̽��ֱ�� of Cambridge - growth

Cambridge historian and his family members announced as joint winners of one of the biggest cash prizes in world economics

cjb250 — Wed, 10 Jul 2019 01:05:25 +0000

̽��ֱ��inaugural IPPR prize was introduced to reward innovative ideas to reinvigorate the UK economy that force a ‘step change in the quality and quantity of the UK’s economic growth’.

Simon Szreter, Professor of History and Public Policy at the ̽��ֱ�� of Cambridge and a Fellow of St John’s College, Hilary Cooper, economics consultant, who is married to Professor Szreter, and their son Ben Szreter, chief executive of Cambridge United Community Trust, worked together on a detailed plan to enable faster UK growth by investing in generous and universal welfare provision.

Professor Szreter said: “ ̽��ֱ��key proposal, emanating directly from history, is that generous and inclusive universal welfare provision should be reconceptualised as an absolutely crucial economic growth promoter, not as merely a ‘tax burden’ on the productive economy.

“It has been proven to perform this function twice before in our history and its abandonment has twice led to faltering and then disastrous declines in national productivity, as is being currently experienced with the much-vaunted ‘productivity puzzle’.”

̽��ֱ��trio shared the first prize with the other joint winner - seven co-workers at the London Economics consultancy who argued that a ‘big push’ towards decentralisation would unlock prosperity around the UK.

Stephanie Flanders, head of Bloombery Economics, chaired the panel of judges as they looked for the best answers to the question, “What would be your radical plan to force a step change in the quality and quantity of the UK’s economic growth?”

Following the financial crisis, the UK economy experienced the slowest recovery in the post-war era. In common with other advanced economies, the UK has had sluggish economic growth over the past decade. In the period since the crash, the UK growth rate has averaged 1.1 per cent compared to the long-run world average of 3.5 per cent: even if the growth rate doubled, it would still be nearly 40 per cent behind the world average.

̽��ֱ��judges praised Szreter, Cooper and Szreter’s ‘radical’ historical, economic and community led policy solutions to the economic challenges faced by the UK.

They said: “ ̽��ֱ��authors draw on a historical analysis of the economy, looking at previous periods of British economic history to identify the enabling conditions for our most successful episodes of economic growth. Prescriptions include a new, equitable social contract alongside an intergenerational contract, incentivised and funded through tax changes, to re-establish the ethical principles on which the economic success of the Golden Age was built.

“They each brought their different perspectives to bear on their core idea, that economic growth has been historically highest when collective welfare security is greatest – and their radical plan to incentivise altruistic economic behaviour today.”

̽��ֱ��proposals had to ensure fair and sustainable outcomes, including protecting the environment and reducing inequalities. The judges wanted creative thinking on whether the downward trend in the rate of UK economic growth could be reversed, whether it was realistic, desirable and achievable for the UK economy to grow at 3 or 4 per cent in the 2020s.

̽��ֱ��family said: "We’re really pleased that, in a world where economics seems to have increasingly veered towards models and mathematical abstractions, this prize has recognised the value of a different approach. Ours looks at history and how it can be applied to today’s practical challenges and brings the insights of political economy to propose a solution to the problems we face, especially the inequalities that threaten our productivity, our well-being and our democracy.” 

Two further prizes of £25,000 were also awarded. One went to the best under-25 entry, which was won by a Masters degree student who proposed a new way to use the fruits of the digital economy to reduce working time. ̽��ֱ��other went to the overall runner-up entry, which was authored by two investment professionals who argued for a rebalancing of the UK economy to reverse low investment and productivity.

All four prizes will be awarded at an event in London today, where each winning entrant or team will present their ideas and discuss them further with judges. Each paper is published in full by IPPR today.

A ‘radical’ plan by three members of the same family to boost UK growth has been named as one of the first winners of the £100,000 Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) Economics Prize, one of the world’s largest prizes in the discipline.

