Collective

Distribution by Scientific Domains
Distribution within Humanities and Social Sciences

Terms modified by Collective

  • collective action
  • collective action problem
  • collective actor
  • collective agreement
  • collective approach
  • collective bargaining
  • collective case study
  • collective choice
  • collective contribution
  • collective decision
  • collective efficacy
  • collective experience
  • collective farm
  • collective form
  • collective goods
  • collective guilt
  • collective identity
  • collective intentionality
  • collective interest
  • collective knowledge
  • collective memory
  • collective motion
  • collective response
  • collective responsibility
  • collective right
  • collective self-esteem
  • collective strategy
  • collective violence
  • collective wisdom
  • collective work

  • Selected Abstracts


    Rethinking Law and Violence: The Domestic Violence (Prevention) Bill in India, 2002

    GENDER & HISTORY, Issue 3 2004
    Rajeswari Sunder Rajan
    This essay focuses on the controversy generated by recent proposed legislation on domestic violence in India. An alternative draft bill on domestic violence prepared by the feminist legal NGO, the Lawyers' Collective, and supported by women's groups nationally, includes a demand that victims of domestic violence (usually wives) be permitted by law to continue to occupy the domestic home, a demand that the Government bill has refused to include. This demand is theoretically informed by a politics of space. Bodies and space are linked, to the extent that each is an abstraction without the concept of the other to ground it. The feminist legal proposal challenges property-as-absolute-(male) ownership by conceptualising the household as, instead, shared domestic space. The proposal does not dissimulate common sense , it is conscious of being radical, in part at least because it demystifies the ,domestic' as an ideological construct and offers it instead realistically and minimally as simply an alternative to destitution. The recognition that there are no support structures for dependant women outside the family (such as, for example, state-sponsored welfare institutions), so that destitution can be both sudden and real for women of any class and circumstances, has led to the conceptualisation of a law that formulates a right to shared space as one that makes no claim to shared ownership , while at the same time questioning the other's absolute property right. Despite the limited nature of the claim it makes, this proposal has been viewed as threatening by Indian law-makers. [source]


    "Spontaneous" Interethnic Order: The Emergence of Collective, Path-Dependent Cooperation

    INTERNATIONAL STUDIES QUARTERLY, Issue 4 2000
    Badredine Arfi
    Can "spontaneous," decentralized interethnic cooperation emerge among ethnic groups whose members heavily discount future interethnic relations and do not fear punishment for interethnic noncooperation? Why is it that once the interaction between two ethnic groups evolves along a certain (cooperative or conflictual) path it sometimes becomes harder for the interacting groups to reverse course and seek alternative paths? The answer to these two questions lies in the fact that individual members not only are always calculative and could hence act opportunistically, but also are interdependent and can learn from one another. Because the members of interacting groups operate interdependently they thereby create collective nonlinear path dependence. Using a social game (within evolutionary game theory) the article shows counterintuitively that the emergence of collective, nonlinear path dependence within and across ethnic groups whose members heavily discount the future and face no punishment for interethnic noncooperation makes "spontaneous" decentralized interethnic cooperation a long-run equilibrium. Collective cooperation can thus develop path-dependently among ethnic groups without a Damocles' sword of any sort hanging over their members' heads, even when most individuals are shortsighted and opportunistic. [source]


    Farmer Initiatives and Livelihood Diversification: From the Collective to a Market Economy in Rural China

    JOURNAL OF AGRARIAN CHANGE, Issue 2 2009
    JINGZHONG YE
    This paper explores how, despite relatively undifferentiated economic, cultural and land tenure conditions, some farmers in a rural area of Hebei Province, north-east China, have managed to devise innovative livelihood activities that provide them with better living standards than the majority of villagers. The research concludes that the dynamics of farmer innovations emerge from a variety of factors: the building of effective social networks and sources of information, ,enlightenment' deriving from small-group interactions, and the construction of trust relations, self-help and cooperation. These factors belong to the sphere of social resources rather than to those of natural, physical, human or financial assets. Hence it is social components that constitute the mobilizers of change in regard to farmers' livelihood development. [source]


