/</span></a> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 12pt 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="color: black; mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt;"><a href="http://iainmacwhirter2.blogspot.com/"><span style="color: blue;">http://iainmacwhirter2.blogspot.com/</span></a>
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 12pt 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="color: black; mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt;"><a href="http://albamatters.blogspot.com/"><span style="color: blue;">http://albamatters.blogspot.com/</span></a> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 12pt 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="color: black; mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt;"><a href="http://the-universality-of-cheese.blogspot.com/"><span style="color: blue;">http://the-universality-of-cheese.blogspot.com/</span></a>
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 12pt 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="color: black; mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt;"><a href="http://theshooglypeg.com/"><span style="color: blue;">http://theshooglypeg.com/</span></a>
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 12pt 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="color: black; mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt;"><a href="http://scotspolitics.com/"><span style="color: blue;">http://scotspolitics.com</span></a>
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black; mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt;"><a href="http://wingsland.podgamer.com/meltdown-man/"><span style="color: blue;">http://wingsland.podgamer.com/meltdown-man/</span></a>
</span><o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<o:p> </o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Twitter and other things<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
I tend to use Twitter as an
alternative to the TV, as an additional source of entertainment. However, it is
possible to sign up to a wide range of news and party sites and to use twitter
as an alternative to reading newspapers page by page. This provides you with a
new source of bias, but perhaps no more problematic than sticking with a paper
like the Daily Mail. You might even simply follow specific lists (such as
academics on twitter) or, if you are feeling particularly lazy, just look at
the list of people/ organisations I follow and piggyback on that.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There are things that are particularly useful,
such as the LSE blog sites and accounts such as ‘Writing For Research’ which
you might find more useful if you progress to postgraduate work. <o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">And finally ..<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 12pt 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="color: black; mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt;">Here is a list of websites that
Neil and I produced for our book. It is likely to be a bit scattergun and
biased (for example, we don’t list small party websites), and some will already
be out of date, but there may be some sources there that you wouldn’t otherwise
consider. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 12pt 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="color: black; mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt;">EXAMPLES OF POTENTIALLY USEFUL
WEBSITES ON SCOTTISH POLITICS <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 12pt 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="color: black; mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt;">(from the chapters of the
forthcoming 2<sup>nd</sup> ed. of ‘Scottish Politics’ by Paul Cairney and Neil
McGarvey)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 12pt 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="color: black; mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt;">The idea here is that these
websites might get you started if you don’t want to rely on a scattergun search
engine search. It is not a particularly well-thought-out list, so be careful! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 12pt 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="color: black; mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt;">DEVOLUTION <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 12pt 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="color: black; mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt;">Scottish Parliament </span><a href="http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/"><span style="mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt;"><span style="color: blue;">http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/</span></span></a><span style="color: black; mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt;"> <br />
Report of the Consultative Steering Group </span><a href="http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/PublicInformationdocuments/Report_of_the_Consultative_Steering_Group.pdf"><span style="mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt;"><span style="color: blue;">http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/PublicInformationdocuments/Report_of_the_Consultative_Steering_Group.pdf</span></span></a><span style="color: black; mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><br />
The Economic and Social Research Council ‘Devolution and Constitutional Change’
