Loss of jobs, loss of young people, the ageing demographic, the apparently irresistible magnet of Auckland . . . the economic fortunes of New Zealand's regions are of great concern to politicians, the business community, schools, employers — and indeed most citizens. What is the dynamic at work here? Is there a remedy? Is there a silver lining? What works? What doesn't? What are the smart regions doing that shows promise? This collection of expert articles addresses the issues facing our regions and investigates the reasons for population loss. Often those solutions involve facing up to the fact that decline is inevitable and unavoidable — and then coming up with smart new plans and policies that accept that the end of growth does not have to mean the end of prosperity.
In this timely book, New Zealand's best-known commentator on population trends, Distinguished Professor Paul Spoonley, shows how, as New Zealand moves into the 2020s, the demographic dividends of the last 70 years are turning into deficits. Our population patterns have been disrupted. More boomers, fewer children, an ever bigger Auckland, and declining regions are the new normal. We will need new economic models, new ways of living. Spoonley says: "It is not a crisis (even if at times it feels like it), but rather something that needs to be understood and responded to. But I fear that policy-makers and politicians are not up to the challenge. That would be a crisis."
Social Geographies: The Basics introduces what social geography is, and what it might be. It outlines the key contours of social geographies, and also disrupts some of the conventions of the discipline in both its content and structure. This book approaches social geographies by beginning with the resistances, contestations and ‘solutions’ that communities use to challenge exclusions in place and space in order to create equitable societies. It then addresses the inequalities, precarities, and ‘problems’ that prompt these interventions. This allows the book to emphasise the importance of activism in the here and now, and to show how activism often makes issues visible and contested in ways that are then theorised by academics. Social Geographies starts with solidarities, communities, and networks before moving to examine difference, precarity, and mobilities. Each chapter offers key case studies that centre resistance, contestations of inequitable power, and local knowledges that can often be seen as ‘solutions’ to national and transnational issues, creating a decolonial understanding of ‘social geography from below’ within and across national contexts. This book is essential reading for undergraduate students and readers new to the area, as well as anyone studying introductory geography, social, cultural and critical geography, ‘the spatial turn’ and issues of spatialities, and key issues like precarity, power, difference, equality, and mobilities.
This volume is devoted to the geographical—or spatial—aspects of population research in regional science, spanning spatial demographic methods for population composition and migration to studies of internal and international migration to investigations of the role of population in related fields such as climate change and economic growth. If spatial aspects of economic growth and development are the flagship of the regional science discipline, population research is the anchor. People migrate, consume, produce, and demand services. People are the source and beneficiaries of national, regional, and local growth and development. Since the origins of regional science, demographic research has been at the core of the discipline. Contributions in this volume are both retrospective and prospective, offering in their ensemble an authoritative overview of demographic research within the field of regional science.
For over a century, New Zealand has built its economy through a series of commodity-based booms—from wood and wool to beef and butter. Now the country faces new challenges. In a world where value is increasingly rooted in capital- and technology-intensive industries, can countries dependent on agriculture really sustain its high living standards by growing crops? This book takes readers out on to farms, orchards, and vineyards, and inside the offices and factories of processors and exporters, to show how innovative New Zealanders are answering these challenges. From Icebreaker clothing to Mr Apple fruit exports, innovative companies are creating high-value, unique products, rooted in particular places, and making pathways to the niche markets where they can realize that value.
HEAL YOUR DEPRESSION AND REGAIN YOUR LIFE—WITH THREE NEW TOOLS ON THE CUTTING EDGE OF TREATMENT Everyone feels depressed sometimes. But a sustained lack of energy, a pro-found inability to enjoy life, or an overwhelming sadness that can render unbearable pain may be symptoms of something more. If you suffer from any of these symptoms, you may be one of 300 million people worldwide who have depression. While we often think of pharmaceutical treatments as the best way to treat depression, the truth is that for many people they either don’t work or lose their efficacy after a time. But there is hope in the form of three groundbreaking therapies: ketamine, transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), and electroconvulsive therapy (ECT). In Brain Reboot, you’ll learn: How to get an accurate diagnosis How to determine what treatment(s) are best for you The efficacy of ketamine, TMS, and ECT A clear summary of benefits and potential side effects Step-by-step information for each treatment and FAQs Tips for supplementing your recovery with exercise, nutrition, and sleep Treatments on the horizon Dr. Michael Henry’s life mission is to help anyone suffering with treatment-resistant depression; in Brain Reboot he provides everything you need to know about using ketamine, TMS, and ECT to regain your self and your life.
The aging and migration megatrends and their impact on spatial – regional and local – labor market performance is the core theme of this book, and thus together define its scope and focus. The contributions provide an overview of key aging and migration issues in various countries together with analyses of their varied impacts on regional labor markets. Systematic database research and related empirical analyses are used to map out the complex and dynamic nature of these trends, while cutting-edge economic and modeling techniques are used to analyze them. In closing, the book critically reviews and assesses selected policy measures designed to cope with the effects of aging and migration on regional labor markets.
From former US Congressman and CIA Officer Will Hurd, a “how-to guide with a prescription for getting the nation on the right footing” (Politico) and “a clarion call for a major political pivot” (San Antonio Report) rooted in the timeless ideals of bipartisanship, inclusivity, and democratic values. “Hurd has the biography and the charisma and the God-given political chops to put the Republican Party—and the rest of the country—on notice.” —THE ATLANTIC It’s getting harder to get big things done in America. The gears of our democracy have been mucked up by political nonsense. To meet the era-defining challenges of the 21st century, our country needs a reboot. In American Reboot, Hurd, called “the future of the GOP” by Politico, provides a “detailed blueprint” (Robert M. Gates, Secretary of Defense, 2006–2011) for America grounded by what Hurd calls pragmatic idealism—a concept forged from enduring American values to achieve what is actually achievable. Hurd takes on five seismic problems facing a country in crisis: the Republican Party’s failure to present a principled vision for the future; the lack of honest leadership in Washington, DC; income inequality that threatens the livelihood of millions of Americans; US economic and military dominance that is no longer guaranteed; and how technological change in the next thirty years will make the advancements of the last thirty years look trivial. Hurd has seen these challenges up close. A child of interracial parents in South Texas, Hurd survived the back alleys of dangerous places as a CIA officer. He carried that experience into three terms in Congress, where he was, for a time, the House’s only Black Republican, representing a seventy-one percent Latino swing district in Texas that runs along 820 miles of the US-Mexico border. As a cyber security executive and innovation crusader, Hurd has worked with entrepreneurs on the cutting edge of technology to anticipate the shockwaves of the future. Hurd, who the Houston Chronicles calls “a refreshing contract to the panderers, petty demagogues, and political provocateurs who reign these days,” draws on his remarkable experience to present “a call to Americans to consider the most contentious issues of our times more holistically” (The Atlantic). He outlines how the Republican party can look like America by appealing to the middle, not the edges. He maps out how leaders should inspire rather than fearmonger. He forges a domestic policy based on the idea that prosperity should be a product of empowering people, not the government. He articulates a foreign policy where our enemies fear us and our friends love us. And lastly, he charts a forceful path forward for America’s technological future. We all know we can do better. It’s time to hit “ctrl alt del” and start the American Reboot.
