Showing papers on "European union published in 1999"

The Third Way: The Renewal of Social Democracy

Abstract: Preface. 1. Socialism and After. The death of socialism. Old--style social democracy. The neoliberal outlook. The doctrines compared. The recent debates. Structures of political support. The fate of social democracy. 2. Five Dilemmas. . Globalisation. Individualism. Left and right. Political agency. Ecological issues. Third way politics. 3. State and Civil Society. Democratising democracy. The question of civil society. Crime and community. The democratic family. 4. The Social Investment State. . The meaning of equality. Inclusion and exclusion. A society of positive welfare. Social investment strategies. 5. Into the Global Age. The cosmopolitan nation. Cultural pluralism. Cosmopolitan democracy. The European Union. Market fundamentalism on a world scale. Conclusion. . Notes. Index.

Improvement of the BCR three step sequential extraction procedure prior to the certification of new sediment and soil reference materials

Abstract: The Standards, Measurements and Testing Programme (formerly BCR) of the European Commission proposed a three-step sequential extraction procedure for sediment analysis, following extensive expert consultations and two interlaboratory studies. This scheme was recently used to certify the extractable trace element contents of a sediment reference material (CRM 601). Although this procedure offers a means to ensure the comparability of data in this field, some difficulties concerning the interlaboratory reproducibility still remain, and a new project is currently being conducted to determine the causes of poor reproducibility in the extraction scheme. The final objective of the project is the certification of new sediment and soil reference materials for their extractable contents of Cd, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb and Zn. This paper presents the results of a small-scale interlaboratory study, which aimed to test a revised version of the extraction schemes by comparing the original and the modified protocols using the CRM 601 sample. This work offers an improvement to the BCR sequential extraction procedure through intercomparison exercises. This improved procedure will allow the obtaining of CRMs to validate analytical data in the analysis of soils and sediments, and it will also facilitate comparability of data in the European Union.

Direct three-dimensional morphometric analysis of human cancellous bone: microstructural data from spine, femur, iliac crest, and calcaneus.

Abstract: The appearance of cancellous bone architecture is different for various skeletal sites and various disease states. During aging and disease, plates are perforated and connecting rods are dissolved. There is a continuous shift from one structural type to the other. So traditional histomorphometric procedures, which are based on a fixed model type, will lead to questionable results. The introduction of three-dimensional (3D) measuring techniques in bone research makes it possible to capture the actual architecture of cancellous bone without assumptions of the structure type. This requires, however, new methods that make direct use of the 3D information. Within the framework of a BIOMED I project of the European Union, we analyzed a total of 260 human bone biopsies taken from five different skeletal sites (femoral head, vertebral bodies L2 and L4, iliac crest, and calcaneus) from 52 donors. The samples were measured three-dimensionally with a microcomputed tomography scanner and subsequently evaluated with both traditional indirect histomorphometric methods and newly developed direct ones. The results show significant differences between the methods and in their relation to the bone volume fraction. Based on the direct 3D analysis of human bone biopsies, it appears that samples with a lower bone mass are primarily characterized by a smaller plate-to-rod ratio, and to a lesser extent by thinner trabecular elements.

The Political System of the European Union

Abstract: Introduction: Explaining the EU Political System PART I: GOVERNMENT Executive Politics Legislative Politics Judicial Politics PART II: POLITICS Public Opinion Democracy, Parties and Elections Interest Representation PART III: POLICY-MAKING Regulation of the Single Market Expenditure Policies Economic and Monetary Union Citizen Freedom and Security Policies Foreign Policies Conclusions: Rethinking the European Union Appendix: Decision-making Procedures of the European Union Bibliography

Globalisation as Reterritorialisation: The Re-scaling of Urban Governance in the European Union

Abstract: Summary. In the rapidly growing literatures on globalisation, many authors have emphasised the apparent disembedding of social relations from their local-territorial pre-conditions. However, such arguments neglect the relatively ® xed and immobile forms of territorial organisation upon which the current round of globalisation is premised, such as urban-regional agglomerations and territorial states. This article argues that processes of reterritorialisation‐ the recon® guration and re-scaling of forms of territorial organisation such as cities and states‐ constitute an intrinsic moment of the current round of globalisation. Globalisation is conceived here as a reterritorialisation of both socioeconomic and political-institutional spaces that unfolds simultaneously upon multiple, superimposed geographical scales. The territorial organisation of contemporary urban spaces and state institutions must be viewed at once as a

