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This empirical study identifies and analyses what conceptualisations of citizenship emerge in policy thinking around naturalisation and how these conceptualisations have been articulated in citizenship policy and by policy-makers in the two specific cases of the United Kingdom and Sweden. Understanding citizenship as a bounded membership status the research is grounded in a view of citizenship as having content: rights and duties, ideas of identity, perceived virtues or political values. Employing an interpretive methodology the study closely analyses the central policy documents from the period 1994-2007. It also extensively draws on material from over thirty in-depth elite interviews with policy-makers. These include David Blunkett and Ulrica Messing, the ministers responsible during the development of the key changes to citizenship legislation in the respective countries. In the Swedish case the thesis argues that five conceptualisations form the ideational context in which policy articulations of citizenship take place. Interplaying ideas of integration, equality and belonging are reinforced by conceptualisations of citizenship as about a „welcoming‟ symbolism and as „responding to a global, internationalising context‟. In the UK case five conceptualisations also emerge. A strong interlocking of thinking about integration and belonging provides citizenship policy‟s ideational foundation. Adding depth and complexity to this are ideas about diversity, „common values‟, and the presentation of citizenship acquisition as a „journey‟. The final section of the study analyses and compares the findings from the two specific cases. In considering the policy tone around naturalisation it contrasts the attention given to individual effort in the UK with the accentuation of entitlement in Sweden. It also highlights different conceptual approaches to belonging and its relationship with citizenship; with belonging strongly connected to identity in the UK but to the idea of emotional certainty and security in Sweden. This is argued to reflect distinct beliefs about where evolving ideas about citizenship create demands for change. In Sweden, legislative opening to dual citizenship was conceptualised as a necessary response expected of the state. In the UK, the introduction of citizenship tests was conceptualised as the establishment of a legitimate demand on individuals. Approaches in the two cases are also shown to differ in where emphasis lies in ideas about diversity‟s relationship with citizenship. The UK downplays notions of ethnicity while the Swedish conceptualisation accepts pluralism as the reality of contemporary globalisation.

Improving wastewater (WW) treatment process is a major issue in different parts of the world. For a developed country like the UK where eutrophication is a problem that causes environmental and economical losses, and for a developing country like Jordan that is considered one of the most water scarce countries in the world, it is crucially important to improve the quality of the WW for safe reuse. Applying microalgae for WW treatment and biomass production is an economical and environmentally friendly method. However, this method has some challenges that need to be addressed, such as microalgae species selection, harvesting of the microalgae and the large area footprint. In this research, the overall aim was to bioprospect for microalgae that are adapted to the wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) and evaluate the obtained microalgae depending on specific criteria for a successful application in high rate algal ponds (HRAPs), then there were attempts to improve the phosphorus removal in microalgae to increase the efficiency of the treatment process and reduce the area footprint. Bioprospecting for indigenous microalgae to the WW took place from January to May 2014. Water samples were collected from wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) in the UK and Jordan. Eight different microalgae isolates were identified from each country. The results showed the Chlorella, Scenedesmus and Desmodesmus are common genera between the two countries and dominated the obtained isolates from the UK and Jordan. The isolates were identified using 18S rDNA and ITS1 5.8S ITS2 DNA barcoding markers. It was difficult to identify some of the isolates at the species level, as the 18S rDNA is too conserved to differentiate between the closely related species and due to the relatively poor representation of algae in GenBank. Then the obtained microalgae isolates were evaluated by their growth, efficiency in removing nutrients (i.e. nitrogen and phosphorus) and the settleability of the microalgae by gravity. Depending on the results the microalgae species were ranked to come up with some promising candidates to be applied on large scale. From the UK, Avonmouth_12 (Av_12) and Avonmouth_10 (Av_10) and from Jordan, Jordan_18 (Jo_18) and Jordan_29 (Jo_29) were distinguished in their performance in the WW. Since phosphorus is a major cause of eutrophication in the fresh water and it is important to reduce the level of phosphorus in the released WW to the legally permitted limits, this research aimed to study the possibility of improving phosphorus removal by microalgae. Using Chlamydomonas reinhardtii as a model to optimise the protocol to be applied in parallel with Av_12, which is a promising microalga isolate that has been applied on large scale in HRAPs in Beckington WWTP, the strategy was to overexpress a Phosphorus Starvation Response (PSR1) gene. The transformation process was successful in C. reinhardtii but not in Av_12. There was an enhancement of the specific phosphate removal rate in the transformed microalgae isolate CC 1010_B2 and CC 1010_A6 in comparison to the wild type strain CC 1010.