    Seven characteristics of medical evidence

    JOURNAL OF EVALUATION IN CLINICAL PRACTICE, Issue 2 2000
    FRCPC, Ross E. G. Upshur BA (Hons)
    Abstract This paper outlines seven essential characteristics of medical evidence and describes the implications of these for both the theory of evidence-based medicine and clinical practice. The seven characteristics are: (1) Provisional; (2) Defeasible; (3) Emergent; (4) Incomplete; (5) Constrained; (6) Collective and (7) Asymmetric. It is argued that the epistemological theory that best fits medical evidence is that of fallibilism. [source]


    Development and validation of the brief Relational, Individual and Collective (brief RIC) Self-Aspects scale

    ASIAN JOURNAL OF SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY, Issue 1 2009
    Elizabeth A. Hardie
    A brief nine-item context-free version of the 30-item Relational, Individual and Collective (RIC) Self-Aspects scale was developed for use in short surveys and time-constrained telephone interviews. Two monocultural studies were conducted using Australian samples. In Study 1 (N = 175 university students) the Brief RIC demonstrated internal reliability, factorial validity and convergent construct validity with the original RIC. In Study 2 (N = 1000 adults) the three-factor structure was replicated and demographic correlates of self-aspects revealed new directions for future exploration. The Brief RIC will benefit from further validation, particularly in cross-cultural samples, but appears to be suitable for research purposes which require brevity. [source]


    Taming the shadow: corporate responsibility in a Jungian context

    CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY AND ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT, Issue 4 2008
    Tarja Ketola
    Abstract Rampant shadows undermine true corporate responsibility (CR) when companies try to keep up appearances by fair means or foul. This paper studies the thoughts, words and deeds of CR actors in their Jungian context. The aim is to help CR actors to understand different CR behaviour and to gain new insights into developing CR values, discourses and practices. This research builds on earlier psychological articles published in this journal, and digs deeper into the psychological resources of the human mind to show what vast potentials lie there to solve CR issues. Jungian theories open up the individual, organizational and societal personality and give opportunities to expand it horizontally and vertically. The Jungian prospective quality of the psyche is illustrated by three levels of unconscious , personal, cultural and collective, which can help the development of CR values, discourses and actions of individuals, organizations, societies and humankind. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment. [source]


    Communication and Context: Collective Tacit Knowledge and Practice in Japan's Workplace ba

    CREATIVITY AND INNOVATION MANAGEMENT, Issue 3 2001
    Tim Ray
    In contrast to Schumpeter's "perennial gale of creative destruction" (Schumpeter 1976: 84), government,coordinated economic development in post,1945 Japan has owed more to informal (but binding) "rules of the game" (North 1990) that situate working, learning and innovation within the spaces delineated by tightly bounded company,as,family workplace organisations or ,ba' (which roughly means ,place' or ,interaction field'). Horizontal keiretsu groupings, together with fixed trading,patterns in supply and distribution chains, continue to support an interlocking ,steady state' economic structure in which new technologies tend to emerge from existing organisations. Shared experience within workplace ba generates tacit knowledge that is held in common by colleagues and retained as a potent tool for shaping future practice. It plays a vital role in facilitating ,friction free' communication amongst insiders, who can act as a group to ostracise and retaliate against agents who break their code. Long,term obligations link salaried male employees to their workplace ba. Consequently, autonomous boundary,spanning communities of practice, together with industry,university collaboration and other transient associations with outsiders, lack legitimacy. Cook and Brown's (1999) pluralist epistemology is used to compare Western interpretations of Mode 1 and Mode 2 knowledge (Gibbons et al 1994) with the privileged role that Japan's workplace ba accord to insider collective,tacit knowledge, which we tentatively call ,Mode 3' knowledge. [source]