The European Union as a global actor

Abstract: This book examines the emergence, role and future of the EU as an actor in world politics It looks at the core areas of European foreign policy: economy; trade; the environment; development; common foreign and security policy; international security (including the proposed European defence force) and identity These are analyzed both theoretically and empirically The book is unique in synthesizing theory from both the European Union and the international organization's literature This fully updated new edition explains and analyzes the latest theoretical developments

Core assessment program for surgical interventional therapies in Parkinson's disease (CAPSIT-PD).

Abstract: In 1992 the Core Assessment Program for Intracerebral Transplantations (CAPIT) was published providing the minimal requirements for a common patient evaluation protocol. Despite the intent, the program was thought to be too laborious to carry out in large scale trials, and it also lacked evaluations of cognitive functions and quality of life. Moreover, the CAPIT was designed for neural transplantation only and has not been revised since. Since then, pallidotomy and deep brain stimulation have emerged as additional treatment modalities but there exists no common tool for evaluation of, and between, the techniques. In 1996, within the framework of NECTAR (Network for European CNS Transplantation and Restoration), a dedicated program entitled "Neurosurgical Interventions in Parkinson's Disease" (NIPD) was funded by the European Union Biomed 2 program to develop a new Core Assessment Program for Surgical Interventional Therapies in PD (CAPSIT-PD) and to establish an European registry for patients with PD subjected to functional neurosurgery. This article presents the recommendations of this new program.

Development of the EURO-D scale--a European, Union initiative to compare symptoms of depression in 14 European centres.

Abstract: BACKGROUND In an 11-country European collaboration, 14 population-based surveys included 21,724 subjects aged > or = 65 years. Most participating centres used the Geriatric Mental State (GMS), but other measures were also used. AIMS To derive from these instruments a common depression symptoms scale, the EURO-D, to allow comparison of risk factor profiles between centres. METHOD Common items were identified from the instruments. Algorithms for fitting items to GMS were derived by observation of item correspondence or expert opinion. The resulting 12-item scale was checked for internal consistency, criterion validity and uniformity of factor-analytic profile. RESULTS The EURO-D is internally consistent, capturing the essence of its parent instrument. A two-factor solution seemed appropriate: depression, tearfulness and wishing to die loaded on the first factor (affective suffering), and loss of interest, poor concentration and lack of enjoyment on the second (motivation). CONCLUSIONS The EURO-D scale should permit valid comparison of risk-factor associations between centres, even if between-centre variation remains difficult to attribute.

Just how big is global production sharing

Abstract: Sharing different stages of manufacturing between countries is of major and growing importance. But because of previous deficiencies in the Standard International Trade Classification (SITC Revision 1) system, it was not possible to differentiate between the international trade in components and parts and the exchange of fully fabricated manufactured goods. Such a distinction was needed to empirically estimate the amount of global production sharing. Changes in the SITC classification system (Revision 2) now allow one to approximate how much production sharing occurs within the key machinery and transportation equipment (SITC 7) group, which includes about 50 percent of world trade in all manufactures. In 1995, OECD (Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development) exports of parts and components in this group totaled $440 billion, which was about 30 percent of all shipments (components plus assembled goods) of machinery and transportation equipment. Developing countries produced and exported an additional $100 billion of these products -- which indicates global exports exceeded one-half trillion dollars. But the extent of production sharing is clearly greater than these figures indicate, because the SITC Revision 2 system does not allow one to distinguish between components and parts in chemicals or other manufactured goods. The data also show that over the past decade trade in machinery and transport equipment components has grown considerably faster than final stage products in this group. A different form of production sharing involves the use of special tariff provisions for the re-import of domestically produced components that have been assembled abroad. A second data source on this activity indicates that trade in these goods totals about $100 billion annually, with most of the activity involving the European Union and the United States. (Again, the available data probably understate the importance of this exchange.) Even so, these supplemental statistics illustrate the importance of this activity to some developing countries, as more than 40 percent of manufactured exports from the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Haiti, Jamaica, and Mexico involve assembly operations using components manufactured abroad.

