news 2012

Business/Economics - 16.05
New findings show long-term effects of fathers’ job loss on children’s education
There is a lot of evidence of the effect of job loss on peoples' future earnings and employment opportunities. New research into the impact of fathers' job loss on their child's educational attainment, for the first time in the UK, finds significant effects on the next generation. The recession of the 1980s had a large and lingering effect on unemployment, which rose to 12 per cent (three million) and stayed around this level until 1986.

Business/Economics - Media Sciences/Political Sciences - 20.04
Online-only news outlets 'struggle to find funding'
The first report to systematically assess how online-only news websites across Western Europe are faring has found that new start-ups are struggling to find business models that can cover their operating costs.

Business/Economics - 17.04
Streaming schoolchildren by ability is good news for girls but bad news for boys
New research from the University of Warwick suggests girls benefit significantly from more interaction with very bright peers at secondary school, but it can be detrimental for boys. In a paper published in the latest edition of the Journal of Labor Economics , a research team from the University of Warwick's Economics department and the London School of Economics looked at data from all secondary schools in England to determine the effect of ability of peers.

Business/Economics - 8.03
Numerically-challenged consumers hit in the pocket by loans
Consumers with poor financial skills pay over the odds for loans and are eight times more likely to use highly expensive credit such as payday loans and home credit, new research has revealed. The research from The University of Nottingham on the UK consumer market published today, shows that consumers who have a poorer understanding of key financial concepts such as interest rates and credit terms pay nine percentage points more for loans than those with better numerical skills.

Environmental Sciences - Business/Economics - 5.03
Shortcuts costly when buying conservation from farmers
Shortcuts in the design of payment schemes to persuade farmers to undertake conservation works could be putting the potential environmental benefits at risk, a study involving researchers at The University of Nottingham has found.

Business/Economics - 8.02
Public opinion on immigration policy more related to cultural than economic concerns
Public attitudes toward immigration policy are more influenced by cultural and social concerns than economic ones such as wages and taxes, according to new UCL research. The research, conducted by David Card, Christian Dustmann and Ian Preston from the UCL Centre for Research and Analysis of Migration (CReAM) analyses the main factors that drive public opposition to immigration.

Business/Economics - Environmental Sciences - 23.01
Low carbon, moderate income and long life
A new study shows that countries with high incomes and high carbon emissions do not achieve higher life expectancies than those with moderate incomes and lower carbon emissions. This finding challenges the assumption that human wellbeing requires growth in both economic activity and carbon emissions.

Business/Economics - Administration/Government - 7.12.2011
Warwick economist to lead £15 million research initiative into private enterprise in developing countries
University of Warwick economics professor Christopher Woodruff will oversee a new initiative that plans to invest £15 million into research on private enterprise development in low-income countries. The initiative, the largest research endeavour undertaken on the subject, is a joint venture co-ordinated by the Centre for Economic Policy Research in partnership with the Department for International Development.

Medicine/Pharmacology - Business/Economics - 24.11.2011
Breakthrough could speed drug discovery
Innovative technology being pioneered at Cardiff to speed up the discovery of new drugs to tackle lung diseases could also dramatically reduce testing on animals. Scientists at the School of Biosciences have shown it is feasible to integrate human liver cells with lung cells to create the Metabo-Lung - a working model of human lung tissue to test the toxicity of drugs.

Social Sciences - Business/Economics - 2.11.2011
Half of British workforce ill-treated
One million Britons experienced workplace violence in the last two years, while millions more were subjected to intimidation, humiliation and rudeness, new research has shown. Surprisingly, managers and professionals in well-paid full-time jobs are among the groups most at risk.

Business/Economics - Agronomy/Food Science - 3.10.2011
Research uncovers what increases chicken wellbeing
Researchers from the University of Bristol's School of Veterinary Sciences have concluded that the wellbeing of barn chickens is increased if they have activity objects, perches and other stimulation. Around 75 per cent of barn chickens reared for UK households are in barns which don't have natural daylight or activity objects such as pecking blocks.

Medicine/Pharmacology - Business/Economics - 20.09.2011
Smoking in films encourages teenagers to take a drag
Ever since the era of silent films, smoking has played a major part in film symbolism. Think Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffany's or Robert De Niro in Goodfellas. But iconic scenes such as these could be damaging the health of teenagers, who are more likely to smoke after watching films depicting the habit.

Business/Economics - Medicine/Pharmacology - 6.09.2011
New research sheds light on teenage friendship networks
Making friends is a key part of school life, often shaping our futures and helping us develop as individuals. With youngsters across the country returning to school this week, new research has identified the factors which influence these relationships, with academic achievement, mother's education and personality found to be essential in the friendship formation process.

Business/Economics - Computer Science/Telecom - 10.08.2011
Input/output: The Economics of Database Searching
Searching the internet might seem simple, but applying a little bit of economic theory to information retrieval can shed some light on the best search strategies to adopt, according to researchers. Leif Azzopardi from the School of Computing Science at the University of Glasgow took production theory from microeconomics and applied it to the process of searching the internet, or any other database system.

Business/Economics - 20.07.2011
Rock paper scissors players are natural copycats
Players of the game rock paper scissors subconsciously copy each other's hand shapes, significantly increasing the chance of the game ending in a draw, according to new research.  A study published today in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B shows that even when players lose out by drawing a game, they can't help themselves from copying the hand gestures of their opponent.