    Extending drug ethno-epidemiology using agent-based modelling

    ADDICTION, Issue 12 2009
    David Moore
    ABSTRACT Aims To show how the inclusion of agent-based modelling improved the integration of ethno-epidemiological data in a study of psychostimulant use and related harms among young Australians. Methods Agent-based modelling, ethnographic fieldwork, in-depth interviews and epidemiological surveys. Setting Melbourne, Perth and Sydney, Australia. Participants Club drug users in Melbourne, recreational drug users in Perth and street-based injecting drug users in Sydney. Participants were aged 18,30 years and reported monthly or more frequent psychostimulant use. Findings Agent-based modelling provided a specific focus for structured discussion about integrating ethnographic and epidemiological methods and data. The modelling process was underpinned by collective and incremental design principles, and produced ,SimAmph', a data-driven model of social and environmental agents and the relationships between them. Using SimAmph, we were able to test the probable impact of ecstasy pill-testing on the prevalence of harms,a potentially important tool for policy development. The study also navigated a range of challenges, including the need to manage epistemological differences, changes in the collective design process and modelling focus, the differences between injecting and non-injecting samples and concerns over the dissemination of modelling outcomes. Conclusions Agent-based modelling was used to integrate ethno-epidemiological data on psychostimulant use, and to test the probable impact of a specific intervention on the prevalence of drug-related harms. It also established a framework for collaboration between research disciplines that emphasizes the synthesis of diverse data types in order to generate new knowledge relevant to the reduction of drug-related harms. [source]


    An Evaluation of the Cod Fishing Policies of Denmark Iceland and Norway

    EUROCHOICES, Issue 3 2004
    R. Arnason
    Summary An Evaluation of the Cod Fishing Policies of Denmark, Iceland and Norway Many ocean fisheries are subject to a fundamental economic problem generally referred to as the common property problem. This problem manifests itself as excessive fishing fleets and fishing effort, depressed fish stocks and little or no profitability of the fishing activity, irrespective of the richness of the underlying marine resources. European fisheries represent some of the most dramatic examples of the common property problem. This article employs simple empirical models and recently developed mathematical techniques to examine the economic efficiency of three European fisheries, namely the Danish, Icelandic and Norwegian cod fisheries, The optimal harvesting policies for each of these fisheries are calculated. Comparing these optimal policies with actual harvests provides a measure of the relative efficiency in these three cod fisheries. The comparison confirms the widely held impression that the cod harvesting policies of ail three countries have been hugely inefficient in the past. Moreover, it appears that the inefficiency has been increasing over time. Only during the last few years of our data are there indications that this negative trend may have been halted. Somewhat more surprisingly, in spite of radically different fisheries management systems, we find relatively little difference in the level of stock over-exploitation between these three countries. Politiques compareées de pêhe à la morue au Danemark, en Islande et en Norvège Beaucoup de pêcheries océaniques sont confrontées au problème nique fondamental de la "propriété collective". Celui-ci se manifeste par des flottes de taille excessive, au service d' efforts de péche exagérés, qui aboutissent à détruire les stocks de poisson et la rentabilité des pécheries, en dépit de la richesse des ressources marines sousjacentes. Les pêcheries européennes constituent actuellement l'un des exemples les plus dramatiques des problèmes associés a la propriété collective. On présente ici un modèle empirique assez simple mais associéà de nouvelles techniques mathématiques récemment développé es pour mesurer l' efficacitééconomique de trois types de politiques de pêche à la morue, au Danemark, en Norvège et en Islande. On commence par calculer le volume optimal des prises pour chacun de ces pays. La comparaison entre le niveau optimal et le niveau réel des prises permet de mesurer le degré d' efficacité des politiques suivies. Elle permet de confirmer l'opinion largement répandue selon laquelle les politiques passées ont été extrêmement peu efficaces. En outre, il apparaît que l'inefficacité est croissante avec le temps. C'est seulement dans les toutes dernières années des séries de données que l' on observe un infléchissement de cette tendance négative. Enfin, et c'est le plus surprenant, on trouve peu de differences entre les trois pays en ce qui conceme le degré de surexploitation du stock, et cela, bien que les principes de gestion des pêcheries y soient entiArement différents. Eine Bewertung der Kabeljaufischereipolitik in Dänemark, Island und Norwegen ahlreiche Hochseefischereien tehen einem grundlegenden ftliehen Problem gegenüber, das allgemein als Problem des kollektiven Eigentums bezeichnet wird. Dieses Problem zeigt sich in übermäßig großen Fangflotten und beträchtlichem Fischereiaufwand, geschrumpften Fischbeständen und geringer oder fehlender Rentabilität der Fischerei; dabei ist die Höhe der Fischressourcen unbedeutend für das Problem. Die europäischen Fischereien stellen einige der drastischsten Beispiele für das Problem des kollektiven Eigentums dar. In diesem Beitrag werden einfache empirische Modelle und kürzlich entwickelte mathematische Verfahren angewendet, um die wirtschaftliche Effizienz von drei europäischen Fischereien zu untersuchem der dänischen, der isländischen und der norwegischen Kabeljaufischerei. Für jede dieser Fischereien wird die optimale Nutzungsstrategie berechnet. Aus dem Vergleich dieser optimalen Nutzungsstrategie mit den tatsächlichen Erträgen ergibt sich ein Maß fur die relative Effizienz, die bei diesen drei Kabeljaufischereien vorliegt. Der Vergleich bestätigt den weit verbreiteten Eindruck, dass die Strategien zum Kabeljaufang in alien drei Ländern in der Vergangenheit enorm ineffizient waren. Darüber hinaus wird deutlich, dass die Ineffizienz im Laufe der Zeit zugenommen hat. Lediglich die Daten der letzten jahre enthalten Hinweise darauf, dass dieser negative Trend zum Stillstand gekommen sein könnte. Obwohl sich die Fischwirtschaft in jedem dieser drei Länder sehr stark unterscheidet, lassen sich erstaunlich wenige Unterschiede im Maß der Übernutzung des Fischbestandes finden. [source]


