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Reports

  • Public ownership of the UK energy system – benefits, costs and processes - Apr 2016David Hall

    The possibility of a return to public ownership of the UK energy system has increased since Jeremy Corbyn was elected leader of the Labour party. This paper sets out the advantages of public ownership; the extent of public ownership in other countries; how the process of returning to the public sector could work in the UK – taking full account of EU law; and calculates realistic estimates of the cost, the possible impact on debt, and the scale of the benefits.

  • Migration and Local Authorities - impact on jobs and working conditions - Mar 2016Jane Lethbridge

    Just as there has been tension between EU migration policies and national level policies, there is growing evidence that local authorities are taking a more proactive position to define local policies for third country nationals. In some countries, these complement stronger positive national policies, in other countries, where there is an absence of national migration policies, local authorities are playing an important role in supporting the integration of third country nationals within society and the local economy. They do this through social cohesion activities, language education and wider education and life-long learning services. The position of third country nationals in the labour force is often weak, especially women and those with low levels of education. There is a need for more focused strategies to make the recognition of existing qualifications easier and quicker. Austerity policies have had an impact on third country nationals because they have resulted in cuts to services, e.g. social cohesion, which were specially targeted at third country nationals. Public sector workers responsible for services for third country nationals have experienced cuts in budgets, more difficult working conditions and a lack of training, which has made it more difficult to deliver adequate public services.

     

  • Argentina Tax Justice Briefing - Dec 2015Jane Lethbridge

    This briefing paper outlines why taxation is important, the problems of tax base erosion and profit sharing and discusses recent tax justice campaigns in Argentina.

     

  • Digitalisation of local authority services in Europe - Dec 2015Jane Lethbridge

    Digitalisation and the introduction of e-government is going through a development process in most European countries at federal, regional and local levels. Digitalisation has the potential to introduce new public services which meet the needs of groups which have not been met before as well as to deliver existing public services more effectively. However, the impact of new ways of working and new work processes can result in workers losing control over their work and their sense of satisfaction in their work.

     

  • SECURITAS profile - Oct 2015Jane Lethbridge

    This report provides a profile of the company SECURITAS, recently awarded a contract for Security and Visitor Services at the National Gallery, London, UK.

  • Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region tax briefing - Oct 2015Jane Lethbridge

    This briefing paper outlines why taxation is important, the problems of tax base erosion and profit sharing and discusses recent tax justice campaigns in the Middle East and North Africa region.

     

  • Health Care Reforms and the Rise of Global Multinational Health Care Companies - Sep 2015Jane Lethbridge

    This report analyses the rise of global multinational health care companies and the impact of health sector reforms on public health services, particularly the effect on public health care workers.

  • Services of general interest under regimes of fiscal austerity - Jul 2015David Hall

    The report examines the legal and economic bases of the interventions by  the IMF and EU which have forced countries such as Greece to adopt austerity policies, despite the negative impact on economic and social development. It analyses the policy objectives underwriting these policies, and the legal and non-legal powers used to  limit the impact of national constitutions and democratic politics, and concludes that tensions between the institutions and democratic processes are likely to continue and grow.

    The report was originally presented at the conference “Beyond the Single Market - External and international dimensions of services of general interest in EU law”, Erlangen 18-19 September 2013. Published as Chapter 7 of the book “Services of General Interest Beyond the Single Market: External and International Law Dimensions” ed. Krajewski, M. Asser Press 2015. ISBN 978-94-6265-063-3 http://www.springer.com/us/book/9789462650626

  • Nuclear Construction Problems - Jul 2015Steve Thomas

    Generation III+ designs were meant to drive the ‘Nuclear Renaissance’ that was forecast by the nuclear industry from the late 1990s onwards. The central claim for the new technologies was that they would build on existing technology but the design, especially the safety systems, would be rationalized. This would mean that the plants would be safer than their predecessors, but simpler, therefore cheaper and less prone to construction delays. There would be a reliance on ‘passive’ safety, fabrication of large parts of the plant in factory-made modules and standardisation of designs. This report examines experience of constructing Generation III+ identifying the major problems met and thereby testing the claim that Generation III+ designs would be more buildable. We do not examine the claim of greater safety here, although we do note the differing approaches to improving safety.  While the primary objective of this report will be to examine these claims of ease of construction, the analysis also brings evidence on three other important areas: standardization; generic design reviews and; future of light water reactor technology.

  • Our Public Water Future The global experience with remunicipalisation - Apr 2015Emanuele Lobina

    This book provides the most comprehensive catalogue of water remunicipalisation cases produced so far. It looks at: the experiences with water remunicipalisation in key countries (France, the US, and Germany), and important cities (Paris and Jakarta); the challenge posed to public water services by investor protection clauses; the position of the trade union movement vis-à-vis remunicipalisation; and performance evaluation as a way of measuring the success of remunicipalisation. 

     

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