Diversity vital for high streets
PAWNBROKERS, PAYDAY LENDERS and betting shops enjoyed a 17 per cent growth on British high streets between 2011-2013, says a report into the fortunes of 1,300 UK high streets. But British towns are forecast to lose 5,000 shops in the next five years, with women’s fashion, stores selling comparison goods such as electronics, and shops specialising in computer games, books, CDs and DVDs, likely to be particularly badly hit. “The story is as much about change in the mix as it is of massive across-the-board declines,” says
researcher Dr Jonathan Reynolds. “The most successful smaller town centres are proving to be diverse and versatile, perhaps developing specialist roles.” n
i Contact Dr Jonathan Reynolds,
Saïd Business School, University of Oxford Email
jonathan.reynolds@
sbs.ox.ac.uk Telephone 01865 288924 Web
oxford-institute.sbsblogs.co.uk/ 2013/07/19/diversity-and-the-uks-high-streets/ ESRC Grant Number ES/K005383/1
IN BRIEF
Separation agreements prove popular with Scottish couples
SEPARATION AGREEMENTS ARE increasingly popular with Scottish couples when they split up. These ‘minutes of agreement’ mean individuals do not have to go to court to settle property, assets or arrangements over children. Use of these agreements, says researcher Dr Jane Mair, has almost doubled in the last 20 years with the majority of parties involved holding a positive view of them. In Scotland, couples can enter into these agreements which, once signed and registered, have the same legal effect as a court order. Based on a sample of 600 separation agreements registered in 2010, researchers estimate that there is one minute of agreement for every two divorces. In 1992 one agreement was made for every four divorces. Agreements are predominantly concerned with division of property although the study shows that children
are discussed in almost half of the sample. The terms of the agreement were adhered to in the majority of cases and three quarters of those interviewed reported they were either mildly or very satisfied with the agreement they had entered into, although the reasons for satisfaction varied and included both financial and relational. The study shows that access to good, affordable legal advice is important with evidence that parties who did not take legal advice may have suffered financially. Researchers also highlight the limited provision in agreements for pension sharing or maintenance – a concern because of the gendered nature of post-separation child care. n
i Contact Dr Jane Mair, University of Glasgow
Email
jane.mair@
glasgow.ac.uk Telephone 0141 330 6841 ESRC Grant Number ES/J004960/1
SCHOOLING SOCIETY A key tenet of many academic theories and social policies is that schools play a key role in socialising future citizens into their roles in civic and political communities. Researchers aim to re-examine these long held assumptions and reassess the extent to which school policies and practices still have an impact on the civic and political socialisation of young people in Europe in the 21st Century. ESRC grant number ES/K001620/2
POVERTY IN INDIA India is one of the world’s fastest growing major economies but economic growth has not been inclusive. The trickle-down effects have been negligible for vast swathes of the population, for example, the Dalit and Adivasi communities, who account for almost one quarter of the population. Researchers will explore the ethnic dimensions of poverty and the reasons why some groups are disproportionately poor. ESRC grant number ES/K002341/1
CO-MORBIDITY MODEL Co-morbidity (when patients have two or more diseases) is on the increase and is a pressing issue since it is associated with a significant decline in both life expectancy and quality, and increased health service costs. This project will develop a spatial microsimulation model of co-morbidity for individuals with cardio-vascular disease, diabetes and obesity to meet the information needs of health policymakers and practitioners. ESRC grant number ES/K004433/1
SUMMER 2011 SOCIETY NOW 9 SPRING 2014
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