Liberty beyond neo-liberalism: a republican critique of liberal governance in a globalising age

Steven Slaughter examines whether liberals can govern in a way that promotes liberty and moderates the significant social dislocation associated with neo-liberalism and economic globalisation. This book critically evaluates the potential of various liberal arguments to adequately address the harmful social aspects of economic globalisation in three distinct stages. First, it examines the configuration of contemporary economic globalisation and the consequences of this process for liberal thought and governance. Second, it examines contemporary liberal approaches by critically examining a series of liberal texts that provide practical alternative schemes of governance. Third, in finding these contemporary liberal arguments insufficient to the task of a socially responsible regulation of economic globalisation, the book concludes with an innovative scheme that stems from neo-Roman republican political theory.
This alternate approach is termed global civic republicanism and seeks to retrieve the public and civic character of the state in order to provide its citizens protection from economic vulnerability and thereby constitute a resilient form of individual liberty. As such, the philosophical and practical resources that support the idea of republican states are outlined and contrasted with cosmopolitan modes of thought. The legacy of republican ideas in respect to political economy, world politics and global governance are also examined.

Conjugated linoleic acid decreases fat accretion in pigs evaluation by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry

Thirty female Large White × Landrace pigs (average weight 57·2 (SD 1·9) kg) were allocated to one of six dietary treatments containing 0, 1·25, 2·5, 5·0, 7·5 or 10·0 g 55 % conjugated linoleic acids (CLA) isomers (CLA-55)/kg diet and fed for 8 weeks. Each pig was scanned at 0, 28 and 56 d and again at post slaughter using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) to determine the temporal pattern of body composition responses. Values determined by DXA were adjusted using regression equations generated from validation experiments between chemically and DXA-predicted values. Overall, there was a significant linear reduction in fat content with the increasing levels of CLA in the diet (P=0·007, P=0·011, P=0·008 at week 4, week 8 and for the carcass, respectively). The greatest improvement was recorded at the early stages of CLA supplementation and for the highest dose of CLA (week 4, -19·2 % compared with week 8, -13·7 %). In the first 4 weeks of feeding CLA, pigs receiving 10 g CLA-55/kg diet deposited 93 g less fat/d than pigs fed basal diets (P=0·002) compared with only 6 g less fat than control animals in the final 4 weeks. Lean content and lean deposition rate were maximised at 5 and 2·5 g CLA-55/kg diet for the first 4 weeks (P=0·016) and the final 4 weeks of treatment (P=0·17), respectively. DXA estimates of bone mineral content and bone mineral density were not affected by CLA supplementation throughout the experiment. These data demonstrate that dietary CLA decreases body fat in a dose-dependent manner and that the response is greatest over the initial 4 weeks of treatment.

Dietary conjugated linoleic acid improves carcass leanness without altering meat quality in the growing pig

One constraint facing the pig industry is that ad libitum feeding can often result in high levels of body fat and technologies which can reduce the ratio of lean to fat deposition in the pig are continually being explored. Conjugated linoleic acids have been shown to decrease body fat content in pigs. Therefore, the aim of this study was to determine whether dietary conjugated linoleic acids supplementation has any effect on meat quality and carcass characteristics in finisher pigs. Sixty female crossbred (Large White × Landrace) pigs (average initial weight 56.6 ± 1.9 kg and average initial P2 backfat 11.4 ± 1.3 mm) were used in the present study. Pigs were individually housed and randomly allocated to 1 of 6 dietary treatments: 0, 0.125, 0.25, 0.50, 0.75 or 1.0% (w/w) of conjugated linoleic acids-55. The wheat-based diets were formulated to contain 14.3 MJ DE and 9.3 g available lysine per kg and were fed ad libitum for 8 weeks. Pigs were slaughtered and meat quality was determined on the longissimus thoracis using standard techniques. Dietary conjugated linoleic acids reduced subcutaneous back fat in a linear manner with effects being most pronounced in the middle back fat layer. There was also a linear (P<0.001) decrease in intramuscular fat with increasing dietary conjugated linoleic acids supplementation. However, there was no effect of conjugated linoleic acids on subjective measures of marbling of the loin. Also, loin muscle ultimate pH (P = 0.94), lightness values (P = 0.46) subjective colour scores (P = 0.79), cooking loss (P = 0.71), drip loss (P = 0.40), shear force (P = 0.61) and subjective measures of wetness/firmness (P = 0.19) were unaffected. Dietary conjugated linoleic acids did not alter oxidation, as measured by the level of TBARs at day 1 post-slaughter (P = 0.38) or after 9 days of simulated retail display (P = 0.35). These data confirm that dietary conjugated linoleic acids can improve carcass quality by decreasing back fat depths without having any detrimental effects on meat quality.

