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This article is principally a case study establishing the existence of an internal labour market in British Rail, and its significance for the long‐term wage structure. Drawing on the work of Doeringer and Piore it outlines the advantages that internal labour markets would be expected to offer both employers and employees, and the implications which these have for the process of wage determination. It briefly reviews previous case studies supporting the importance of the role of comparisons, both internal and external, in wage bargaining; and then turns to the study of British Rail. Finding the characteristics expected of an internal labour market, it then establishes that the wage structure of the industry has demonstrated a considerable degree of stability over the period 1950‐85, despite considerable changes in relative productivities. This degree of consistency is regarded as being difficult to reconcile with the dominance of market forces in wage determination.

Reviews the attempts to introduce greater exchange rate stability into the European Union, culminating in the 1992 crisis in the Exchange Rate Mechanism, and the UK’s withdrawal. Outlines the Maastricht Treaty proposals for monetary union by 1999. Finally, reviews the arguments for and against UK adoption of the single currency, drawing, where possible, on the limited empirical evidence.

Briefly reviews the Social Protocol attached to the Maastricht Treaty. Addresses the debate between those advocating the minimal harmonization of labour legislation necessary for the establishment of fair competition within the single market, on the one side, and those arguing for a more interventionist approach to avoid the consequences of social dumping, on the other. Then examines the implications for this debate of the rise of flexible production, with its demand for increased human capital investment and long‐term employment relationships.

Reviewing the persistence of high levels of unemployment in the EU, finds that this has been accompanied by an increasing incidence of low pay and the adoption of “atypical” employment contracts. The policy response, drawing on the experience of the US economy, has been to advocate the creation of flexible labour markets. It suggests that it is not possible to account for the deterioration in the European labour market in terms of an increase in the supply of labour. The fall in demand for labour is examined in terms of long‐run structural changes and in particular it draws attention to the impact of increased import penetration. Finally it discusses the consequences for public funding of welfare, investment in education and training, and the emergence of a permanent labour surplus economy.

Reviews the development of EU regulation of its airline industry. From a highly regulated regime the EU has slowly moved towards liberalization, culminating in the creation of an open competitive market from 1993. Influenced as much by the US example as by the needs of the single European market, discusses the structural changes likely to take place in the industry in the next few years, and the problems this may present to the Commission in controlling non‐competitive practices.

This chapter aims to improve the mechanisms of economic integration between Russia and Cuba. The methodology used by the author in this chapter is mainly composed of the method of historical-comparative, inductive, and analytical-synthetic analysis. The author used the existing information on the internet and other analyzed references. Additionally, the author qualitatively analyzed the opinions of various experts and drew conclusions. Regional integration is examined conceptually as a basis for a better understanding of integration processes. The research provides historical data after including Cuba in the Council for Mutual Economic Assistance (CMEA), considering this structure as the first one with characteristics of an economic integration structure. Next, the author considered the post-Soviet stage until the present. Statistical data according to the Observatory of Economic Complexity (OEC) summary are provided. These data correspond to the periods from 2018 to 2021 and show the statistics of exports, imports, and other important indicators between the two countries. Based on the analysis, it is necessary to update the integration mechanisms to reduce tariff rates, promote free trade between the two countries, and increase the participation of Russian companies in the Mariel Special Development Zone (ZED Mariel), Havana, Cuba.

Purpose – The author investigates how those who have engaged in political violence in the UK understand Prevent’s preemptive rationality, and how Prevent conceptualizes the trajectory toward “terrorism” in relation to the testimony of those who have engaged in “terrorist” violence and were convicted of terrorism offences.

Methodology/Approach – The author takes the assumptions that Prevent makes about risk (from the Prevent Strategy and other documents), and tests these against the testimony of former combatants from “the Troubles.”

Findings – Despite the trajectory toward violence not being considered to differ fundamentally nor demonstrated through evidence to operate differently from one era to the next, the premise of Prevent’s assumptions of the movement into violence and former combatant testimony are entirely foreign to each other.

Originality/Value – Although militants from “the Troubles” (a conflict ending in 1998) and Prevent (established in 2003) are speaking about the same country and narrating their “truth” within five years of each other, the differences in how former combatants and Prevent understand the trajectory toward violence have not been considered. This has remained a significant omission of terrorism scholarship.

Purpose: Researchers and advocates alike have noted that persons with disabilities and older persons are the two groups most marginalized by neoliberal economic policies and therefore could come together as a broad-based movement against the roll back of their rights. Yet, these two groups fail to collaborate, and instead compete against one another for an ever-shrinking pool of benefits. This chapter explores the barriers to their collaboration within the context of structural adjustment in Jamaica.

Methods/Approach: The author engages in a critical analysis of neoliberalism's effect on the advocacy strategies of the disability and older persons' movements in Jamaica based on 32 semi-directed depth interviews, participant observation of numerous events, and a survey of media written by local advocates.

Findings: The disability movement makes claims on behalf of their members by focusing on the potential returns that society will gain by providing the opportunities that will make young persons with disabilities productive employees over their lifetime. The older persons' movement advocates by portraying themselves as “vibrant” and worthy of social investment because of the contributions they make. Both of these arguments for inclusion are also exclusionary. The disability movement excludes older persons as potential contributors and the older persons' movement similarly excludes persons with disabilities.

Implications: The only way neoliberalism will successfully be rolled back and universal rights returned is if the disability movement and older persons' movements build an alliance that is more inclusive, including of one another, by rejecting the language of investment and productivity, and instead focus on rights and inherent dignity.

This paper seeks to consider the potential impact of new models of higher education, particularly those depending on open educational resources, using a systems thinking model to assess likely barriers and outcomes in a specific context.

The paper applies a systems thinking approach to considering the impact of open education models on higher education within the specific context of New Zealand.

The paper suggests that while open resources may be of benefit to individual learners, the complex systems of accreditation of qualifications and funding of higher education mean that substantive reductions in the cost of higher education are unlikely.

The internet has seen significant disruption to a number of existing industries, and it seems likely that higher education will also be subject to significant change. Open education is suggested as providing a model for more equitable, cost‐effective and democratic access to higher education, this paper suggests that the real situation is more complex and requires a wider engagement with the qualification systems and institutional behaviors that maintain the existing status quo.

This paper provides a contrarian perspective on a popular idea that is receiving wide support currently, framed within a specific system of higher education that illustrates the complex nature of educational change.

WITH this issue we are commencing the twenty‐seventh year of our career as an independent Library Journal and trust that we shall carry on the tradition of our illustrious founder and continue to criticise or praise without fear or favour. During the past twelve months our editorial staff has successfully produced special numbers dealing with Bookbinding, Book Selection, Children's Departments, Classification, and Colonial Libraries. Judging by the correspondence we have received, our efforts have been greatly appreciated by the majority of our readers. Naturally we have not pleased everybody and we have even been dubbed the “little contemporary” in some quarters. However, we can point to an unbroken record of twenty‐six years' endeavour to serve the library profession and we ourselves are justly proud of the contemptible “little contemporary” that did not cease to appear even during the darkest hours of the dread war period.