research programme </span><a href="http://www.devolution.ac.uk/"><span style="color: black; mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">http://www.devolution.ac.uk</span></a><span style="color: black; mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>and ‘The
Future of the UK and Scotland’ </span><a href="http://www.esrc.ac.uk/about-esrc/what-we-do/our-research/future-of-uk-and-scotland/index.aspx"><span style="mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt;"><span style="color: blue;">http://www.esrc.ac.uk/about-esrc/what-we-do/our-research/future-of-uk-and-scotland/index.aspx</span></span></a>
<span style="color: black; mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><br />
University of London’s Constitution Unit </span><a href="http://www.ucl.ac.uk/constitution-unit/"><span style="mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt;"><span style="color: blue;">http://www.ucl.ac.uk/constitution-unit/</span></span></a><span style="color: black; mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><br />
UK Politics page </span><a href="http://www.ukpolitics.org.uk/"><span style="color: blue;">http://www.ukpolitics.org.uk/</span></a>
<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
Paul Cairney’s Blog: <a href="http://paulcairney.blogspot.co.uk/"><span style="color: blue;">http://paulcairney.blogspot.co.uk/</span></a><span class="MsoHyperlink"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 12pt 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="color: black; mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt;">MEDIA <br />
</span><a href="http://www.smg.plc.uk/"><span style="color: black; mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">http://www.smg.plc.uk</span></a><span style="color: black; mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt;"> <br />
</span><a href="http://www.allmediascotland.com/"><span style="color: black; mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">http://www.allmediascotland.com</span></a><span style="color: black; mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt;"> <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><br />
</span><a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/scotland/"><span style="color: black; mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">http://www.bbc.co.uk/scotland/</span></a><span style="color: black; mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt;"> <br />
<a href="http://www.theherald.co.uk/"><span style="color: blue;">http://www.theherald.co.uk/</span></a> <br />
</span><a href="http://www.scotsman.com/"><span style="color: black; mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">http://www.scotsman.com</span></a><span style="color: black; mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt;"> <br />
<a href="http://www.holyroodmag.com/"><span style="color: blue;">http://www.holyroodmag.com/</span></a> <br />
<a href="http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/"><span style="color: blue;">http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/</span></a> <br />
<a href="http://www.scotlandonsunday.com/"><span style="color: blue;">http://www.scotlandonsunday.com/</span></a>
<br />
</span><a href="http://www.sundayherald.com/"><span style="color: black; mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">http://www.sundayherald.com</span></a><span style="color: black; mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt;"> <br />
</span><a href="http://www.thisisnorthscotland.co.uk/"><span style="color: black; mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">http://www.thisisnorthscotland.co.uk</span></a><span style="color: black; mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 12pt 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt;">SCOTTISH
ECONOMY</span><span style="color: black; mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 12pt 0cm 10pt;">
<a href="http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Economy"><span style="mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt;"><span style="color: blue;">http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Economy</span></span></a><span style="color: black; mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 12pt 0cm 10pt;">
<a href="http://www.scottisheconomywatch.com/"><span style="mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt;"><span style="color: blue;">http://www.scottisheconomywatch.com/</span></span></a><span style="color: black; mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 12pt 0cm 10pt;">
<a href="http://www.cppr.ac.uk/centres/cppr/analysisofthescottisheconomy/"><span style="mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt;"><span style="color: blue;">http://www.cppr.ac.uk/centres/cppr/analysisofthescottisheconomy/</span></span></a><span style="color: black; mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 12pt 0cm 10pt;">
<a href="http://www.strath.ac.uk/fraser/"><span style="mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt;"><span style="color: blue;">http://www.strath.ac.uk/fraser/</span></span></a><span style="color: black; mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 12pt 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="color: black; mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt;">SCOTTISH SOCIETY<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 12pt 0cm 10pt;">
<a href="http://www.scottishcivictrust.org.uk/"><span style="mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt;"><span style="color: blue;">http://www.scottishcivictrust.org.uk/</span></span></a><span style="color: black; mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 12pt 0cm 10pt;">
