Showing papers by "Anne E. Green published in 2006"

The incidence of inherited metabolic disorders in the West Midlands, UK

Abstract: Background: Inherited metabolic disorders (IMDs) are a heterogeneous group of genetic conditions mostly occurring in childhood. They are individually rare but collectively numerous, causing substantial morbidity and mortality. Aims: To obtain up-to-date estimates of the birth prevalence of IMDs in an ethnically diverse British population and to compare these estimates with those of other published population-based studies. Methods: Retrospective data from the West Midlands Regional Diagnostic Laboratory for Inherited Metabolic Disorders (Birmingham, UK) for the 5 years (1999–2003) were examined. The West Midlands population of 5.2 million is approximately 10% of the UK population. Approximately 11% of the population of the region is from black and ethnic minority groups compared with approximately 8% for the the UK. Results: The overall birth prevalence was 1 in 784 live births (95% confidence interval (CI) 619 to 970), based on a total of 396 new cases. The most frequent diagnoses were mitochondrial disorders (1 in 4929; 95% CI 2776 to 8953), lysosomal storage disorders (1 in 5175; 95% CI 2874 to 9551), amino acid disorders excluding phenylketonuria (1 in 5354; 95% CI 2943 to 9990) and organic acid disorders (1 in 7962; 95% CI 3837 to 17 301). Most of the diagnoses (72%) were made by the age of 15 years and one-third by the age of 1 year. Conclusions: These results are similar to those of the comparison studies, although the overall birth prevalence is higher in this study. This is probably due to the effects of ethnicity and consanguinity and increasing ascertainment. This study provides useful epidemiological information for those planning and providing services for patients with IMDs, including newborn screening, in the UK and similar populations.

The Geography of Poor Skills and Access to Work

Abstract: Despite employment growth, high levels of worklessness persist for some people and in some places Substantial investment has been made to raise the skills levels of those who are most disadvantaged and skills policy is being embedded in regional and local economic development strategies This study, by Anne Green and David Owen of the University of Warwick, analyses statistics from the 2001 Census on access to work for people with poor skills in the context of important changes in the industrial and occupational profile of employment and the location of jobs

Employability and local labour market policy

Abstract: The concept of employability has provided a foundation for much current labour market policy. It has also provided a useful framework for analyzing national and urban labour markets and related policies in a variety of different circumstances both for those in and out of work. The papers in this book help progress the concept of employability, demonstrating the importance of the geographic and spatial context, and showing its flexibility and usefulness as a basis for theory, analysis and policy. The papers are divided into two main sections: understanding the concept of employability lessons for labour market policy in changing labour markets. The chapters also provide general insights into many current labour market policy debates. As employability continues to be the foundation of many labour market policies, this volume considers the economic and geographical dimensions of employability in local labour market analysis and policy. This book was previously published as a special issue of the journal Urban Studies

Employment and the older person in the countryside

Abstract: The English countryside is changing. It is now widely recognised that rural communities contain a higher proportion of older people than urban and suburban areas. Older people are a dynamic force in English rural life, making an increasingly important contribution to local economies, and the cultural and social welfare of their communities. This book is intended to help inform the policy agenda for rural areas in the 21st century. It provides a timely contribution to the ongoing debate on how rural communities are experiencing demographic ageing, and the experience, contributions and needs of the varied groups which make up the older rural population.

The West Midlands : the hinge in the middle

Abstract: This book analyzes devolution as it affects the English Regions, working from the perspective of uneven development, and drawing on the rich tradition of regional geography. Currently, London is the power centre ruling over the other English regions. The first part of the book looks at how this regional structure has arisen, and the theories that can be used to analyze it. The contributors discuss the nature of regional problems and governance, the institutions involved in regional governance and regional approaches to economic development. The second part of the book devotes a chapter to each English region, examining each region’s unique characteristics, and the opportunities created for it by devolution. By looking carefully at the regions, this part of the book sheds light on the question of whether Regional governance benefits the regions, or simply rescales governance to introduce another layer of bureaucracy.