The New Wave of Regionalism

Abstract: Economic regionalism appears to be growing rapidly. Why this has occurred and what bearing it will have on the global economy are issues that have generated considerable interest and disagreement. Some observers fear that regional economic institutions—such as the European Union (EU), the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), Mercosur, and the organization of Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC)—will erode the multilateral system that has guided economic relations since the end of World War II, promoting protectionism and conflict. Others argue that regional institutions will foster economic openness and bolster the multilateral system. This debate has stimulated a large and influential body of research by economists on regionalism's welfare implications.

Accessibility and Economic Development in Europe

Abstract: VICKERMAN R., SPIEKERMANN K. and WEGENER M. (1999) Accessibility and economic development in Europe, Reg. Studies 33 , 1-15. There is continuing debate on the role of transport infrastructure and changes in accessibility on regional economic development. The emphasis in recent European Union policy on the development of trans-European Networks (TENs) provides a focus for a re-evaluation. Much of the debate assumes that improvements in accessibility will lead to economic development and, by implication, to greater cohesion. This paper identifies some of the major difficulties in defining a simple measure of accessibility for use in such studies and proceeds to evaluate new measures of time-space and accessibility surfaces which allow for greater disaggregation at a spatial and sectoral level. An assessment of the implications for regional development in the EU is then made. The conclusions cast doubt on the ability of TENs to promote greater convergence in both accessibility and economic development. VICKE...

Functional Food Properties of Non-Digestible Oligosaccharides: A Consensus Report From the ENDO Project (DGXII AIRII-CT94-1095)

Abstract: This paper results from the final phase of the ENDO project (DGXII AIRII-CT94-1095), a European Commission-funded project on non-digestible oligosaccharides (NDO). All participants in the programme met to perform a consensus exercise on the possible functional food properties of NDO. Topics studied during the project (including a workshop on probiotics and prebiotics) and related aspects, for which considerable evidence has been generated recently, were evaluated on the basis of existing published scientific evidence. There was a general consensus that: (1) there is strong evidence for a prebiotic effect of NDO in human subjects. A prebiotic effect was defined as a food-induced increase in numbers and/or activity predominantly of bifidobacteria and lactic acid bacteria in the human large intestine; (2) there is strong evidence for the impact that NDO have on bowel habit; (3) there is promising evidence that consumption of inulin-type fructans may result in increased Ca absorption in man; (4) there are preliminary indications that inulin-type fructans interact with the functioning of lipid metabolism; (5) there is preliminary evidence in experimental animals of a preventive effect against colon cancer. Human nutrition studies are needed to substantiate these findings. It was concluded that the nutritional properties of NDO may prove to be a key issue in nutritional research in the future.

Political representation and legitimacy in the European Union

Abstract: How severe a problem is what many call the ‘democratic deficit’ of the EU? Despite a voluminous theoretical literature dealing with this question, there is hardly any systematic empirical investigation of the effectiveness of the system of political representation in the EU, and of the legitimacy beliefs of EU citizens that spring from it. This book elaborates a conceptual framework for the empirical analysis of the alleged democratic deficit. Four dimensions of legitimacy beliefs are identified and analysed: the European political community; the scope of EU government; the institutions and processes of EU government; and EU policies. Based upon large-scale representative surveys (the ‘European Representation Study’) among the mass publics, and different strata of the political elite of the EU and its member-states, the book examines the conditions of political representation in the EU. The results demonstrate, by and large, that legitimacy beliefs of EU citizens are the more positive the less specific the object of identification and evaluations is, and that the process of political representation works pretty well as long as issues other than EU issues are concerned. These findings are finally discussed in view of familiar strategies for institutional reform of the EU. The book is arranged in two main parts: I. Legitimacy (4 Chs) and II. Representation ( 6Chs); it also has an introduction, a conclusion, and an appendix giving details of the European Representation Study. The book is one of two companion volumes that report on the results of this study. The other is The European Parliament, the National Parliaments, and European Integration (edited by Richard S. Katz and Bernhard Wessels), and is also published by OUP.

Physical inactivity, sedentary lifestyle and obesity in the European Union.

