Gender equality and legal mobilization in the United Kingdom: using rights for lobbying, litigation, defense and attack

No description supplie

Between Domestication and Europeanisation. A Gendered Perspective on Reproductive (Human) Rights Law

Europeanization; European Court of Justice; European law; gender policy; law; U.K.

Increasing the involvement of smallholders in high-value horticulture: Lessons from Zimbabwe

This report describes a dialogue with the Zimbabwean horticultural industry, and particularly with the exporter Hortico, which together with Selbys, is one of two horticultural exporters sourcing substantial quantities from smallholders. The aim was to identify and test new approaches that would reduce the risks inherent in such schemes, thereby accelerating their development

Brexit and the voice of the people: but which people? The UACES Blog [weblog article, 5 February 2019]

Brexit has been debated and unpicked to exhaustion. Writing in February 2019, Brexit is beginning to feel like a bad soap opera whose scriptwriter has run out of ideas. The plot is going round in circles. And yet, most discussions revert one way or another to sovereignty, migration and economy – all with clear nationalistic and imperialistic overtones. Debates about people or ‘the people’ seem to be at the core of these discussion, especially when it comes to migration. All such debates are implicitly or explicitly about ‘us’ and ‘them’. This binary(ies) need challenging. What is also needed is a recognition of the multiple further intersections and subgroups within these binaries of groups of people

Strategic Litigation for Gender Equality in the Workplace and Legal Opportunity Structures in Four European Countries

Legal mobilization in the courts has emerged as an increasingly important social movement strategy, which complements other political strategies. This paper explores legal and institutional factors that can account for the varying levels of legal mobilization in countries with a civil law system. It examines the different legal opportunity structures (LOS) (such as judicial access and material and procedural law) and the extent to which strategic litigation has been employed by trade unions and other social actors to promote equal pay in four European countries: Switzerland, Germany, France, and Poland. While every component of LOS influences legal mobilization, legal factors and legal context alone are not sufficient to explain the observed variations. Rather, they constitute an important general framework in which other social and political factors, such as norms about gender roles, equality, and litigation, are also significant. Two issues seem to be especially relevant and have emerged as a rewarding field of analysis—the role of media coverage and organizational action frame

Written submission from the School of Law, Politics and Sociology, University of Sussex (OEU0007)to the Women and equalities Committee inquiry: ensuring strong equalities legislation after EU exit

Undoubtedly, the UK’s equalities legislation has become stronger in recent years providing important protection for people who experience discrimination. Nevertheless, this has happened in the context of widening economic inequality, cuts in public services and restrictions on access to justice – all of which make it harder for victims of discrimination to realise the rights that exist on paper. If the UK leaves the EU, the next few years will be a period of great political, economic and social instability when it will be vital to ensure that protection against discrimination is strengthened not weakened and that a culture of support for equality and human rights is promoted throughout the UK. The rights that must be protected benefit everyone in the UK, not only supporting marginalised people and victims of discrimination but also making workplaces fairer for all and underpinning the legitimacy of our democratic institutions

Migration and access to health care in English medical law: a rhetorical critique

This paper develops a rhetorical critique of recent cases on migration and access to health care in Britain. It argues that the national territory, once a taken-for-granted starting point for reasoning in medical law, has lost its common-sense status as a result of neoliberal globalisation. This is evident in recent decisions involving on the one hand HIV-positive asylum seekers coming to the UK and on the other hand British ‘health tourists’ seeking funding for treatment elsewhere in the European Union. Courts are aware that many of these cases are likely to call forth the sympathy of audiences for the individual concerned, further undermining their privileging of the national scale. In curbing this ‘politics of pity’ they adopt a range of persuasive strategies