Regional and local labour market prospects: the importance of ageing in workforce development

Abstract: Overall, the labour force in the UK is ageing, although at different rates in different areas. This poses challenges for workforce development, and has implications not only for older workers, but for everyone, everywhere. However, demography is only one element in labour supply. It needs to be considered alongside trends in participation rates and in a broader policy and cultural context, and alongside likely changes in labour demand, in order to gain a picture of regional and local labour market prospects. The thrust of government policy is to raise employment rates amongst older people (aged 50-69) and to promote 'active ageing'. The decline in employment rates amongst older men evident in the 1980s has been reversed, but participation rates remain low by earlier standards. Shifts in the industrial and occupational structure of employment mean that there is likely to be a growing demand for customer care and service skills, which older people are well-placed to provide. Yet estimates of 'replacement demand' show that some of the most pressing workforce development issues are experienced in declining sectors and occupations, with an older than average age profile. Examples include agriculture and social care in Cornwall, where there is a lack of new recruits to replace those retiring. It is concluded that improved local intelligence on labour market flows and prospects is needed to inform skills and learning priorities. Copyright (c) 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Labour market geographies : employment and non-employment

Abstract: This chapter provides a series of reflections on developments in labour market geographies, and associated concerns with employment and non-employment, over the last quarter century. It cannot and does not claim to provide a comprehensive overview, but rather it addresses selected key themes. While not restricted to the United Kingdom, it is there where the main emphasis lies – particularly with respect to policy. At the outset a brief outline of the changing nature of labour markets over this period is provided to set the context for two main substantive sections of the chapter. The first main section deals with changing approaches and concerns of economic geographers. Five main issues are addressed under the ‘approaches’ sub-heading: (1) the change in emphasis from quantitative to qualitative methods; (2) the move away from empiricism towards theory; (3) the increasing weight placed on social and cultural issues; (4) the trend towards more detailed disaggregation; and (5) the role of geography and geographers in multi-disciplinary and inter-disciplinary studies of labour markets and labour market geographies. It is not possible to do justice within the constraints of space available to address the multiplicity of ‘concerns’ of economic geographers, so the main focus here is placed on the operation of local labour markets, with particular reference to four topics: (1) labour market adjustments; (2) the balance between migration and commuting; (3) the place of perceptions; and (4) the role of labour market intermediaries. The second main section deals with changing policy issues. In the context of the opportunities for geographers offered by increased emphasis on evidence based policy, amongst the issues highlighted are ‘healthy’ labour markets, and the shift in policy concerns from unemployment to non-employment, and from the ‘quantity’ to the ‘quality’ of employment. In turn, these issues relate to key policy questions, such as ‘why’ and ‘how’ concentrations of worklessness emerge, what should be the balance between supply-side and demand-side issues in labour market policy, and what policy levers are available at different geographical levels to influence outcomes. The final section of the chapter sets out some key features of the future agenda for researchers concerned with labour market geographies, and also a central question around which policy-relevant research could be focused.

The geography of changing female economic-activity rates - issues and implications for policy and methodology

Abstract: In this issue of the Policy Review Section, Anne Green of the Institute for Employment Research, University of Warwick, examines the changing structure of female participation in the labour market. Against this background it is her contention that the economic activity rate is no longer an adequate measure of contrasting patterns of labour force participation–across areas and within and between population sub-groups. Rather, she argues what is needed is a multiplicity of measures representing different dimensions of the quantity and quality of labour market experience. In the second article, Kevin Cox of the Department of Geography, Ohio State University, and Andrew Wood of the Department of Geography, University of Sheffield, examine the manner in which inward investment is managed in the State of Ohio. They find that in the mediation of inward investment, local authorities are part of a division of labour that also includes electric and gas utilities and Chambers of Commerce. It is the utilities and Chambers that take the lead with the local authority only involved at the final stages in relation to matters such as financial incentives and zoning regulations. They argue that this finding challenges the orthodox academic view of the central role played by local authorities in inward investment promotion in the US.