<a href="http://www.stuc.org.uk/"><span style="mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt;"><span style="color: blue;">http://www.stuc.org.uk/</span></span></a><span style="color: black; mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 12pt 0cm 10pt;">
<a href="http://www.churchofscotland.org.uk/"><span style="mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt;"><span style="color: blue;">http://www.churchofscotland.org.uk</span></span></a><span style="color: black; mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 12pt 0cm 10pt;">
<a href="http://www.scmo.org/"><span style="mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt;"><span style="color: blue;">http://www.scmo.org/</span></span></a><span style="color: black; mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 12pt 0cm 10pt;">
<a href="http://www.eis.org.uk/"><span style="mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt;"><span style="color: blue;">http://www.eis.org.uk/</span></span></a><span style="color: black; mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 12pt 0cm 10pt;">
<a href="http://www.cosla.gov.uk/"><span style="mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt;"><span style="color: blue;">http://www.cosla.gov.uk/</span></span></a><span style="color: black; mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<a href="http://www.sns.gov.uk/"><span style="mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt;"><span style="color: blue;">http://www.sns.gov.uk/</span></span></a><span class="MsoHyperlink"><span style="mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">POLITICAL PARTIES<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
Scottish Conservative Party <a href="http://www.scottish.tory.org.uk/"><span style="color: blue;">http://www.scottish.tory.org.uk/</span></a> <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><br />
Scottish Green Party <a href="http://www.scottishgreens.org.uk/"><span style="color: blue;">http://www.scottishgreens.org.uk/</span></a>
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><br />
Scottish Labour Party <a href="http://www.scottishlabour.org.uk/"><span style="color: blue;">http://www.scottishlabour.org.uk/</span></a>
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><br />
Scottish Liberal-Democrats <span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><a href="http://www.scotlibdems.org/"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="color: blue;">http://www.scotlibdems.org</span></span></a></span>.uk/ <br />
Scottish National Party <span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><a href="http://www.snp.org.uk/"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="color: blue;">http://www.snp.org.uk</span></span></a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">ELECTIONS<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 12pt 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="color: black; mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt;"><a href="http://www.bcomm-scotland.independent.gov.uk/"><span style="color: blue;">http://www.bcomm-scotland.independent.gov.uk/</span></a>
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><br />
</span><a href="http://www.votescotland.com/"><span style="color: black; mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">http://www.votescotland.com</span></a><span style="color: black; mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt;"> <br />
<a href="http://www.electoralcommission.org.uk/scotland"><span style="color: blue;">http://www.electoralcommission.org.uk/scotland</span></a>
<br />
</span><a href="http://www.fairvote.org/"><span style="color: black; mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">http://www.fairvote.org</span></a><span style="color: black; mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt;"> <br />
</span><a href="http://www.yougov.com/"><span style="color: black; mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">http://www.yougov.com</span></a><span style="color: black; mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt;"> <br />
</span><a href="http://www.populuslimited.com/"><span style="color: black; mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">http://www.populuslimited.com</span></a><span style="color: black; mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt;"> <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 12pt 0cm 10pt;">
<a href="http://www.crest/"><span style="color: black; mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">http://www.crest</span></a><span style="color: black; mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt;">.</span><a href="http://ox.ac.uk/"><span style="color: black; mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">ox.ac.uk</span></a><span style="color: black; mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt;"> <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 12pt 0cm 10pt;">
<a href="http://www.aboutmyvote.co.uk/"><span style="mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt;"><span style="color: blue;">http://www.aboutmyvote.co.uk/</span></span></a><span style="color: black; mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 12pt 0cm 10pt;">
<a href="http://www.hansardsociety.org.uk/"><span style="mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt;"><span style="color: blue;">http://www.hansardsociety.org.uk/</span></span></a><span style="color: black; mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 12pt 0cm 10pt;">
<a href="http://ukpollingreport.co.uk/blog/archives/category/scotland"><span style="mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt;"><span style="color: blue;">http://ukpollingreport.co.uk/blog/archives/category/scotland</span></span></a><span style="color: black; mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 12pt 0cm 10pt;">
