Alex Gibson

Research interests
My research interests are primarily quantitative in nature and have recently focused on health services research, particularly access to health care and the development of resource allocation methodologies.  

Grants & contracts

S. Asthana , A. Gibson, J. Halliday & P. Hewson (2008) Resource Allocation in Statutory Service Provision: an Assessment of the Police and Fire Formulae. Rural Services Partnership.

S. Asthana , A. Gibson, T. Bailey & C. Dibbens (2008) Developing a resource allocation formula at General Practice level based on individual patient characteristics (Person-Based Resource Allocation): Mental Health.  Department of Health.

A . Gibson & S. Asthana. Resource Allocation through the Local Government Finance Settlement: How Do Rural Areas Fare? (2008) Rural Services Partnership.

S. Asthana , A. Gibson, T. Bailey, C. Dibbens (2007) The feasibility of developing an approach to Person Based Resource Allocation (PBRA) based on epidemiological data . Department of Health.

A . Gibson & S. Asthana (2007) NHS resource allocation: does West Sussex get its ‘fair share’? West Sussex County Council.

A . Gibson, S. Asthana, & J. Flowers (2007) A review of the weighted capitation formula and its funding impact on Primary Care Trusts in the East of England SHA. East of England Strategic Health Authority.

A . Gibson & T. Bailey (2004)  Geodemographic Mapping of the Skills for Life Survey Results to Local Areas , Department for Education and Skills.

A. Gibson (2006) North Devon Housing Survey, North Devon District Council.

A. Gibson (2005) Devon Youth Offending Information System (YOIS) Data: Analysis of Reprimand Data , Exeter Youth Offending Team.

S. Asthana, P. Brigham, J. Halliday, A. Gibson, I. Mackenzie, J. Dicker, G. Floyd, & G. Moon (2001) Review of the Effectiveness of measuring Rural Deprivation. South West Public Health Observatory.

S. Asthana, A. Gibson, G. Moon, P. Brigham & J. Halliday (2001) Health Resource Allocation: What Case can be made for Rurality?  Rural Health Allocations Forum.

S. Asthana, A. Gibson, J. Halliday, J. Dixon & G. Moon (2000) Evaluation of the Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Health Action Zone.

S. Asthana, G. Moon, J. Dicker & A. Gibson (1999).  Inequalities in Health Service Utilization at the General Practice Level. Economic and Social Research Council.

A . Gibson, S. Asthana & E. Wragg (1997)  Parental Choice, Selection by Ability and a ‘Free Market’ in Education: Raising Educational Standards or the Social Polarization of Schools? The Nuffield Foundation.

S. Asthana and A. Gibson (1996) GP Fundholding and the Provision of Primary Health Care: A Socio-Spatial Analysis. University of Plymouth.

Publications

Asthana, S. , Halliday, J. & Gibson, A. (2009) Social exclusion and social justice: a rural perspective on resource allocation. Policy and Politics 37(2): 201-214.

Asthana, S. & Gibson, A. (2008) Deprivation, demography and the distribution of general practice: challenging the conventional wisdom of inverse care. British Journal of General Practice, 58 (555): 718-27.

Asthana, S . & Gibson, A. (2008) Health care equity, health equity and resource allocation: towards a normative approach to achieving the core principles of the NHS. Radical Statistics 96, pp6-26.

Asthana, S. & Gibson, A. (2007) Social justice for the less usual suspects: should rural communities get a ‘fairer’ share? Crucible, the Christian Journal of Social Ethics. October-December, pp13-19.

Asthana, S. & Gibson, A. (2006) The relationship between the funding formula, the allocation of funds to trusts and the size of their deficits or surpluses, in: House of Commons Health Committee, NHS Deficits, Sixth Report of Session 2005–06, Volume II. Written evidence. London: The Stationery Office Limited. HC 1204-II. pp152-159.

Asthana, S. & Gibson, A. (2006). A formula for unfairness. Health Service Journal, 16 November.

Bailey, T.C. & Gibson, A. (2005) Bayesian multi-level modelling of literacy, numeracy and ICT skills in small areas of England, in: Statistical solutions to modern problems: Proceedings of the 20th International Workshop on Statistical Modelling, A.R. Francis, K.M. Matawie, A. Oshlack, G.K. Smyth (eds), University of Western Sydney, pp 97-100.

Asthana, S. & Gibson, A. (2005) Rationing in response to NHS deficits: rural patients are likely to be affected most. British Medical Journal 331: 1472.

Asthana, S., Gibson, A., Moon, G., Dicker, J. & Brigham, P. (2004) ‘The pursuit of equity in NHS resource allocation: should morbidity replace utilization as the basis for setting health care capitations?’ Social Science and Medicine, 58(3), pp539-551.

Asthana, S., Gibson, A., Moon, G., Dicker, J. & Brigham, P. (2004) ‘The demographic and social class basis of inequalities in morbidity: a comparison’. Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, 58(4), pp303-307.

Asthana, S., Gibson, A., Moon, G. & Brigham, P. (2003) ‘Allocating resources for health and social care: the significance of rurality’. Health and Social Care in the Community, 11(6), pp486-93.

