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The rhetoric and reality of socially engaged arts projects delivered by cultural mega events: the case of Hull UKCoC 2017
Get PDFThis thesis examines the intersection of two cultural phenomena: socially engaged arts (SEA) and cultural mega events (CME). It analyses several cases where these phenomena have interconnected and explores the resulting tensions. Both phenomena are present in cultural policies (Green, 2019), the funding strategies of national arts organisations (ACE, 2020), as well as local and national government agendas (DCMS, 2009; Hull City Council, 2018). Though they appear distinctly different at first glance, both SEA and CME are part of the contemporary arts ecology and are employed as a means to engaging new audiences. This research aims to develop a better understanding of the influences that CME and SEA have on each other, and the potential benefits and challenges of combining these two phenomena in cultural policy.Despite their differences, when CME and SEA are brought together, they form a hybridised (Harvey, 2013) aspect of the arts environment. This thesis provides an in-depth analysis of the two cultural phenomena and their overlapping history, particularly contextualised through the Hull2017 UK City of Culture (UKCoC). The intention has been to establish a nuanced understanding of the effects of CME on SEA, and potential opportunities for the arts in future.In order to verify Hull2017’s claim to have achieved significant community engagement through the Land of Green Ginger (LoGG) project, this research compares its legacy to that of another less well-funded Hull2017 project, Back to Ours (BtO).The questions addressed in this research include the history of SEA in Hull, whether Hull had a precedent of arts organisations working in non-traditional spaces, and if Hull2017 should have collaborated more with local arts groups/artists to better embed their cultural programme in the lives of local communities. Although SEA and CME represent distinct approaches to creating cultural offerings, they can collaborate effectively if mutual benefits are identified. Lastly, the thesis considers the potential risks facing both CME and SEA due to the cost of living crisis in the UK, as arts funding is often reduced during economic downturns. Collaboration may help secure the future of CME but should not be seen as the sole path forward for SEA, which must remain critical of State-led agendas while continuing to innovate. SEA should maintain its practice rooted in challenging established patterns and exploring new methods
Building Resilience to Climate Change: Designing Research with Health System and Community Perspectives
Get PDFIn this research-centred call to action, we propose overarching system-focused, place-based research that embeds community and stakeholder engagement to better understand health system adaptation and mitigation strategies for extreme weather events (EWE). From the 'top-down' perspective, we consider how health systems are coping with and adapting to the challenge of EWE. From the 'bottom-up', we explore the co-production of emergent community interventions for EWE, to specifically ask how communities are adapting to EWE and how this intersects with 'top-down' approaches. The live experiences of community stakeholders, often the most vulnerable in society who are at greater risk to weather hazards, are critical to understand the nuances of vulnerability and which characteristics make people more at risk, and more vulnerable to EWE. This understanding can underpin the development of effective public health strategies which are relevant and actionable by stakeholders at both the health system and community level
What Motives Influence Parents’ Commitment to Their Children’s Sport Participation in the United States?
Get PDFBackground: The public often places value on youth sport involvement in the United States due to its potential to foster positive outcomes for participants. Although sport parents are key socializers and provide access to appropriate participation opportunities for children, less is known about how their perceptions of their child’s motives influence their sport commitments. Purpose: Therefore, the purpose of the present study was to understand how parents’ perceptions of their child’s motives for sport participation were associated with time/travel sport commitments. Methods: Participants (N = 1250) were parents in the United States reporting on their child’s youth sport participation. Measures assessed their perceptions of their child’s motives for sport involvement, how many hours per week and months per year they engaged in sport, and how far they tended to drive to facilitate sport opportunities. Multiple regressions were utilized. Results: Analyses revealed that the number of months per year was positively predicted by motives for being physically healthy and spending time with friends. Similarly, being with friends was a positive predictor of the number of weekly hours spent in organized sport and having fun positively predicted the distance driven to participate. Motives for becoming more physically attractive negatively predicted time and travel commitments. Conclusions: Overall, the present study sheds light on how the ways parents perceive their children’s motivations for participating in youth sport influences parents’ commitment to facilitating sport participation opportunities for their children
Beyond the Sandbox: Rethinking Fintech Regulatory Innovation in Kuwait through Comparative Analysis
Get PDFThis paper examines Kuwait's fintech regulatory challenges through a comparative analysis of global regulatory models, with particular focus on the effectiveness of regulatory sandboxes versus innovation hubs. Drawing on theoretical frameworks including Disruptive Innovation Theory and Public Interest Theory, the study analyses regulatory approaches in the United Kingdom and Saudi Arabia to identify lessons for Kuwait's fintech sector development. The research reveals that whilst regulatory sandboxes have gained global popularity as innovation facilitation mechanisms, empirical evidence suggests innovation hubs may provide superior developmental benefits when implemented as part of a comprehensive regulatory strategy. The paper identifies four fundamental problems constraining Kuwait's fintech sector: regulatory constraints and compliance challenges, absence of dedicated regulatory frameworks, inadequate provisions for balancing innovation with financial stability, and insufficient cybersecurity and data privacy protections. Through critical evaluation of international best practices, the study argues that Kuwait's regulatory development should prioritise establishing a comprehensive innovation hub as the foundation of a broader regulatory ecosystem that could also incorporate sandbox elements. The findings suggest that effective fintech regulation requires adaptive governance frameworks capable of matching technological innovation speed whilst maintaining essential consumer protections and financial stability measures