Feed intake, growth, plasma glucose and urea nitrogen concentration, and cacass traits of lambs fed isoenergetic amounts of canola meal, soybean meal, and fish meal with forage based diet.

This experiment was conducted to examine the effect of feeding small, isoenergetic amounts of supplements containing high protein and functional lipid components, rather than the greater amounts of cereal and/or legume grains usually fed during the dry season in Australia, on dry matter intake (DMI), growth performance, plasma metabolites, and fat deposition in lambs consuming low quality roughage. Thirty two crossbred wether lambs ([Merino × Border Leicester] × Poll Dorset) were divided into four groups by stratified randomization according to liveweight (26–33 kg). After a 7-day adaptation to a hay diet (lucerne hay:oaten hay; 30:70), lambs were allocated to four treatments consisting of (1) basal diet of lucerne hay:oat hay (20:80; metabolizable energy (ME) = 7.0 MJ/kg DM), Basal; (2) basal + canola meal (84 g per day), CM; (3) basal + soymeal (75 g per day), SM; or (4) basal + fishmeal (80 g per day), FM. Daily hay and supplement DMI, and weekly liveweight were recorded during a 53-day experimental study. Blood samples were taken on day 1 and pre- and post-feeding on days 30 and 53 to measure changes in plasma glucose and plasma urea nitrogen (PUN) concentration. At the end of the experiment, lambs were slaughtered and hot carcass weight (HCW) recorded; cold carcass fatness (total muscle and adipose tissue depth at 12th rib, 110 mm from midline; GR) was determined at 24 h postmortem. Total DMI was increased (P < 0.001) in CM, SM and FM treatments, but basal hay DMI intake was only increased (P < 0.01) in CM and FM treatments compared with Basal treatment. This resulted in significant (P < 0.01) increases in metabolizable energy (ME) and crude protein (CP) intakes in all supplemented treatments, with the highest intakes recorded in the FM treatment. Liveweight gain (LWG) was significantly increased in CM and SM (P < 0.05) and FM (P < 0.01) treatments but HCW was significantly (P < 0.01) heavier slaughter only in the FM treatment. Feed conversion efficiency (P < 0.001) and GR fat at depth (P < 0.05) was reduced in all supplement treatments compared with Basal. Plasma glucose concentration was significantly (P < 0.05) increased after feeding in all treatments but there was no treatment effect. PUN was significantly increased over time in the supplemented treatments compared with the Basal treatment; there was no significant difference between supplement treatments by day 53. Results show that feeding small amounts of high protein and lipid-containing supplements improves production responses and are beneficial in producing carcasses with more lean compared with carcasses from lambs fed a low quality hay diet.