Asthana, S., Brigham, P. & Gibson, A. (2002) Health Resource Allocation in England: What Case can be made for Rurality. x + 46pp. University of Plymouth. ISBN 1-8410-2099-0.

Asthana, S., Halliday, J., Brigham, P. & Gibson, A. (2002) Rural Deprivation and Service Need: an Assessment of Indicators for Rural Service Planning.  vi + 41pp. South West Public Health Observatory, Bristol. ISBN 0-9541-3595-4

Gibson, A., Asthana, S., Brigham, P., Moon, G. & Dicker, J. (2002) ‘Geographies of Need and the New NHS: Methodological Issues in the Definition and Measurement of the Health Needs of Local Populations’. Health and Place, 8(1), pp47-60.

Gibson, A . & Asthana, S. (2000) ‘What’s in a number? Commentary on Gorard and Fitz's 'Investigating the determinants of segregation between schools'’, Research Papers in Education, 15(2), pp133-153.

Gibson, A . & Asthana, S. (2000) 'Estimating the socio-economic characteristics of school populations using pupil postcodes and census data: an appraisal', Environment and Planning A, 32, pp1267-1285.

Gibson, A . and Asthana, S. (2000) 'Local markets and the polarization of schools in England and Wales', Transactions (RGS/IBG), 25, pp303-319.

Asthana, S., Gibson, A. & Parsons, E. (1999) ‘The Geography of GP Fundholding in South West England: Implications for the Evolution of Primary Care Groups’. Health and Place, 5(4), pp271-78.

Gibson, A . & Asthana, S. (1998) ‘Schools, pupils and exam results: contextualising school ‘performance’’, British Educational Research Journal, 24(4), 1998, pp269-82.

Gibson, A . & Asthana, S. (1998) ‘School performance, school effectiveness and the 1997 White Paper’, Oxford Review of Education, 24(2), 1998, pp195-210.

Gibson, A . (1996) ‘The bread assize in early-modern Scotland’, Review of Scottish Culture, 10,  pp22-32.

Gibson, A . (1995) ‘WWW and the Internet; new opportunities for historical discourse’, History and Computing, 7(2), pp81-9.

Gibson, A . & Smout, T.C. (1995) ‘Regional Prices and Market Regions; The Evolution of the Early-Modern Scottish Grain Market', Economic History Review, 48(2), pp258-282.

Gibson, A . & Smout, T.C. (1995) Prices, food and wages in Scotland, 1550–1780. xvi + 398pp.  Cambridge University Press, Cambridge. ISBN 0-5213-4556-8

Gibson, A . & Smout, T.C. (1993) 'The Debasement of the Scottish Coinage', 'Day-labourers' Wage-Rates in Edinburgh and Aberdeen', 'Burgh Statute Prices', and 'Fife Fiars Prices for Bear and Oatmeal', in: P.G.B. McNeill & H.L. MacQueen (eds), An Atlas of Scottish History to 1707. Scottish Society of Mediaevalists, Edinburgh. ISBN 0-9503-9041-0

Gibson, A . & Smout, T.C. (1993) ‘From meat to meal: changes in diet in Scotland’, pp.10-34 in: C Geissler and DJ Oddy (eds.), Food, Diet and Economic Change Past and Present. Leicester University Press, Leicester. ISBN 0-7185-1410-5.

Gibson, A . (1990) ‘Proletarianisation?  The transition to full-time labour on a Scottish Estate, 1723-1787', Continuity and Change, 5(3), 1990, pp357-389.

Gibson, A . (1990) 'Territorial Continuity and the Administrative Division of Lochtayside, 1769', Scottish Geographical Magazine, 106(3), pp174-85.

Gibson, A . & Smout, T.C. (1989) 'Scottish Food and Scottish History, 1500-1800', pp.59-84 in: I Whyte and RA Houston (eds.), Scottish Society 1500-1800. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.  ISBN 0-5218-9167-1.

Gibson, A . & Smout, T.C. (1988) 'Food and Hierarchy in Scotland, 1550-1650', pp.33-52 in L Leneman (ed.), Perspectives in Scottish Social History: Essays in Honour of Rosalind Mitchison. The Mercat Press, Aberdeen. ISBN 0-0803-6574-4.

Cullen, L., Smout, T.C. & Gibson, A. (1988) ‘Wages and comparative development in Ireland and Scotland, 1565-1780’, pp.105-16 in: R Mitchison and P Roebuck (eds), Economy and Society in Scotland and Ireland, 1500-1939.  John Donald Publishers Ltd., Edinburgh. ISBN 0-8597-6171-1.

Gibson, A . (1988) 'The Size and Weight of Early-Modern Scottish Cattle and Sheep', Agricultural History Review, 36, pp162-71

Gibson, A. & Whittington, G. (1986) The Military Survey of Scotland, 1747-1755; A Critique. 66pp. Institute of British Geographers, Historical Geography Research Series, Monograph 18. ISBN 1-8700-7400-9.

Doherty, J.C. & Gibson, A. (1983) 'Computer assisted data handling in Historical Geography; the FAMULUS package', AREA, 15, pp257-60.