Abstract: BACKGROUND: Diverging trends of decreasing energy intake and increasing prevalence of obesity suggest that physical inactivity and sedentary lifestyle may be one of the key determinants of the growing rates of overweight/obesity in Western populations information about the impact of physical inactivity and sedentary lifestyles on the prevalence of obesity among the general adult population in the European Union is sparse. OBJECTIVES: To estimate the association of leisure-time sedentary and non-sedentary activities with body mass index (BMI, kg/m2) and with the prevalence of obesity (BMI>30 kg/m2) in a sample of the 15 member states of the European Union. METHODS: Professional interviewers administered standardized in-home questionnaires to 15,239 men and women aged 15 years upwards, selected by a multi-stage stratified cluster sampling with quotas applied to ensure national and European representativeness. Energy expenditure during leisure time was calculated based on data on frequency of and amount of time participating in various physical activities, assigning metabolic equivalents (METS) to each activity. Sedentary lifestyle was assessed by means of self-reported hours spent sitting down during leisure time. Multiple linear regression models with BMI as the dependent variable, and logistic regression models with obesity (BMI>30 kg/m2) as the outcome, were fitted. RESULTS: Independent associations of leisure-time physical activity (inverse) and amount of time spent sitting down (direct) with BMI were found. The adjusted prevalence odds ratio (OR) for obesity was 0.52 [95% confidence interval (CI): 0.43–0.64, P 30 METS) compared with the most physically inactive quintile (<1.75 METS). A positive independent association was also evident for the time spent sitting down, with an adjusted OR= 1.61(95% CI: 1.33–1.95, P<0.001) for those who spent more than 35 h of their leisure time sitting down compared with those who spent less than 15 h. Conclusions: Obesity and higher body weight are strongly associated with a sedentary lifestyle and lack of physical activity in the adult population of the European Union. These results, however, need to be interpreted with caution due to the cross-sectional design. Nonetheless, they are consistent with the view that a reduction in energy expenditure during leisure time may be the main determinant of the current epidemic of obesity.

Dietary products used in infants for treatment and prevention of food allergy. Joint Statement of the European Society for Paediatric Allergology and Clinical Immunology (ESPACI) Committee on Hypoallergenic Formulas and the European Society for Paediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition (ESPGHAN) Committee on Nutrition.

Abstract: For more than 50 years, many children with food protein allergies and other forms of dietary protein intolerance have been treated successfully with protein hydrolysates with highly reduced allergenicity and, more recently, also with products based on amino acid mixtures. Strategies for the prevention of allergy have been proposed, including the use of products with extensively reduced allergenicity. Products designed to have a moderately reduced allergenicity have also been proposed and marketed in Europe as hypoallergenic formulas. The European Society for Paediatric Allergology and Clinical Immunology (ESPACI) and the European Society for Paediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition (ESPGHAN) have commented previously on these issues,1 2 and the Commission of the European Union has issued a regulation for the requirements of infant formulas with reduced allergenicity or reduced antigenicity.3 This paper comments on the current developments and unresolved issues in the dietary treatment and prevention of food allergy in infancy to help inform paediatricians and other health care professionals, as well as manufacturers of infant foods. Adverse reactions to foods are a problem, particularly in infancy and early childhood, and can present with a wide spectrum of clinical reactions such as cutaneous, gastrointestinal, respiratory, or other symptoms. Reproducible adverse reactions to food(s) can be the result of one or more immune mechanism(s) or they can be non-immunologically mediated. Immunologically mediated reactions, which are often immediate IgE mediated reactions, are defined as food protein allergy. Non-immunologically mediated reactions can be divided into enzymatic or transport defects (for example, lactase deficiency, or glucose/galactose malabsorption), pharmacological or other (undefined) reactions.2 4 The pattern and threshold of adverse reactions to foods varies. None of the symptoms related to immunologically or non- immunologically mediated adverse reactions to foods are pathognomonic, and no single laboratory test is diagnostic of food allergy. Therefore, the diagnosis …

Regional economic dynamics and convergence in the European Union

Abstract: This paper uses an alternative approach to convergence analysis, which, in our opinion, is richer than those traditionally proposed. We believe that the evolution of the whole regional distribution is what matters, not that of an average or representative economy, implicit in the or convergence concepts. Moreover, when analyzing inequality among regional economies, geographic space acquires a preeminent role. We therefore apply spatial association tests recently developed in the spatial econometrics literature and relate them to convergence analysis. Specifically, we apply this methodology to the analysis of regional dynamics and convergence in the European Union (EU). In this context, the progress made in the integration process has highlighted the question of economic disparities at regional level. The process of convergence came to an end in the late seventies, coinciding with major changes in economic activity. This paper shows how these factors appear to have provoked a regionally differentiated response which, though significant, did not, in all likelihood, exacerbate the decrease in regional inequalities.

