Dynamic Impacts of a Catastrophic Production Event: The Foot‐and‐Mouth Disease Case

In foot‐and‐mouth disease (FMD) free countries, the occurrence of an FMD outbreak is a rare event with potentially large economic losses. We explore the dynamic effects of an FMD outbreak on market variables and economic surplus taking into account the largely neglected issue of farm bankruptcy. Simulations are performed on a stylized agricultural economy, which is a net exporter before the outbreak. We find complex dynamic market effects when the farm credit market suffers from information imperfections leading to farm closure. Welfare effects are also dramatically altered. Domestic consumers may lose in the long run from an FMD outbreak because domestic supply contracts. On the other hand, farmers able to resist this event may ultimately gain. Our analysis also shows that these effects are not monotone, making any efficient policy response to this catastrophic event quite challenging.     

Child custody issues and co‐occurrence of intimate partner violence and child maltreatment: controversies and points of agreement amongst practitioners

The situation of families undergoing separation in a context of co‐occurrence of intimate partner violence (IPV) and child maltreatment raises certain issues related to child custody. The results presented in this paper were collected and analysed within the framework of a qualitative study aiming to identify the principal points of agreement and the main controversies amongst practitioners in several different types of organizations. Focus groups were held with a total of 43 practitioners from six different settings concerned with child custody in cases of co‐occurrence of IPV and child maltreatment. Although they agreed on the importance of ensuring the safety of victims of violence, their views diverged on three points: (1) the importance of preserving the father–child relationship; (2) collaboration between voluntary organizations and semi‐voluntary or legal agencies; and (3) consideration of cultural differences.     

School Provision for Roma Children: a European perspective

The current period is a pivotal one: European institutions started taking the schooling of Roma children into account in the early 1980s. Important texts have been adopted and wide‐reaching projects have been implemented. As European programmes are intensifying and are gradually opening up to all the States of Europe, we are faced with the necessity of defining the work in this field — both in terms of objectives, and in terms of organisation — more clearly. Even if part of the road is now being travelled, and the jigsaw of projects and programmes in diverse and essential domains is gradually taking shape, a great deal none the less remains to be done. Within our present social context rendering all progress appears to be fragile and uncertain. All efforts must be combined to consolidate achievements and advance towards the dynamic cultural affirmation and development made possible in the mutual respect of an intercultural approach. The set of activities presently under way can continue to be seen as an essential driving force, as a reference model, and as a demonstration that cultural diversity and action geared towards respecting diversity are a source of enrichment for all pupils, and for European society as a whole.     

Approximation of the distribution of excesses through a generalized probability-weighted moments method

The POT (peaks-over-threshold) approach consists in using the generalized Pareto distribution (GPD) to approximate the distribution of excesses over a threshold. In this paper, we consider this approximation using a generalized probability-weighted moments (GPWM) method. We study the asymptotic behaviour of our new estimators and also the functional bias of the GPD as an estimate of the distribution function of the excesses. A simulation study is provided in order to appreciate the efficiency of our approach.     

Uncertainty, Contrariness and the Double-bind: Middle Managers' Reactions to Changing Contracts

This article describes the emerging changes in psychological contracts being experienced by British middle managers in relation to their employing organizations, the middle managers' negative reactions to these changes and organizational responses to such negativity. By analysing case studies of 16 organizations, a classification of changes to five elements of the psychological contract are identified: knowledge, motivation, goals and means, role behaviour and ethics. By analysing the semi-structured interviews of 37 middle managers, selected from a much larger database for their obvious negative reactions, a continuum of such reactions is considered: uncertainty, contrariness and double-bind. This consideration leads, then, to suggestions for further research.