1,720,996 research outputs found
Inequality in pre-school provision : a geographical perspective
No full textThis paper is a preliminary analysis of pre-school services, a field which, with a few exceptions (Holmes, Williams and Brown, 1972; Freeman, 1977) has been ignored by geographers and indeed other urban analysts concerned with service allocations in cities. There are numerous possible explanations for this state of affairs, not the least important being the fact that study of the under-fives has been dominated by psychologists concerned with the intellectual, emotional and social development of young children. Furthermore, as this paper reveals, numerous elements need to be integrated to analyse this problem from a spatial perspective - accessibility indices within cities, the social structure of neighbourhoods, the operation of the local political system and the development of social policy at the national and international level. Various authors have examined these issues in isolation but few have brought the necessary synthesis for a spatial view of pre-school services. It must also be remembered that there are in any case relatively few 'official' pre-school facilities so that inevitably the major items of expenditure in the fields, of housing, transportation, social services and the like have received the lion's share of attention. However, the major reason must be the fact that these services primarily affect the lives of women and in common with all such issues have been neglected by geographers. Despite a number of recent pleas for a redress of this imbalance (eg. Monck & Hanson, 1982) there has so far been relatively little empirical research (eg. Tivers, 1977). One final difficulty is that the complex almost chaotic nature of pre-school services makes the collection of comprehensive data extremely difficult. In this respect I have been extremely fortunate in Southampton for the extensive help given to me by Ros Park, Hilda Carter and Margaret Clarkson of the Pre-School Playgroups Association; Pam Whyte of the National Childminders Association; Mrs Jones of the Southampton Area Education Office and Maureen Booth of Hampshire County Council. None of these persons is of course responsible for any errors of fact or interpretation
City profile: Southampton
No full textSouthampton is a medium-sized city in southern England, perhaps best known in the past for being a major passenger
shipping port. However, early in the twenty-first century the city is remarkably diversified, with important developments in
manufacturing as well as both producer and consumer services. These developments are the outcome of a complex mixture
of global, national and local factors. The major challenge in such a relatively prosperous city-region is how to deal with
the needs of various economically marginalised groups. <br/
Urban social geography: an introduction. Fifth edition
No full textThe 5th edition of this highly respected text builds upon the successful structure, engaging writing style and clear presentation of previous editions. Examining urban social geography from a theoretical and historical perspective, it also explores how it has developed into the modern day. Taking account of recent critical work, whilst simultaneously presenting well established approaches to the subject, it ensures students are well-informed about all the issues. The result is a topical book that is clear and accessible for student
The local construction of social enterprise markets: an evaluation of Jens Beckert's field approach
No full textDespite the rapid growth of interest in social enterprises (SEs) and the intense controversies over their merits in addressing pressing social, economic and environmental issues, there has been surprisingly little attention given to explicit theorization of how the markets for their goods and services are constructed and maintained. Towards this end this paper examines the conceptualization of market fields formulated by Jens Beckert. His approach conceptualises firms as engaged in a constant struggle to defend or improve their position in relation to others firms by either protecting existing structures or changing them to realise new opportunities. This framework is used to analyse the reciprocal interactions between forces of institutions, networks and cognitive frameworks as they serve to construct opportunities for SE. These relationships are exemplified with evidence from respondents in SEs in four cities in England – Liverpool, Birmingham, Southampton and the London borough of Newham. The analysis suggests that Beckert’s approach helps to move beyond a singular notion of a single ‘market logic’ and allows us to unpack some of the hybrid character of SE markets. However, because of the way in the field perspective has been designed to explain agency in orthodox capitalist markets, it struggles to incorporate the motivations that drive agency in these markets
Social enterprise and neo-institutional theory: An evaluation of the organizational logics of SE in the UK
No full textPurpose – The purpose of this paper is to argue that neoinstitutional theory can provide insights into the conflicts between social ends and economic means within social enterprises (SEs). Tensions between these differing institutional logics may be seen as a manifestation of ambiguity and incoherence in anorganizational field that is, despite many recent regulative and normative changes, still weakly institutionalized in the UK.Design/methodology/approach – The research design adopts a qualitative approach and is based on semi-structured, in-depth interviews with 40 SE managers in four major UK cities.Findings – Findings suggest that SE managers deal with the competing institutional logics of “the market” and “social care” in differing ways.Research limitations/implications – The case studies are derived from major UK cities where SEs are more likely to be dependent on state and quasi-public sector forms of support.Practical implications – Policies attempting to imbue a more commercial and business-like approach with the institutional field of SE should recognize the tensions imposed by such a shift. These tensions are especially pronounced in SEs affected by changes to state funding regimes and publiclysponsored markets. In some situations, such market logic may be largely inappropriate.Social implications – Changing institutional logics within an organizational field such as SE requires a recognition of the complex interrelationships between that factors that create and sustain such a field, most notably legal (regulative), educational (normative) and attitudinal (cognitive) factors.<br/
Do urban social enterprises benefit from agglomeration? Evidence from four UK cities
No full textPinch S. and Sunley P. Do urban social enterprises benefit from agglomeration? Evidence from four UK cities, Regional Studies. This paper examines the relevance of clustering theory for an understanding of the location of social enterprises (SEs). This is accomplished through an analysis of the extent to which managers of SEs in four major UK cities perceive themselves to benefit from agglomeration effects. The paper concentrates on two broad sets of agglomeration processes: the first is Marshallian externalities and Porter's cluster processes; and the second set includes urbanization economies and local institutional relationships. The study suggests the key benefits of agglomeration to SEs are that it enables access to demand for SE goods and services together with institutional support, funding and commercial contracts, as well as access to both formal and informal networks that can provide a wide range of knowledge and mutual support. It was, however, difficult to find direct evidence to support the importance of the Marshall–Arrow–Romer (MAR)-type spillovers related to labour market pooling, the efficient procurement of indirect inputs or localized knowledge spillovers
The British kit car industry: understanding a ‘world of production'
No full textThis paper explores how some of the ideas emerging from the 'cultural turn' in economic geography can help us understand the 'world of production' constituted by a revivified artisanal sector - the British kit car industry. It is argued that the sector can be interpreted as a 'community of practice' underpinned by an 'economy of regard'. Not only are the 'consumers' of kit cars a crucial part of the production chain for this unusual commodity but they are tightly bound together with producers in their common interest in the leisure activity of building and often racing kit cars. This requires considerable two-way exchange of knowledge and information and a mutually recognized reciprocity in the sector. While not subverting capitalist norms of economic exchange, the kit car sector serves to further emphasize the diversity of arrangements that can surround economic activity
Urban social geography: an introduction. Sixth edition
No full textThe 6th edition of this highly respected text builds upon the successful structure, engaging writing style and clear presentation of previous editions. Examining urban social geography from a theoretical and historical perspective, it also explores how it has developed into the modern day. Taking account of recent critical work, whilst simultaneously presenting well established approaches to the subject, it ensures students are well-informed about all the issues. The result is a topical book that is clear and accessible for student
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