The Road To Maastricht: Negotiating Economic and Monetary Union

Abstract: Economic and monetary union in the European Union represents a massive change for Europe and for the world. The Road to Maastricht identifies why the agreement was possible and how the agreement was made. The book examines the motives that inspired European political leaders, the strategies that they pursued, and the institutions that were used to achieve monetary union. Drawing on a wide range of sources and unprecedented research and interviews, the book combines careful political analysis with new information about the way in which European Monetary Union was negotiated. It delves into the complex forces at work in Europe, including the cross-national political interactions, to produce an authoritative account of the boldest and riskiest venture in the history of European integration.

Dimensions and alignments in european union politics: Cognitive constraints and partisan responses

Abstract: As the European Union (EU) has evolved, the study agenda has shifted from ‘European integration’ to ‘EU politics’. Missing from this new agenda, however, is an understanding of the ‘cognitive constraints’ on actors and how actors respond, i.e. the shape of the EU ‘political space’ and the location of social groups and competition between actors within this space. The article develops a theoretical framework for understanding the shape of the EU political space (the interaction between an Integration-Independence and Left- Right dimension and the location of class and sectoral groups within this map), and tests this framework on the policy positions of the Socialist, Christian Democrat and Liberal party leaders between 1976 and 1994 (using the techniques of the ECPR Party Manifestos Group Project). The research finds that the two dimensions were salient across the whole period, explains why the party families converged on pro-European positions by the 1990s and discovers the emergence of a triangular ‘core’ of EU politics.

Social movements in a globalizing world

Abstract: Table of Contents Social Movements in a Globalizing World: an Introduction D.della Porta & H.Kriesi PART I: NATIONAL MOBILIZATION WITHIN A GLOBALIZING WORLD Alternative Types of Cross-national Diffusion in the Social Movement Arena D.A.Snow & R.D.Benford The Gendering of Abortion Discourse: Assessing Global Feminist Influence in the United States and Germany M.Marx Ferree & W.A.Gamson A Comparison of Protests against the Gulf War in Germany, France and the Netherlands R.Koopmans The Diffusion and Adoption of Public Order Management Systems J.D.McCarthy, C.McPhail & J.Crist PART II: MOBILIZATION BEYOND THE NATION-STATE On the Relationship of Political Opportunities to the Form of Collective Action: The Case of the European Union G.Marks & D.McAdam The Europeanization of Movements? Contentions Politics and the European Union, October 1983 - March 1995 D.Imig & S.Tarrow Injustice and Adversarial Frames in a Supranational Political Context: Farmer's Protest in the Netherlands and Spain B.Kandermans, M. de Weerd, J-M.Sabucedo & M.Costa Supranational Political Opportunities as a Channel of Globalization of Political Conflicts. The Case of the Rights of Indigenous Peoples F.Passy Global Politics and Transnational Social Movements Strategies: The Transnational Campaign Against International Trade in Toxic Wastes J.Smith International Campaigns in Context: Collective Action Between the Local and the Global C.Lahusen The Transnationalization of Social Movements: Trends, Causes, Problems D.Rucht Bibliography Index

Analysis of climate variability : applications of statistical techniques

Abstract: Various problems in climate research, which require the use of advanced statistical techniques, are considered in this book. The examples emphasize the notion that the knowledge of statistical techniques alone is not sufficient. Instead, good physical understanding of the specific problems in climate research, such as the enormous size of the phase space, the correlation of processes on different time and space scales and the availability of essentially one observational record, is needed to guide the researcher in choosing the right approach to obtain meaningful answers. The second edition of this book, originally based on contributions given during a school sponsored by the European Union on the Italian island of Elba, continues to be based on the general principles that made the first edition a popular choice. The general outline has been kept the same, covering aspects such as the examination of the observational record, stochastic climate models, analytical techniques, e.g. EOF, teleconnections and so on, but the chapters have been revised and updated, in some cases extensively, to cover the advances in the field in the years since the first edition.