This thesis seeks to consider Thai students and their reasons for choosing to study in United Kingdom universities. Through the literature review it has been identified that higher education is globally expanding. Competing knowledgebased economies with higher education institutions have led education to be considered a market commodity and consequently the marketization of higher education in competitive world markets. This is exemplified by discussion of the United Kingdom higher education policies and the resulting demand for higher education in the United Kingdom. The numbers of overseas students studying at higher education institutions in the United Kingdom is rising, with a notable increase in the number of students from South-East Asia. In its endeavour to increase its knowledge-based economy, Thailand has increased opportunities for Thai nationals to study overseas through scholarships and Government policies. The advantages of overseas degrees to individuals, these include a facility with English language, enhanced employment and promotion prospects, and increased social status, are discussed. A study of Thai students studying in the United Kingdom has been used to explore the reality of these advantages for individual students. A case study approach was used and personal interviews with students and questionnaires with their parents and grandparents. The data was analysed using a ‘categorical-content perspective’ narrative method (Lieblich et al., 1998). The thesis concludes that, despite as a nation Thailand having good geographical links with other advanced countries such as Japan and China, living in an economically stable and democratic country, having excellent opportunities to access Thai universities and having no direct links with the United Kingdom, Thai students still see real advantages to studying at higher education institutions in the United Kingdom. This decision is influenced by social and cultural factors, in particular the extended family, and potential financial rewards. However as a result of studying overseas in the United Kingdom the Thai students experience and have to resolve various social and cultural tensions. They have become more individualistic in their attitudes and opinions, which are at odds with the traditional collectivist values, held by their families and deeply entrenched in Thai society.

The link between the cost of equity and reinsurance purchased by insurers is examined in this study. This work extends the research on the economic value implications of corporate risk management practices. Utilising a framework based on the theory of optimal capital structure, this study puts forward two hypotheses to test empirically the cost of equity – reinsurance relation in the United Kingdom’s non-life insurance market. The first hypothesis tests the effect of the decision to reinsure on the insurers’ cost of equity, whereas the second hypothesis focuses on the link between the extent of reinsurance purchased and the cost of equity. Panel data samples drawn from 469 non-life insurance companies conducting business in the UK insurance market between 1985 and 2010 are used to test these hypotheses. The study employs a modified version of the Rubinstein-Leland (R-L) model to estimate the cost of equity. Both the hypotheses put forward are supported by the empirical evidence obtained through regression analysis. The empirical results suggest that, on average, users of reinsurance have a lower cost of equity than their counterparts who do not reinsure. The results also suggest that the relationship between the cost of equity and the level of reinsurance purchased is non-linear. It is inferred from this result that reinsurance can lower the cost of equity for primary insurers provided the cost of reinsuring is lower than the reduction in frictional costs achieved through reinsurance. This finding validates the use of the theory of optimal capital structure as the appropriate framework to guide this research. Robustness and sensitivity tests confirm that the influence of multicollinearity and endogeneity on the estimates is negligible. This study thus provides new and important insights on the impact of reinsurance (risk management) on firm value through its influence on the cost of equity. These findings are deemed useful to various stakeholders in insurance companies, including investors, managers, regulators, credit rating agencies and policyholder-customers.

