The appliance of science? New public management and strategic change

Changes in the nature of science as a social practice were fundamentally organic and endogenous in nature prior to the 1970s. Since then changes in UK public science has been policy-led and the imperatives exogenous. This shift was the result of attempts to achieve strategic managed change in the sector using new public management (NPM) techniques. This paper explores the discourses that promoted the change effort and the NPM techniques and processes deployed to this end. It seeks to identify the aims and objectives of the intended strategic change and evaluates the extent to which they have been achieved. Our conclusion is that rather than a planned, strategic change process directed at improved economy, efficiency and effectiveness, what occurred was a poorly processed ideologically driven attempt to achieve political aims.     

Mortality Regimes and Pricing

Abstract

Mortality dynamics are characterized by changes in mortality regimes. This paper describes a Markov regime-switching model that incorporates mortality state switches into mortality dynamics. Using the 1901-2005 U.S. population mortality data, we illustrate that regime-switching models can perform better than well-known models in the literature. Furthermore, we extend the 1992 Lee-Carter model in such a way that the time-series common risk factor to all cohorts has distinct mortality regimes with different means and volatilities. Finally, we show how to price mortality securities with this model.     

Adverse Selection and the Opaqueness of Insurers

While adverse selection problems between insureds and insurers are well known to insurance researchers, few explore adverse selection in the insurance industry from a capital markets perspective. This study examines adverse selection in the quoted prices of insurers' common stocks with a particular focus on the opacity of both asset portfolios and underwriting liabilities. We find that more opaque underwriting lines result in greater adverse selection costs for property-casualty (P-C) insurers. A similar effect is not apparent for life-health (L-H) insurers and we find no effect of asset opaqueness on adverse selection for either L-H or P-C insurers.     

An economic analysis of the impacts of trade liberalization on Asian dairy market

This paper develops an economic analysis of the impacts of further trade liberalization scenarios on Asian dairy markets, using a world dairy model incorporating both vertical and spatial characteristics of the world dairy sector. Japan and Korea’ producers will suffer much bigger losses from trade liberalization than other countries in the region; Japan and Korea’s producers get much more protection from trade distortions than from domestic subsidy. India is a potential competitive exporter if Asia is liberalized. China and India are potential competitive exporters under global free trade. South East Asia and other South Asian countries remain importers under free trade. Greater trade liberalization around the world increases exports for potential exporters and/or ease importing pressure for potential importers. The increasing order of competitiveness of Asian dairy economies sectors is found to be Japan, Korea, South East Asia, other South Asia, China and India. China and India consumers would lose from world trade liberalization, but the other countries’ consumer surplus will increase.     

Student learning profiles in two innovative honours degree engineering programmes

This paper reports a study of innovative and traditional engineering programmes at the University of Salford, UK Attention is given to student entry, and to course evaluation and improvement. Using the Myers-Brigg Type Inventory (MBTI) and the Technical Students' Learning Environment Preferences questionnaire (TSLEP), data were obtained about personality type and student developmental level. In addition, a selected group of the students were interviewed to measure their cognitive levels as defined by Perry's model of intellectual and ethical development, and to assist in the validation of the TSLEP questionnaire. Application of the TSLEP and the MBTI instruments to engineering students at North Carolina State University and the State University of New York at Brighamton generated further data which are used to make US/UK comparisons and to suggest ways in which the scope of engineering education might be expanded to meet the needs of an increasingly diverse student body.     

Does Economic Development Lead to Mangrove Loss? A Cross‐Country Analysis

Mangroves line one quarter of the world's tropical coastlines, and approximately 117 countries and territories have mangrove resources within their borders. Although over recent years mangrove deforestation has occurred at a phenomenal rate worldwide, there have been few economic studies of the underlying causes. The article attempts such an analysis and particularly examines the role of economic development, with specific reference to those activities that may result in mangrove deforestation, in determining the area of mangrove left within a country. The article develops a model of economic activity and mangrove conversion. From this model, a relationship is established between remaining mangrove area, economic activity, and other important causative factors. The mangrove area relationship is estimated empirically for a cross-section of 89 countries. Results show that shrimp aquaculture and agriculture are significantly associated with mangrove loss across all countries, whereas the higher the level of GDP per capita the more mangrove area remains. The number of protected areas, length of coastline and political stability were also important in determining the remaining mangrove area of a country. (JEL O13 , Q22 , Q23 , Q24 )