Paul Allanson

Areal interpolation of spatially extensive variables: A comparison of alternative techniques

Abstract This paper presents a methodology which provides a practicable solution to a specific class of areal interpolation problems. The method allows for the transformation of the areal basis of land use data from a set of reporting units to a set of land capability classes within each of which land use mix is assumed to be homogeneous. Three alternative procedures, based on least squares criteria, are suggested for estimation of the land use mix in each land class. Although these are shown to produce similar and broadly plausible results in an empirical application, choice of procedure may be guided by consideration of the particular application and computational ease.

Accounting for the dead in the longitudinal analysis of income-related health inequalities

This paper develops an accounting framework to consider the effect of deaths on the longitudinal analysis of income-related health inequalities. Ignoring deaths or using Inverse Probability Weights (IPWs) to re-weight the sample for mortality-related attrition can produce misleading results. Incorporating deaths into the longitudinal analysis of income-related health inequalities provides a more complete picture in terms of the evaluation of health changes in respect to socioeconomic status. We illustrate our work by investigating health mobility from 1999 till 2004 using the British Household Panel Survey (BHPS). We show that for Scottish males explicitly accounting for the dead rather than using IPWs to account for mortality-related attrition changes the direction of the relationship between relative health changes and initial income position, from negative to positive, while for other groups it significantly increases the strength of the positive relationship. Incorporating the dead may be vital in the longitudinal analysis of health inequalities.

The rural economy and the British countryside.

List of Contributors Lists of Figures and Tables Preface List of Acronyms and Abbreviations Prologue: Rural Policy and the British Countryside Paul Alhnson and Martin Whitby Part I: Rural Resources 1. The Role of Markets in the Rural Economy David Hatvey 2. Pesticides, Pollution and Sustainability Neil Ward 3. Natural Resource Management: the Case of Heather Moorland Ben White 4. Valuing Environmental Goods in the Countryside Guy Gawod 5. The Role of Marketing Rural Food Products Christogher Ritson and Shamn Kurnesof Part 11: Rural Economy 6. A Sustainable Rural Economy? Paul Allunson 7. The Planning of Rural Britain Jonathan Murdoch 8. Local Rural Development and the LEADER I Programme Christopher Ray 9. Losers and Gainers from Rural Policy Martin Whitby The Rural Economy and the British Countryside 10. Blueprint for a Rural Economy Philip Lowe References Index

A Multilateral Decomposition of Racial Wage Differentials in the 1994 South African Labour Market

This article develops a new multilateral decomposition procedure for the analysis of wage differentials and applies this to the racial wage hierarchy in the South African labour market. Using micro-data on male workers from the 1994 October Household survey, it is found that whites received the highest wages followed by Asians, then coloureds and finally blacks. Productivity differences are shown to explain approximately two-thirds of the white and black wage differentials, with the unexplained residuals attributable to discriminatory overpayment of whites and underpayment of blacks, and virtually all of the Asian and coloured differentials. The results provide the basis for a discussion of post-apartheid policy initiatives to tackle racial inequalities in the labour market.

Understanding the vertical equity judgements underpinning health inequality measures.

The choice of income-related health inequality measures in comparative studies is often determined by custom and analytical concerns, without much explicit consideration of the vertical equity judgements underlying alternative measures. This note employs an inequality map to illustrate how these judgements determine the ranking of populations by health inequality. In particular, it is shown that relative indices of inequality in health attainments and shortfalls embody distinct vertical equity judgments, where each may represent ethically defensible positions in specific contexts. Further research is needed to explore peoples preferences over distributions of income and health.

Sustainability and the rural economy: An evolutionary perspective

The authors define the rural economy not as a functional entity but as a complex, open system, the analysis of which requires an interdisciplinary approach oriented to the study of processes and interactions. This evolutionary perspective is illustrated by two generic studies of rural issues: the role played by the postwar planning regime in the definition and management of rural space in Britain; and the connection between agricultural development and the reproduction of farm structures. The understanding of sustainable development which emerges calls for a holistic and responsive approach to rural policy formulation.

The Evolution of the Racial Wage Hierarchy in Post-Apartheid South Africa

This article develops a multilateral decomposition procedure for the analysis of wage differentials and applies this to the evolution of the racial wage hierarchy in South Africa over the period 1993–2001. We find evidence that the wage position of the majority African workforce improved relative to all other racial groups immediately following the transition to democratic rule in 1994, but that these gains have been largely eroded in the ensuing years of the post-apartheid era. We review the range of policy initiatives that have been taken by the government since 1994 in the light of our empirical findings.

Longitudinal methods to investigate the role of health determinants in the dynamics of income-related health inequality.

The usual starting point for understanding changes in income-related health inequality (IRHI) over time has been regression-based decomposition procedures for the health concentration index. However the reliance on repeated cross-sectional analysis for this purpose prevents both the appropriate specification of the health function as a dynamic model and the identification of important determinants of the transition processes underlying IRHI changes such as those relating to mortality. This paper overcomes these limitations by developing alternative longitudinal procedures to analyse the role of health determinants in driving changes in IRHI through both morbidity changes and mortality, with our dynamic modelling framework also serving to identify their contribution to long-run or structural IRHI. The approach is illustrated by an empirical analysis of the causes of the increase in IRHI in Great Britain between 1999 and 2004.

Agricultural Land Use Change in England and Wales, 1892-1992

The paper presents a method for transforming Agricultural Census data on land use from arbitrary administrative reporting units to a set of more environmentally meaningful land classes. The procedure is used to analyse historical patterns of land use in England and Wales. The results demonstrate that cropping patterns are related systematically to land capability and reveal the complex adjustments in the spatial distribution of land uses that have underlain changes in the overall cropping mix over the past century.

A Structural Account of the Diffusion of Oilseed Rape in England and Wales

The paper develops a model of the structure of oilseed rape production which is used to investigate the diffusion of the crop in England and Wales between 1974 and 1989. Specifically, the estimates of the structural or aggregate adoption model enable changes in the total area of the crop to be attributed to changes in the farm size structure and in the extent and intensity of adoption by farm size. The results provide direct evidence that rank effects influence adoption behaviour and are also consistent with the existence of epidemic type effects due to the spread of information.