Quality assurance in schools and in higher education has been a growth industry for many years, with all kinds of agencies being funded. With apparently endless growth in education at all levels, with insistent demands on more resources, the political pressures in ensuring value for money have increased. This study explores the perceptions of teachers, students and senior administrators ofquality assurance in secondary schools (ages about 15-18 in Bahrain) in the Kingdom of Bahrain. Here, there is an established system of quality assurance but there is a general feeling of unrest that all is not well in the way quality assurance has developed.The overall aim is to enhance quality assurance in Bahrain, based on sound pedagogical evidence. This study provides an overview of quality assurance in secondary schools in Bahrain with the teachers, students and senior staff. This aims to look at the way secondary education is offered in Bahrain, to explore possible ways to enhance educational provision and, where possible, to look for any evidence that Quality Assurance has improved quality.This study has aimed to gain an overall view of what is happening in secondary education in Bahrain and to identify areas which need further attention. The approach has been very much focussed on the learner.The first experiment seeks to find out how some key stakeholders see present provision in secondary education (ages 15-18) in Bahrain. The aim is to gain an overview of perceptions and to identify areas where there are issues to be addressed. This study describes two surveys which were conducted with 793 students and 793 teachers related particularly to their perceptions. 23 senior staff in the Ministry of Education and Quality Assurance Authority in Kingdom of Bahrain were also interviewed individually in order to gain more information about their perceptions of quality assurance in the Kingdom. It is very evident that the pictures painted by the students, their teachers and those in educational leadership are very different. In particular, the educational leadership standout in offering very different perspectives. It is, therefore, obvious that there is little shared agenda other than an overall wish for educational quality, but what is meant by this is not even clear. There is a clear message that the educational leadership needs to consult and listen more to teachers and students if any shared agenda is to be reached. Perhaps, the teachers have a better insight into reality while the students must take a central role in that the schools are there for their benefit. Several issues stood out from the surveys but two were followed up in this study. The first is that there is considerable disquiet about national assessment (which controls inschool assessment practices). The second is that the students want to move away form the teacher-centred lecture approach to have opportunities to work in groups and discuss.In the light findings of these findings, the examination marks for a sample of 7022students in their final year of school was gained. The data were considered descriptively as well as being analysed using Factor Analysis. It was readily apparent that there are major issues to be addressed and that was perhaps what the students were drawing attention to in the surveys. Firstly, the examination papers are far too easy, with little opportunity for students to show their abilities. Secondly, the factor analyses showed that all the subject examinations merely tested one skill, a scrutiny of papers showingthat was recall. In order to explore the potential role of group working in schools, a sample of 817 students in three age-groups in secondary school undertook a short series of short group-work problem solving exercises in one subject discipline. Student performance as well as their reactions were measured. It was found that there were some advantages in understanding arising from the use of such units but the effects were not universally beneficial for all of the units used. Student reactions tended to be positive but not overwhelmingly so.The main findings revealed that there is a major lack of consistency and sharedunderstanding between those who take the decisions in education (and thedocumentation they generate) and the realities of what goes on in schools (as reflected by teachers and learners). There is a need to focus on the learners, their experiences, their achievements and their needs as they move out into higher education or the workplace. There is a need to widen the range of skills being assessed and to develop resources to enable these skills to grow. Above all, the role of quality assurance in Bahrain has to be one that empowers the teachers rather that inspects them and criticises, often on matters over which teachers have no control.

Thesis (M.A.)--Southern California College, 1987. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 156-167).

Problem: The creation of the European Union gave people the right of free movement between the membership countries. In theory, the creation of a single market should create many additional employment and earning opportunities for the workers in the member states of the EU (Bauer & Zammermann, 1999 cited at Borjas, 2010). Some natives believe that an increase in immigration will post a threat to them. They believe that their wages will go down and jobs will be taken from them. Is this true or is it just a sign of xenophobia? Purpose of the Research: The purpose of this study was to replicate successfully the study: “Examining the Relationship between Immigration and Unemployment Using National Insurance Number Registration Data” by Lucchino, P., Rosazza – Bondibene, C., and Portes, J. from 2012. Then the same research methods were used in Swedish data analysis. Methods: Data on unemployment and immigration was collected from Sweden and the UK and multiple regressions were run using the STATA11 software. Conclusion: The immigration rate had no significant affect on the unemployment rate both in the UK and Sweden. However, adding a one year lagged immigration rate was found to be significant at a 5% significance level in the Swedish analysis, but was insignificant in the UK analysis. The control variables for labor supply proved to be insignificant in the analysis of both countries.

Thesis (M.A.)--Cincinnati Bible College & Seminary, 2002. / Includes abstract and vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 117-123).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Bob Jones University, 2003. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 341-356).