<a href="http://www.electoralcalculus.co.uk/polls_scot.html"><span style="mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt;"><span style="color: blue;">http://www.electoralcalculus.co.uk/polls_scot.html</span></span></a><span style="color: black; mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 12pt 0cm 10pt;">
<a href="http://www.scottishelections.org.uk/"><span style="mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt;"><span style="color: blue;">http://www.scottishelections.org.uk/</span></span></a><span style="color: black; mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 12pt 0cm 10pt;">
<a href="http://www7.politicalbetting.com/"><span style="mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt;"><span style="color: blue;">http://www7.politicalbetting.com</span></span></a><span style="color: black; mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">PARLIAMENT<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 12pt 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black; mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt;">Scottish Parliament </span><a href="http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/"><span style="mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt;"><span style="color: blue;">http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/</span></span></a><span style="color: black; mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt;"> <br />
Scottish Constitutional Convention </span><a href="http://www.almac.co.uk/business_park/scc/"><span style="mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt;"><span style="color: blue;">http://www.almac.co.uk/business_park/scc/</span></span></a><span style="color: black; mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><br />
Consultative Steering Group </span><a href="http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/PublicInformationdocuments/Report_of_the_Consultative_Steering_Group.pdf"><span style="mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt;"><span style="color: blue;">http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/PublicInformationdocuments/Report_of_the_Consultative_Steering_Group.pdf</span></span></a><span style="color: black; mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><br />
House of Commons </span><a href="http://www.parliament.uk/business/commons/"><span style="color: blue;">http://www.parliament.uk/business/commons/</span></a><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black; mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>UCL
Constitution Unit - </span><a href="http://www.ucl.ac.uk/constitution-unit/"><span style="mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt;"><span style="color: blue;">http://www.ucl.ac.uk/constitution-unit/</span></span></a><span class="MsoHyperlink"><span style="mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">SCOTTISH GOVERNMENT<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 12pt 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="color: black; mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt;">Scottish Government </span><a href="http://www.scotland.gov.uk/"><span style="mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt;"><span style="color: blue;">http://www.scotland.gov.uk/</span></span></a><span style="color: black; mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 12pt 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="color: black; mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt;">Scotland Performs - </span><a href="http://www.scotland.gov.uk/About/Performance/scotPerforms"><span style="mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt;"><span style="color: blue;">http://www.scotland.gov.uk/About/Performance/scotPerforms</span></span></a><span style="color: black; mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 12pt 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="color: black; mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt;">UK Cabinet Office </span><a href="http://www.cabinet-office.gov.uk/"><span style="color: black; mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">http://www.cabinet-office.gov.uk</span></a><span style="color: black; mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><br />
Scottish Ministerial Code </span><a href="http://www.scotland.gov.uk/About/14944/684"><span style="color: black; mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">http://www.scotland.gov.uk/About/14944/684</span></a><span style="color: black; mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span></span><o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>GOVERNMENT BEYOND THE CENTRE<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><a href="http://www.scottishhousingregulator.gov.uk/"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="color: blue;">http://www.scottishhousingregulator.gov.uk/</span></span></a></span>
<br />
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><a href="http://www.creativescotland.com/"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="color: blue;">http://www.creativescotland.com/</span></span></a></span> <br />
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><a href="http://www.visitscotland.com/"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="color: blue;">http://www.visitscotland.com/</span></span></a></span> <br />
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><a href="http://www.scottish-enterprise.com/"><span style="color: blue;">http://www.scottish-enterprise.com/</span></a>