"If you go down to the woods today": How Does Forest School Influence Children's Wellbeing? Parents' Perspectives
No full textThis study explores parents' subjective views of how forest school influences children's wellbeing. Forest school is a child-centered learning process, utilizing trained practitioners to develop children's self-esteem and confidence through hands-on experience in nature. It offers opportunities for holistic growth through supporting play, risk taking, independence, teamwork, exploration and inspiring curiosity. Literature on wellbeing is substantial yet often contradictory and inconsistent, with no simple definition of the concept. Parents' understanding of how forest school influences children's wellbeing may offer enhancement of the current vision of wellbeing in schools. Eighteen parents with children at a local forest school were asked to consider and rank-order statements through a Q-sorting procedure. Analysis revealed three factors. Interpretation was conducted through careful consideration of individual rankings and the configuration of statements captured in each factor array to gain an understanding of these parents' perspectives. These three main positions were "nurturing growth," "connectivity through nature" and "communicate to engage." The findings suggest parents' views are often contradictory and polarizing with differing opinions of how forest school influences children's wellbeing. Furthermore, the results underscore how a lack of theory underpinning forest school and inconsistent contextual meaning of the notion of wellbeing may be a contributing factor to these results
Diminishing activities of daily living as severity of chronic breathlessness worsens: a national, cross-sectional survey
Get PDFIntroduction Effective management of chronic breathlessness requires understanding people’s activity limitations. This study evaluated the extent to which chronic breathlessness limits people’s self-reported everyday activities. Methods A web-based, cross-sectional survey (adults ≥18 years). Recruitment was through a marketing research company, stratified to the 2016 Australian Census for key demographics (age, sex, state/territory of residence, rurality). Self-reported measures included demographics, breathlessness limiting exertion (modified Medical Research Council (mMRC) breathlessness scale) and breathlessness impact (yes/no question; three most important activities affected). Impact was categorised as performing with difficulty/reduced/ceased. Results 7300 respondents were included (mean age 46.5 (SD 18.6); men 50.8%; mMRC ≥1 290.0%). 30.6% (648/2119) with mMRC ≥1versus 2.6% (136/5181; phigh intensity sports>mobility) and mMRC 3–4 (mobility>household chores>high intensity sports). Breathlessness increased the likelihood of activities being reduced or ceased. In a logistic regression model exploring the WHO Disability Assessment Schedule, controlling for baseline factors, most affected domains were getting along (OR 2.5 (95% CI 1.5 to 4.2)), life activities (OR 1.8 (95% CI 1.2 to 2.7)) and participation (OR 6.4 (95% CI 4.2 to 9.9)). Conclusion Chronic breathlessness of every intensity above mMRC 0 affects people’s ability to perform a range of everyday activities. The progressive loss of these activities is a key coping mechanism to avoid precipitating breathlessness and is mostly invisible to other people
How does the UK Academic Journal Guide compare to other journal rating guides?
Get PDFI investigate how different academic subjects are rated in the UK Academic Journal Guide (AJG) in comparison with other guides for evaluating the quality of business-related journals. I use appropriate non-parametric statistical methods to allow for the different journal rating systems in use worldwide. I compare the AJG ratings with both an average measure of academic journal quality derived from all the other guides and the ratings in each individual guide. The empirical investigations show significant differences in the relative value placed on different subjects in the AJG compared to the global average and to the values in other individual guides. Interestingly, in the AJG, the group of subjects covered in the guide which are not primarily business school related, which I term non-core subjects, are much better valued than in other guides. The findings are clearly positive/negative for the careers of academics working in favoured/unfavoured subjects in areas where the AJG is the dominant list. Encouraging non-core activity in business schools may, however, have a beneficial effect of increasing interdisciplinary research
Banks’ liability structure and monetary policy transmission: evidence from a quasi-natural experiment in China
Get PDFThis study investigates how banks’ liability structure affects the bank lending channel of monetary policy transmission. Using a two-period model, we argue that deposit-funded banks are more inclined to provide credit than wholesale-funded banks due to a lower liquidity risk, resulting in more efficient transmission of monetary policy. To identify this causality, our difference-in-differences estimate exploits the introduction of Macro Prudential Assessment (MPA) into China’s bank regulatory system in 2016 as an exogenous shock, in which tougher regulation on wholesale funding was imposed in small banks. We find that the reform consolidates the negative sensitivity of bank loans to policy interest rate, and this effect is stronger for banks with higher risk, greater market power and lower capital adequacy. Further, using the bank-firm loan-level data, we find that a reduction in wholesale funding amplifies the real effects of monetary policy, particularly for private firms with more serious financial constraints. Our findings confirm the active role of banks’ liability structure in the effectiveness of monetary policy transmission
Developing Your Assessment Literacy: A Guide for First-Year University Students
No full textThis resource explores the development of assessment literacy among first-year university students, with particular focus on understanding assessment purposes, interpreting marking criteria, engaging effectively with feedback, and developing self-assessment skills that support academic success and lifelong learning.This is an interactive resource which can be embedded in any website