̽��ֱ��key proposal, emanating directly from history, is that generous and inclusive universal welfare provision should be reconceptualised as an absolutely crucial economic growth promoter, not as merely a ‘tax burden’ on the productive economy

Simon Szreter

Graham CopeKoga

Left to right: Hilary Cooper, Simon Szreter, Ben Szreter

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Plants and patterning: how shapes are made

amb206 — Mon, 11 Mar 2013 08:00:00 +0000

Plants come in a fabulous array of shapes and sizes – from the tiny moss to the huge oak, from the tree-like structure to the delicate beauty of orchids. All these living things start with a single cell. How does this variety happen and what can we learn from it?

̽��ֱ��tiny molecular mechanisms that determine the forms of plants lie in the cell wall, the strong fibrous material that surrounds each cell. ̽��ֱ��cell wall and its shape give the plant its shape, allowing it to grow upwards, outwards and downwards in certain ways so that the resulting plant has the characteristic shape we associate with it, whether a twining vine or a giant Redwood.

In a talk this Wednesday (13 March) evening, taking place as part of Cambridge Science Festival, molecular biologist Dr Siobhan Braybrook will explore how plants grow shapes by following an intricate process of patterning – as cells multiply and build the structures that make up their component parts. In particular, she will look at the mathematics, physics, and chemistry that underlie this patterning, including the development of Fibonacci patterns in plants.

̽��ֱ��lecture – titled ‘Biological design: the history and future of plant architecture’ - will give an overview of the fundamental processes of plant growth – and explore what we know, how we make use of this knowledge in agriculture, and what remains to be discovered.

Dr Braybrook will then go on to discuss how mankind has domesticated crops – such as maize – to produce higher yields. Research can contribute to this process by providing a better understanding of plant shape and form as a basis for future crop breeding.

Finally, she will look at the exciting possibilities that exist in developing new technologies – and smart materials in particular – that mimic the structures and mechanisms in plants. “ ̽��ֱ��ways in which plants grow and make use of the environment around them with a minimal output of energy represent huge potential for exploring new technologies,” she said.

“For example, we can look at how fig bark self-heals using latex, how wax coating on leaves protects them from water, how spores walk and jump, and how the hinges of the Venus fly trap are perfectly balanced to snap shut.”

Dr Braybrook leads a research group at Cambridge ̽��ֱ��’s Sainsbury Laboratory, an interdisciplinary research centre dedicated to understanding plant development. Its teams include physicists, computer scientists, geneticists, molecular biologists, mathematicians and biochemists.

“We look at development in plants from a set of unique viewpoints to explore the new frontiers of plant science,” says Dr Braybrook. “My own area of expertise within this broad spectrum is to contribute to understanding the plant as a growing material, and I’m keen to put this across to the public in an accessible and entertaining way, while not forgetting that plants are vital to life.”

‘Biological design: the history and future of plant architecture’ will take place at the Sainsbury Laboratory on Wednesday 13 March, 7.30-8.30pm. ̽��ֱ��free talk is suitable for ages 16 and upwards. Advance booking essential: http://www.cam.ac.uk/sciencefestival/events/

A Cambridge Science Festival lecture on Wednesday (13 March 2013) will look at how plants grow through repeating patterns and discuss what we can learn from them in developing smart materials.

We can look at how fig bark self-heals using latex, how wax coating on leaves protects them from water, how spores walk and jump.

Dr Siobhan Braybrook

Siobhan Braybrook

Scanning electron micrograph image of sunflower head developing.

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How does your baby grow?

amb206 — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 13:26:28 +0000

Ten years ago Cambridge ̽��ֱ��’s Department of Paediatrics launched a major research project to study the effects of the environment on the developing foetus and young infant. ̽��ֱ��Cambridge Baby Growth Study (CBGS) recruited 2,400 pregnant mothers to take part in the research. ̽��ֱ��study represents the most in-depth study of its kind world-wide in terms of the detail it captured.

̽��ֱ��data gathered by CBGS is providing a whole community of scientists – right from physiologists to psychologists – with a rich resource for understanding more about child development and how it is affected by the environment. Researchers in Cambridge and elsewhere are using the CBGS data to produce important findings in areas such as the foetal origins of adult disease, notably diabetes, and the onset of conditions that include obesity.

In the course of the research, scientists collected biological samples from the mother and child. These included maternal blood during pregnancy, paternal DNA, cord blood, placentas, breast milk and infant serum as well as infant blood taken at intervals up to the age of two. New technologies were developed to measure hormones and chemicals in tiny spots of blood taken using the heel prick technique to minimise invasiveness.