</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><br />
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><a href="http://www.cosla.gov.uk/"><span style="color: blue;">http://www.cosla.gov.uk</span></a></span> <o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><a href="http://www.improvementservice.org.uk/"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="color: blue;">http://www.improvementservice.org.uk/</span></span></a></span>
<br />
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><a href="http://www.show.scot.nhs.uk/"><span style="color: blue;">http://www.show.scot.nhs.uk</span></a></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><br />
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><a href="http://www.scvo.org.uk/"><span style="color: blue;">http://www.scvo.org.uk</span></a></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><a href="http://www.scottishfuturestrust.org.uk/"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="color: blue;">http://www.scottishfuturestrust.org.uk</span></span></a>
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">INTEREST GROUPS <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 12pt 0px 1em; mso-add-space: auto;">
<span style="color: black; mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt;">Convention
of Scottish Local Authorities </span><a href="http://www.cosla.gov.uk/"><span style="color: blue;">http://www.cosla.gov.uk/</span></a><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="color: black; mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt;"><br />
Friends of the Earth Scotland </span><a href="file:///F:/STIRLING%20TEACHING/POL9RM/%20http:/www.foe-scotland.org.uk/%20%20"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>http://www.foe-scotland.org.uk/<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></a><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="color: black; mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt;"><br />
Scottish Council for Development and Industry </span><a href="http://www.scdi.org.uk/"><span style="color: blue;">http://www.scdi.org.uk/</span></a> <span style="color: black; mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt;"><br />
Scottish Trades Union Congress </span><a href="http://www.stuc.org.uk/"><span style="color: blue;">http://www.stuc.org.uk/</span></a>
<span style="color: black; mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt;"><br />
CBI Scotland </span><a href="http://www.cbi.org.uk/about-the-cbi/uk/scotland/"><span style="color: blue;">http://www.cbi.org.uk/about-the-cbi/uk/scotland/</span></a>
<span style="color: black; mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt;"><br />
Scottish Council for Voluntary Organizations </span><a href="http://www.scvo.org.uk/"><span style="color: blue;">http://www.scvo.org.uk/</span></a><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 12pt 0px 1em; mso-add-space: auto;">
NFU Scotland - <a href="http://www.nfus.org.uk/"><span style="color: blue;">http://www.nfus.org.uk/</span></a>
<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 12pt 0px 1em; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: justify;">
Scotch Whisky Association - <a href="http://www.scotch-whisky.org.uk/"><span style="color: blue;">http://www.scotch-whisky.org.uk/</span></a> <o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 12pt 0px 1em; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: justify;">
ASH Scotland - <a href="http://www.ashscotland.org.uk/"><span style="color: blue;">http://www.ashscotland.org.uk/</span></a> <o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black; mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt;">Educational Institute of Scotland - </span><a href="http://www.eis.org.uk/"><span style="mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt;"><span style="color: blue;">http://www.eis.org.uk/</span></span></a><span class="MsoHyperlink"><span style="mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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SCOTTISH PUBLIC POLICY <o:p></o:p></div>
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ScotHub<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><a href="http://www.scothub.org/"><span style="color: blue;">http://www.scothub.org/</span></a><o:p></o:p></div>
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Centre for Scottish Public Policy <a href="http://www.cspp.org.uk/"><span style="color: blue;">http://www.cspp.org.uk</span></a><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><br />
Centre for Public Policy for Regions <a href="http://www.cppr.ac.uk/"><span style="color: blue;">http://www.cppr.ac.uk</span></a><o:p></o:p></div>
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For SPICe summaries of all
Scottish Government bills see <a href="http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/parliamentarybusiness/Bills/12417.aspx"><span style="color: blue;">http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/parliamentarybusiness/Bills/12417.aspx</span></a><span class="MsoHyperlink"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">INTERGOVERNMENTAL ISSUES<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt;">Alan Trench </span><a href="http://devolutionmatters.wordpress.com/"><span style="mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt;"><span style="color: blue;">http://devolutionmatters.wordpress.com</span></span></a><span style="color: black; mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt;">Cabinet Office
http://www.cabinet-office.gov.uk/<br />
Scotland Office http://www.scottishsecretary.gov.uk/<br />
