The Role and Effectiveness of Public – Private Partnerships (NHS LIFT) in the Development of Enhanced Primary Care Premises and Services:Report for the National Institute for Health Research Service Delivery and Organisation programme

The research project analysed the role and effectiveness of LIFT via a multi-method study which included semi-structured interviews with policy elites and users, as well as case studies and an exploratory analysis of the financial characteristics of three LIFT Companies. While the team felt that it was able to identify key aspects relating to the advantages and drawbacks surrounding LIFT, some aspects relating to the representativeness of the study was adversely affected by a reluctance of PCTs to participate in the case study analysis and commercial confidentiality restrictions. The study was nonetheless able to identify important issues in relation to the funding and procurement of primary care premises and services.

National institutions and employers’ age management practices in Britain and Germany:‘Path dependence’and option exploration

We pursue a comparative analysis of employers’ age management practices in Britain and Germany, asking how valid ‘convergence’ and ‘Varieties of Capitalism’ theories are. After rejecting the convergence verdict, we proceed to ask how far ‘path dependence’ helps explain inter-country differences. Through 19 interviews with British and German experts, we find that firms have reacted in different ways to promptings from the EU and the two states. Change has been modest and a rhetoric-reality gap exists in firms as they seek to hedge. We point to continuities in German institutional methods of developing new initiatives, and the emerging role of British NGOs in helping firms and the state develop new options. We argue that ‘path dependence’ offers insight into the national comparison, but also advance the idea of national modes of firm optionexploration as an important way of conceptualizing the processes involved.

Towards a Mourne National Park?Emergent prospects and pitfalls fromarticulating needs in a local context

This paper examines the prospects for sustainable rural tourism within a rural development paradigm. Specifically, an adaptive management approach is proposed as a means of understanding and accommodating the different goals and interests that exist within multi-functional rural areas. This model allows priorities to change in line with particular situations while remaining sensitive to economic, environmental, social and cultural impacts. The proposed Mourne National Park in Northern Ireland, also designated an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB), forms the backdrop for this study. Through a critique of a consultation process that was undertaken with the community the question is posed: can a sustainable rural tourism approach achieve meaningful community engagement and thereby reflect the needs of the community? Central to the analysis are the power differentials between the various partners participating in this model of governance. The conclusions consider implications for rural communities, revealing how trusting and meaningful relationships are central to facilitating collaboration, cooperation and adaptation.

A simplified procedure for sizing solar thermal systems based on national assessment methods in the UK and Ireland.

Solar heating systems have the potential to be an efficient renewable energy technology, provided they are sized correctly. Sizing a solar thermal system for domestic applications does not warrant the cost of a simulation. As a result simplified sizing procedures are required. The size of a system depends on a number of variables including the efficiency of the collector itself, the hot water demand and the solar radiation at a given location. Domestic Hot Water (DHW) demand varies with time and is assessed using a multi-parameter detailed model. Secondly, the national energy evaluation methodologies are evaluated from the perspective of solar thermal system sizing. Based on the assessment of the standards, limitations in the evaluation method for solar thermal systems are outlined and an adapted method, specific to the sizing of solar thermal systems, is proposed. The methodology is presented for two common dwelling scenarios. Results from this showed that it is difficult to achieve a high solar fraction given practical sizes of system infrastructure (storage tanks) for standard domestic properties. However, solar thermal systems can significantly offset energy loads due associated DHW consumption, particularly when sized appropriately. The presented methodology is valuable for simple solar system design and also for the quick comparison of salient criteria.

The stability of alcohol consumption between age 16 and 26: Evidence from a National Birth Cohort Study

This study examined the association between moderate drinking at age 16 (adolescence) and alcohol consumption at age 26 (young adulthood), whilst controlling for possible confounding effects at the individual and family level (assessed at birth and age 10). Using the British Cohort Study (BCS70), 6515 respondents provided data on their adolescent alcohol consumption and other behaviours. Of these, 4392 also completed the survey at age 26. Consumption patterns established in adolescence persisted, to a large degree, into early adulthood. Those adolescents who drank moderately in adolescence drank significantly less in adulthood than those adolescents who drank to heavy or hazardous levels. Implications for health promotion strategies and guidance are discussed.