Effect of dietary modificatio of muscle long-chainN-3 fatty acid on plasma insulin and lipid metabolite, carcass traits, and fat deposition in lambs

In a previous study we showed that feeding fish meal significantly increased muscle long chain n-3 fatty acids (FA) and hot carcass weight. In this study we compared the effect of fish meal and fish oil on increasing muscle long-chain FA. We also investigated whether the increase in carcass weight was due to the effect of dietary enrichment of muscle long-chain n-3 FA on muscle membrane phospholipids and(or) to rumen by-pass protein provided by fish meal. Forty crossbred ([Merino x Border Leicester] x Poll Dorset) wether lambs between 26 and 33 kg BW were randomly assigned to one of five treatments: 1) basal diet of oaten:lucerne chaff (Basal); 2) Basal + fish meal (9% DM) = FM; 3) Basal + fish oil (1.5% DM) with protected sunflower meal (9% DM ) = FOSMP; 4) Basal + fish oil (1.5% DM) = FO; or 5) Basal + protected sunflower meal (10.5% DM) = SMP. Daily intake of ME (9.60 - 10.5 MJ ME/d) and CP (150 to 168 g/d) in all treatments was kept similar by varying the ratio of oaten:lucerne chaff and by feeding the animals at 90% ad libitum intake. Blood samples were collected at the start of the experiment and on the day (d 42) prior to slaughter. Lambs were then slaughtered at a commercial abattoir. At 24 h postmortem carcass traits were measured and longis-simus thoracis muscle taken for analysis of FA of phospholipid and triglyceride fractions. Lambs fed FO and FOSMP showed a marked increase in muscle longchain n-3 FA (P < 0.001) and a reduction in magnitude of the rise in insulin concentration (P < 0.001) after feeding compared with lambs fed Basal and SMP diets. Lambs in FM had a moderate increase (P < 0.001) in muscle long-chain n-3 FA content. Compared with Basal diet, both plasma total cholesterol (P < 0.02) and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (P < 0.001) levels were greater in SMP and less in FO and FOSMP treat- ments. The i.m. fat content was reduced (P < 0.05) in FM and FO treatments, but carcass weight was increased only with fish meal (P < 0.03). Adding SMP to FO produced muscle with an intermediate level of i.m. fat, whereas muscle long-chain n-3 FA, i.m. fat, and insulin concentration were unchanged with SMP treatment. These results indicate that an increase in carcass weight in FM may be due to the supply of ruminally undegraded protein. They also suggest that fish oil along with fish meal can increase long-chain n-3 FA content in phospholipid of muscle membrane. This may be associated with reduced i.m. fat content and altered insulin action and lipoprotein metabolism.

Effects of dietary lipid type on muscle fatty acid composition, carcass leanness, and meat toughness in lambs.

Isonitrogenous amounts of two protein sources differing in rumen degradation rate and in lipid composition were fed to sheep with or without a rapidly fermentable cereal grain. The effects on intake, carcass leanness, and muscle fatty acid (FA) composition were examined. Thirty-eight crossbred wether lambs (9 mo, 35 to 48 kg) were allocated by stratified randomization to six treatment groups: 1) basal diet of alfalfa hay:oat hay (20:80) ad libitum = basal; 2) basal + lupin (358 g DM/d) = lupin; 3) basal + fish meal (168 g DM/d) = fish meal; 4) basal + barley (358 g DM/d) = barley; 5) basal + barley + lupin (179 + 179 g DM/d) = barley/lupin; or 6) basal + barley + fish meal (179 + 84 g DM/d) = barley/ fish meal. Lambs were fed individually. Dietary treatments were imposed for 8 wk, and the supplements were offered at 2-d intervals. Daily feed intake and weekly BW of lambs were recorded. At the end of the feeding period lambs were slaughtered after an overnight fast. Hot carcass weight (HCW) and fat depth (GR; total fat and muscle tissue depth at 12th rib, 110 mm from midline) were recorded. At 24 h postmortem samples of longissimus thoracis (LT) and longissimus lumborum (LL) muscles were taken from chilled (4 deg C) carcasses for the assessment of FA composition and meat tenderness, respectively. Lambs fed lupin or fish meal with or without barley had heavier slaughter weights (P < 0.004) and HCW (P < 0.001) than lambs fed basal or barley when initial BW was included as a covariate. The lupin diet also resulted in heavier carcasses (P < 0.05) than the fish meal or barley/fish meal diets. With GR as an indicator, fish meal and barley/ fish meal diets produced leaner carcasses (P < 0.01) than lupin and barley/lupin lambs. Long-chain n-3 FA content [20:5n-3 (P < 0.001), 22:5n-3 (P < 0.003), and 22:6n-3 (P < 0.001)] in the LT muscle were substantially higher with the fish meal and barley/fish meal diets, whereas muscle total n-6 FA was increased (P < 0.003) by lupin and barley/lupin compared with all other diets. Thus, increased muscle long-chain n-3 FA content occurred without an increase in fatness measured as GR, whereas increased muscle n-6 FA content was associated with an increase in carcass fatness. Under these circumstances, a reduction in carcass fatness had no effect on meat tenderness measured as Warner-Bratzler shear force.