Scotland Europa </span><a href="http://www.scotlandeuropa.com/"><span style="color: black; mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">http://www.scotlandeuropa.com</span></a><span style="color: black; mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt;"> <br />
Government EU Office </span><a href="http://www.scotland.gov.uk/euoffice"><span style="color: black; mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">http://www.scotland.gov.uk/euoffice</span></a><span style="color: black; mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt;"> <br />
British/Irish Council </span><a href="http://wwwl.british-irishcouncil.org/"><span style="color: black; mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">http://www1.british-irishcouncil.org</span></a> <o:p></o:p></div>
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UK Supreme Court
- <a href="http://www.supremecourt.gov.uk/index.html"><span style="color: blue;">http://www.supremecourt.gov.uk/index.html</span></a>
<span style="color: black; mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt;">McKay Commission </span><a href="http://tmc.independent.gov.uk/"><span style="mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt;"><span style="color: blue;">http://tmc.independent.gov.uk/</span></span></a><o:p></o:p></div>
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Lallands Peat Worrier <a href="http://lallandspeatworrier.blogspot.co.uk/2012/09/baccymongers-bankers-supremes.html"><span style="color: blue;">http://lallandspeatworrier.blogspot.co.uk/2012/09/baccymongers-bankers-supremes.html</span></a><span class="MsoHyperlink"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">FINANCE<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt;">UK National Statistics </span><a href="http://www.statistics.gov.uk/hub/index.html"><span style="color: blue;">http://www.statistics.gov.uk/hub/index.html</span></a>
<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="color: black; mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt;">Her Majesty’s Treasury </span><a href="http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/"><span style="mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt;"><span style="color: blue;">http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/</span></span></a><span style="color: black; mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt;">Scottish Government </span><a href="http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Economy"><span style="mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt;"><span style="color: blue;">http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Economy</span></span></a><span style="color: black; mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt;"> <br />
Scottish Parliament </span><a href="http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/parliamentarybusiness/17534.aspx"><span style="mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt;"><span style="color: blue;">http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/parliamentarybusiness/17534.aspx</span></span></a><span style="color: black; mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt;">Improvement Service (</span><a href="http://www.improvementservice.org.uk/"><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt;"><span style="color: blue;">http://www.improvementservice.org.uk/</span></span></a><span class="MsoHyperlink"><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">CONSTITUTIONAL ISSUES<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Scotland Act 2012 <a href="http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2012/11/pdfs/ukpga_20120011_en.pdf"><span style="color: blue;">http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2012/11/pdfs/ukpga_20120011_en.pdf</span></a><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
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Scotland Act 2012 Sewel Motion -
Scottish Parliament Official Report 18.4.12 <a href="http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/parliamentarybusiness/28862.aspx?r=6972"><span style="color: blue;">http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/parliamentarybusiness/28862.aspx?r=6972</span></a><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
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Scotland Bill committee final
report <a href="http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/parliamentarybusiness/PreviousCommittees/29884.aspx"><span style="color: blue;">http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/parliamentarybusiness/PreviousCommittees/29884.aspx</span></a><o:p></o:p></div>
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Calman Commission - <a href="http://www.commissiononscottishdevolution.org.uk/"><span style="color: blue;">http://www.commissiononscottishdevolution.org.uk/</span></a>
<o:p></o:p></div>
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National Conversation - <a href="http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/constitution/a-national-conversation"><span style="color: blue;">http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/constitution/a-national-conversation</span></a>
<o:p></o:p></div>
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Steel Commission - <a href="http://www.scotlibdems.org.uk/files/steelcommission.pdf"><span style="color: blue;">http://www.scotlibdems.org.uk/files/steelcommission.pdf</span></a>
<o:p></o:p></div>
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Scotland Office - <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/news/factual-analysis-promised-as-legal-implications-of-scottish-independence-made-clear"><span style="color: blue;">https://www.gov.uk/government/news/factual-analysis-promised-as-legal-implications-of-scottish-independence-made-clear</span></a>