Respect for human dignity: an Anglo-French comparison

The thesis analyses the ways in which respect for human dignity is ensured through law. Situated within the framework of comparative legal studies, it examines the place and significance of the principle of respect for human dignity in English and French law within the context of the protection of fundamental rights at both national and European levels (including the European Convention on Human Rights and the law of the European Union). The introduction sets out the framework of the study. It is here that the comparative nature of the research is presented and the chosen methodology of comparative law justified. The thesis is then divided into two main sections. The first, comprising Chapters 1 and 2, is devoted to the definition of key concepts, notably that of `dignity' and the `human person' and to an analysis of the 'juridification' of respect for dignity, that is its insertion into legal sources at both national and supra-national levels and its relationship with other fundamental legal principles and values. The second part of the thesis, Chapters 3 to 6, comprises a detailed comparative study of instances in which the concept of dignity is applied in France and England. Initially under investigation is respect for dignity at the boundaries of life; that is at its beginnings (Chapter 3) and at its end (Chapter 4). The focus then shifts towards respect for dignity during the course of the human life cycle, looking particularly at violations of physical integrity (Chapter 5) and mental integrity (Chapter 6). The study concludes that while both French and English legal systems have been called upon to respond to potential dignity violations as a result of scientific and technological developments, their responses have varied as a result of their distinct legal cultures. Nevertheless, there is a substantial trend towards rapprochement as a result of harmonising influences from Europe

Focusing on the golden skills of effective communication and collaboration to further enhance graduate employability attributes

Based on a trilogy of related studies over the last decade, this longitudinal appraisal of graduate employability provides empirical evidence for higher education (HE) to focus on developing graduates with particular strengths in communications and collaborations to enhance graduate employability attributes. For the last decade, a dozen individual employability skills have been promoted by AdvanceHE (formerly the Higher Education Academy) and many HE Institutions (HEI) have since made significant progress in adapting their provisions and opportunities accordingly. This empirical study identifies common ground across that dozen and highlights communications and collaborations to be the next priority for graduate attribute focus. This research is part of a longer-term study of the evolution of graduate attributes to help finesse such provision so that it reflects the changing world that HEI students enter at the time that they graduate. The first study of the trilogy identified primary baseline empirical data to confirm a series of disciplinary variations in employability-related support across HE. The second complementary study highlighted that gendered inconsistencies in such provision were of an indirect nature and reflected variable provision across disciplinary subject areas. This third study establishes future priorities for HE based on four key findings. First, that gaps previously exposed, particularly for females have closed significantly. Second, that there are now clear preferences for employability-related activities to be further integrated into the curriculum. Third, that opportunities continue to exist in raising the visibility and awareness of employability-related support. Fourth, that the focus for future course developments should be on developing graduates with clear skills in communication and collaboration, the golden skills that help make the most of strengths in subject capability, community values and career aspirations

Oral flora in acute stroke patients: a prospective exploratory observational study

Objective: To describe the bacterial profile of the oral flora during the first two weeks following a stroke, examining changes in the condition of the oral cavity and infections. Background: Dysphagia is common after a stroke and can lead to aspiration pneumonia. Oral flora changes associated with stroke have been implicated as a possible source of bacteria that can cause systemic infections. Materials and methods: Seventy-seven participants were recruited over a period of nine months. Fifty participants had a complete set of swabs taken from four different oral sites and saliva at three time points over a 14 day period. Molecular identification of bacteria was performed on pooled DNA extracted from swabs. Results: A total of 103 bacterial phylotypes were identified, 29 of which were not in the Human Oral Microbiome Database (HOMD). Fourteen of the twenty most common bacterial phylotypes found in the oral cavity were Streptococcal species with Streptococcus salivarius being the most common. The condition of the oral cavity worsened during the study period. Fifteen (30%) patients had at least one infection. Conclusions: It is unknown whether the 29 phylotypes identified that were not in the HOMD indicate a particular change in the oral flora associated with stroke, or the incomplete nature of the HOMD. The Holistic and Reliable Oral Assessment Tool detailed how the condition of the oral cavity following a stroke worsened over the fourteen days in hospital. Further research is needed to explore oral care methods to improve patient safety and comfort following a stroke