The global gamble : Washington's Faustian bid for world dominance

Abstract: Argues that, since the collapse of the USSR, the US government has been trying to bring about a unipolar world in which the United States can control and shape the pattern of economic and political change in all regions of the globe. The text explores the origins and distinctive forms of Washington's imperial project, from the collapse of the Soviet bloc through to the Gulf War of 1991, developments in the European Union, the enlargement of NATO and East Asian financial collapse. It also examines the efforts of various neo-liberal intellectuals to legitimate the American project in terms of liberalism. The text concludes that the United States will fail in its project and the world could face catastrophe as a result.

Specialization patterns in Europe

Abstract: Specialization Patterns in Europe. — This paper analyzes whether specialization has increased in European Union countries, and discusses whether specialization patterns are consistent with predictions of trade theory. There is evidence of increasing specialization in some EU countries between 1968 and 1990, and some industries have become more concentrated geographically. The observed pattern of specialization broadly follows trade theory. In particular, those industries that have become more concentrated geographically are characterized by high scale economies and high intermediate-goods intensity, providing some support for new trade theories.

The public policy of the European Union: whither politics of expertise?

Abstract: The role of expertise in European public policy has become the object of a passionate debate. On the one hand, it has been argued that knowledge, in various guises, can foster learning, enlightenment, problem-solving attitudes, and policy change. On the other, the public policy of the European Union (EU) is in the firing line because of its technocratic bias. However, what is meant by technocracy in the case of the EU? How can political scientists be fascinated by the positive input of knowledge, and, at the same time, horrified by technocratic policy-making? The aim of this article is to tackle this puzzle by suggesting a conceptual framework. Concepts such as technocracy, epistemic communities, and bureaucratic politics refer to different modes of the politics of expertise. Empirically, they should be contrasted with the logic of politicization. Case studies discussed in this article suggest that the power of expertise is being counterbalanced by politicization. The conclusion is that the main challenge...

Diversity of Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungus Populations in Heavy-Metal-Contaminated Soils

Abstract: High concentrations of heavy metals have been shown to adversely affect the size, diversity, and activity of microbial populations in soil. The aim of this work was to determine how the diversity of arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi is affected by the addition of sewage-amended sludge containing heavy metals in a long-term experiment. Due to the reduced number of indigenous AM fungal (AMF) propagules in the experimental soils, several host plants with different life cycles were used to multiply indigenous fungi. Six AMF ecotypes were found in the experimental soils, showing consistent differences with regard to their tolerance to the presence of heavy metals. AMF ecotypes ranged from very sensitive to the presence of metals to relatively tolerant to high rates of heavy metals in soil. Total AMF spore numbers decreased with increasing amounts of heavy metals in the soil. However, species richness and diversity as measured by the Shannon-Wiener index increased in soils receiving intermediate rates of sludge contamination but decreased in soils receiving the highest rate of heavy-metal-contaminated sludge. Relative densities of most AMF species were also significantly influenced by soil treatments. Host plant species exerted a selective influence on AMF population size and diversity. We conclude based on the results of this study that size and diversity of AMF populations were modified in metal-polluted soils, even in those with metal concentrations that were below the upper limits accepted by the European Union for agricultural soils.

Women's Employment in Europe: Trends and Prospects

Abstract: Based on extensive original research, this volume examines contemporary patterns of womens employment in Europe in the context of the profound economic, social and cultural changes that have taken place in recent years. It considers the progress made towards equal treatment in the labour market in the light of European Union action programmes, and examines the prospects for womens employment under the fourth action programme. The authors conclude that progress towards equal treatment will only occur when gender issues are fully integrated into the European Commissions employment and labour market policies.

Estimates of Time to Economic Convergence: An Analysis of Regions of the European Union:

Abstract: According to the simplest neoclassical theory, closer integration will ultimately eliminate the current differences in per capita incomes between European Union (EU) regions. Models based on the Ke...