<o:p></o:p></div>
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Scottish Government - <a href="http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2013/02/8079"><span style="color: blue;">http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2013/02/8079</span></a>
<o:p></o:p></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
Scottish Government’s Council of
Economic Advisers Fiscal Commission Working Group - <a href="http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Economy/Council-Economic-Advisers/FCWG"><span style="color: blue;">http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Economy/Council-Economic-Advisers/FCWG</span></a>
<o:p></o:p></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
Alan Trench - <a href="http://devolutionmatters.wordpress.com/"><span style="color: blue;">http://devolutionmatters.wordpress.com/</span></a>
<o:p></o:p></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
Lallands Peat Worrier - <a href="http://lallandspeatworrier.blogspot.co.uk/"><span style="color: blue;">http://lallandspeatworrier.blogspot.co.uk/</span></a>
<o:p></o:p></div>
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ScottishPol - <a href="http://scottishpol.blogspot.co.uk/"><span style="color: blue;">http://scottishpol.blogspot.co.uk/</span></a>
<o:p></o:p></div>
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BBC - <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/scotland/scotland_politics/"><span style="color: blue;">http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/scotland/scotland_politics/</span></a><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
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Newsnet Scotland - <a href="http://www.newsnetscotland.com/index.php/scottish-opinion/4341-a-unionist-lexicon-an-a-z-of-unionist-scare-stories-myths-and-misinformation"><span style="color: blue;">http://www.newsnetscotland.com/index.php/scottish-opinion/4341-a-unionist-lexicon-an-a-z-of-unionist-scare-stories-myths-and-misinformation</span></a>
<o:p></o:p></div>
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Scots Independent - <a href="http://www.scotsindependent.org/index.htm"><span style="color: blue;">http://www.scotsindependent.org/index.htm</span></a>
<o:p></o:p></div>
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Constitution Unit - <a href="http://www.ucl.ac.uk/constitution-unit/"><span style="color: blue;">http://www.ucl.ac.uk/constitution-unit/</span></a>
<o:p></o:p></div>
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Edinburgh University Blog - <a href="http://www.referendum.ed.ac.uk/"><span style="color: blue;">http://www.referendum.ed.ac.uk/</span></a> <o:p></o:p></div>
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Scottish Constitutional Futures
Forum - <a href="http://www.scottishconstitutionalfutures.org/Home/tabid/1269/Default.aspx"><span style="color: blue;">http://www.scottishconstitutionalfutures.org/Home/tabid/1269/Default.aspx</span></a>
<o:p></o:p></div>
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ESRC - <a href="http://www.esrc.ac.uk/about-esrc/what-we-do/our-research/future-of-uk-and-scotland/index.aspx"><span style="color: blue;">http://www.esrc.ac.uk/about-esrc/what-we-do/our-research/future-of-uk-and-scotland/index.aspx</span></a>
<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">AND FINALLY again<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Maybe you have read this far to see what we can
say about Wikipedia. My view is that I am sometimes pleasantly surprised about
what I see on some of those pages. However, you will find very few academics
that will trust your information if your source is Wikipedia (partly because it
is difficult to know who is providing the information, how they got it, how
well they cite that information, and how easy the information is to edit and
manipulate). Maybe a good rule of thumb is that you look at it for a short cut
to information, but that you do not rely on it as your definitive source.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Paul Cairneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16251742655255971584noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-419071028432855105.post-78643530013154196702013-04-25T13:07:00.000-07:002013-04-25T13:07:29.103-07:00Brian AdamThere is a well written obituary of Brian Adam here - http://local.stv.tv/aberdeen/news/222852-brian-adams-death-at-just-64-robs-scottish-politics-of-a-much-admired-man/<br />
<br />
I would like to add that he was very helpful to my students during my time at Aberdeen (as were people like Richard Baker and Alex Johnstone). He was the sort of MSP who would always offer his services to give informal lectures, either at the University or in Holyrood. He would do so even when he knew he should be elsewhere (such as in the chamber to vote or persuade others to vote the right way). He was refreshingly frank about the details of things like whipping, in a no nonsense, not particularly careful way. I think that students really appreciated it. He also gave about 8 of my students (as many as could cram into the lift) a decent story, by telling me that an article I wrote, about the SNP, in Holyrood Magazine, was "guff" before reminding me to get out of my ivory tower. It may have been a little bit uncomfortable at the time, but I bet that a lot of people will have a little giggle as they remember that sort of exchange with Brian.Paul Cairneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16251742655255971584noreply@blogger.com1