Participants brought their babies into the research clinic at the age of 12 months and 24 months. Before these visits food diaries were sent out for completion. These diaries were coded at the MRC’s Human Nutrition Research Centre using its in-house database system. ̽��ֱ��database contains nutritional information on many thousands of different food and drinks. Macro-nutrients such as fat, protein and carbohydrates, and micro-nutrients such as vitamins and minerals were analysed. Mothers kept detailed diaries which covered meals, home-made recipes and preparation methods as well as how much their child ate; this information is enabling researchers to understand more about the complex nutritional factors which may be influencing how babies grow and develop.

CBGS began as part of a European Union research project involving centres in six European countries. Its initial remit was to focus on the study of environmental chemicals, known as endocrine disrupters, on male reproductive health, which has become a major concern in recent years. Participants were recruited at the first pre-natal hospital visit. At this point the sex of the foetus was unknown. Rather than drop around half of the recruits when it became clear which were boys and which girls, CBGS decided to retain all the children.

“To lose about 50 per cent of our recruits would have been a huge wasted opportunity. So we decided to retain the girls as well as the boys and use the data to build a resource that could tell us a tremendous amount about early years’ development and its implications for health – and about the role of nutrition in particular,” said Professor Ieuan Hughes, Head of Paediatrics at Cambridge.

CBGS has already enabled scientists to learn more about the complex and often inter-related factors that might contribute to the development of male reproductive health problems and a number of life-threatening diseases.

Data gathered from the male infants studied points to a doubling of the incidence of undescended testes since the 1960s, with around six per cent of boys at birth experiencing this problem today. ̽��ֱ��anogenital distance (distance between the anus and the genitalia) has been defined as a marker of androgen (steroid hormone) exposure. A clinical study is underway to analyse the anogenital distance in 100 infants having surgery. Cases of undescended testes are also being analysed in relation to CBGS drawn from biological samples and lifestyle information.

̽��ֱ��study has also shown that infants formula-fed at three months have higher insulin-like growth factor levels and greater gains in weight, length, fat levels and body mass index than those who were breast-fed. Preliminary data suggests that energy intake at 12 months predicts gains in body weight and fat at 24 months. Further investigations are planned to take these findings further. A Baby Milk Feeding Programme – offering advice to mothers using formula – is being piloted.

As a spin-out from CBGS, paediatricians Dr Ken Ong (Cambridge MRC Epidemiology Unit) and Dr Carlo Acerini are recruiting infants at birth who are either born small or large. Many babies born large are infants of children whose mothers either have diabetes or have developed a diabetic tendency while pregnant. “Big babies who have been exposed to higher sugar levels than others in the womb seem to grow slowly initially but are more likely to be bigger children or adults. Babies born small often grow slowly but many tend to be shorter as children or adults,” said Dr Acerini.

“We will be looking at how environmental factors, hormones and inherited factors affect growth in these babies. If we can identify early markers, we can understand and predict later growth patterns. This will help us to find out which babies are at the higher risk.”

̽��ֱ��CGBS data is also being used to promote understanding of topics such as gender identity and autism. “Working with our colleagues in fields such as psychology and psychiatry – both at Cambridge and beyond - is an important aspect of the study as it allows us to build up as full a picture as possible of human development,” said Professor Hughes.

One of the strengths of CBGS is the way in which both researchers and research nurses have worked with parents and children to foster a research community linked by a newsletter. At a party held earlier this year to mark the tenth anniversary of the study, parents had the chance to hear first-hand from experts in areas such as glucose levels and infant growth.

A substantial part of the data was gathered by a team of five research nurses whose role was vital. ̽��ֱ��expertise of these nurses is recognised by the Food Standards Agency which uses the information they gather to get accurate data on what we eat as a population and to inform government policy. For the last three years of the study funding for the nurses came from the Mothercare Group Foundation.

“We need to retain the valuable and irreplaceable resources represented by our research nurses. ̽��ֱ��generosity of the Mothercare Group Foundation has allowed us to reach this point and we are determined to realise the fruits of such investment by taking the original study forward to cover the teenage years,” said Professor Hughes.