Globalisation and citizenship

Explores the impact of globalization upon citizenship, with special reference to the transitional challenge that globalisation poses. It also examines how different concepts, theories and practices of citizenship are evolving in response to globalisation and that seek to modify its impact. Australian authors.

Futures in education

Futures education (FE) in a rapidly changing world is critical if young people are to be empowered to be proactive rather than reactive about the future. Research into young people's images and ideas of the future lead to the disturbing conclusion that, for many, the future is a depressing and fearful place where they feel hopeless and disempowered. On the other hand, as Richard Slaughter writes, 'young people are passionately interested in their own futures, and that of the society in which they live. They universally 'jump at the chance to study something with such intrinsic interest that also intersects with their own life interests in so many ways'. FE explicitly attempts to build on this interest and counter these fears by offering a profound and empowering set of learning strategies and ideas that can help people think and act critically and creatively about the future, without necessarily trying to predict it. Futures educators have, over the past decades, developed useful tools, ideas and a language for use with students of all ages to enable them to develop foresight literacy. Most of us tend to view the future as somehow beyond the present and rarely consider how decisions and choices made today profoundly affect not just one fixed future but any number of futures. The underlying goal of FE is to move from the idea of a single, pre-determined future to that of many possible futures, so that students begin to see that they can determine the future, that they need not be reactive and that they are not powerless. How does one do that? Ideas include, but are not limited to: timelines and Y-diagrams, futures wheels and mind maps, and 'Preferable, possible and probable' futures - a.k.a. the 3Ps. Current Australian curricula present education about the future in various implicit or explicit guises. A plethora of statements and curriculum outcomes mention the future, but essentially take 'it' for granted, and are uninformed by FE literature, language, ideas or tools. Science, the humanities and technology tend to be the main areas where such an implicit futures focus can be found. It also appears in documents about vocational education, civics and lifelong learning. Explicit FE is, as Beare and Slaughter put it, still the missing dimension in education. Explicit FE attempts to develop futures literacy, and draws widely upon futures studies literature for processes and content. FE provides such a wide range of ideas and tools that it can be incorporated into education in any number of ways. Programs in two very different schools, one primary and one secondary, are described in this article to provide examples of some of these ways. The first school, Kimberley Park State Primary School in Brisbane, operates with multi-age classrooms based on a 'thinking curriculum' developed around four organisers: change, perspectives, interconnectedness and sustainability. The second school, St John's Grammar School in Adelaide, is an independent school where FE operates as an integrated approach in Year Seven, as a separate one-semester subject in Year Nine and in separate subjects at other levels. Teachers both at Kimberley Park and St John's are very positive about FE. They say it promotes valuable and authentic learning, assists students to realise they have choices that matter and helps them see that the future need not be all doom and gloom. Because students are interested in the Big Questions, as one teacher put it, FE provides a perfect opportunity to address them, and to consider values that are fundamental for them and the future of the planet. Like any innovation, the long-term success of FE in schools depends on an embedding process so that the innovation does not depend on the enthusiasm and energy of a few individuals, only to disappear when they move on. It requires strong leadership, teacher knowledge, support and enthusiasm, and the support and understanding of the wider school community.