̽��ֱ��parents involved in CBGS saw their involvement in pioneering research as a chance to “give something back” to society and regarded the tracking of their children’s growth by professionals as an added benefit. Many parents said that taking part had been a fascinating experience and many have expressed a desire to continue with the study as their children grew up.

With so many parents willing for their children to be tracked through puberty, Professor Hughes is keen that the substantial foundation of data should be followed up with a second phase of the study.

“ ̽��ֱ��children we recruited in the first year of the study are now reaching ten and those we recruited most recently are now two years old. With our oldest children now approaching puberty, we have a unique chance to bring them back into the study in order to gather data that will enable us to address key questions about puberty – such as the onset of adult diseases and conditions,” he said.

Along with a number of centres in Europe, Professor Hughes and colleagues are currently making an application for EU funding for a large study of what has been described as the “exposome” - embracing everything that a human could be exposed to that influences health and well-being. It would include chemicals, food and genes among other factors. CBGS represents a well-documented population.

A follow-up study would enable researchers to look at the relationship between data gathered from the infants studied in the first phase (prenatal to two years old) and data gathered before and during puberty. An understanding of obesity and its prevention is one area where the study could make a valuable contribution by exploring how growth and development in early life might be related to later problems.

“Our investment in CBGS means that we are in a position to discover how we can reduce the health risks contained in our ever changing environment. Notably we will be able to learn how best to prevent the childhood obesity epidemic which is no longer just a scare mongering exercise: it’s a reality,” said Professor Hughes.

A study of infant growth, tracking 2,400 babies from gestation to the age of two, has provided data of unique depth – and is already adding to our understanding of the development of life-threatening conditions, including obesity. ̽��ֱ��Cambridge ̽��ֱ�� scientists who led the research now plan to follow the same children through another key phase of development - puberty.

Working with our colleagues in fields such as psychology and psychiatry allows us to build up as full a picture as possible of human development.

Professor Ieuan Hughes

Suzanne Smith

Weighing in for the Cambridge Baby Growth Study

Case studies

CASE STUDY 1 Lynne says: “My two daughters, who are now aged two and four, were part of the CBGS, the first child from 2007 to 2009 and the second from 2009 to 2011. I was approached to take part in the research while attending the antenatal clinic at 12 weeks’ pregnancy. I completed a detailed lifestyle questionnaire during my pregnancy and again three months after birth: this covered general health and also products used at home such as food and toiletries. I was given a detailed glucose tolerance test which gave more information than the standard prenatal test and provided some additional blood samples throughout the pregnancy. ̽��ֱ��girls' father also provided DNA samples. At birth, small samples of cord blood and placenta were taken; a sample of breast milk was also collected over the first three months. At intervals across two years, research nurses measured the girls’ growth, took abdominal ultrasounds to measure their fat and blood samples to analyse hormone levels. I kept food diaries recording details of each child’s diet at both one and two years of age. I’m keen to see the study continue so that my daughters, and others, can be followed through puberty. ̽��ֱ��girls will be able to make up their own minds whether they want to take part. I’ve kept all the newsletters so they will be able to read about the study so far. I hope they will agree to contribute to the continuation of this exciting research.”

CASE STUDY 2 Sarah says: “My son and daughter, who are now five and three, took part in the Baby Growth Study from 2006 to 2010. I was delighted to help with the research to further what we know about children’s growth and development and the factors which play a role in the health of a child. After a while we became well acquainted with the researchers and attending sessions was like catching up with old friends and it was interesting to hear about the latest developments in the project. It was great to attend the Baby Growth Study celebration party in May 2011, to meet other parents and children who were involved in the research and to hear about some of the results so far. During the study I was made more aware of potential factors which might affect children’s growth and development, such as exposure to cleaning products, hair dyes and paints. I avoided decorating my house during my pregnancies and while I was breast feeding, as a result of completing the environmental factors questionnaire! Keeping the food diaries made me think more carefully about my children’s diet. I am a GP and results of studies such as this will aid me, and fellow healthcare professionals, when advising patients in the future and will help us promote the healthiest lifestyle possible to ensure the next generation is as healthy as possible.

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