    The fidelity of the cortical retinotopic map in human amblyopia

    EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF NEUROSCIENCE, Issue 5 2007
    Xingfeng Li
    Abstract To delineate the fidelity of the functional cortical organization in humans with amblyopia, we undertook an investigation into how spatial information is mapped across the visual cortex in amblyopic observers. We assessed whether the boundaries of the visual areas controlled by the amblyopic and fellow fixing eye are in the same position, the fidelity of the retinotopic map within different cortical areas and the average receptive field size in different visual areas. The functional organization of the visual cortex was reconstructed using a fMRI phase-encoded retinotopic mapping analysis. This method sequentially stimulates each point in the visual field along the axes of a polar-coordinate system, thereby reconstructing the representation of the visual field on the cortex. We found that the cortical areas were very similar in normals and amblyopes, with only small differences in boundary positions of different visual areas between fixing and fellow amblyopic eye activation. Within these corresponding visual areas, we did find anomalies in retinotopy in some but not all amblyopes that were not simply a consequence of the poorer functional responses and affected central and peripheral field regions. Only a small increase in the average (or collective) receptive field size was found for full-field representation in amblyopes and none at all for central field representation. The former may simply be a consequence of the poorer functional responses. [source]


    ParentLink: A Model of Integration and Support for Parents,

    FAMILY RELATIONS, Issue 3 2000
    Carol Mertensmeyer
    ParentLink represents a collective of Missouri organizations and agencies striving to simplify parents' access to research-based information, services, and problem-solving support pertaining to parenting. It is based on systems theory (von Bertalanffy, 1981) and, more specifically, the ecology of human development (Bronfenbrenner, 1979). A comprehensive array of technologies augments ParentLink professionals' outreach to parents and other citizenry. For parents, the access can be as simple as a telephone call to ParentLink's WarmLine professionals. Other doorways for information and support include ParentLink's Web site, other Web applications, media campaigns, and forthcoming neighborhood-based Parenting Corners. Information gathered from parents and communities about parenting issues will in turn shape future programs and policies. [source]


    Feminist Research Management in Higher Education in Britain: Possibilities and Practices

    GENDER, WORK & ORGANISATION, Issue 5 2010
    Natasha S. Mauthner
    This article aims to explore the possibilities and ambivalent practices of feminist management in the context of research management in higher education in Britain. Drawing on a reflexive and critical analysis of our experiences of contract research and research management over the past 15 years, we discuss the challenges of putting feminist management principles into practice in team-based and collaborative research projects. By rendering academic cultures increasingly competitive, individualist and managerial, we argue, new managerialist reforms in higher education over the past two decades have intensified those very aspects of academic life that feminists have long struggled with. In particular, in creating the new subject position of research manager, with concomitant institutional expectations and obligations, new managerialism has exacerbated tensions between our identities as feminists, scholars and managers and between collective, individual and institutional needs and aspirations. We illustrate these tensions through a discussion of four related aspects of team research which, we suggest, undermine attempts at implementing the feminist ideals of intellectual equity and political equality: divisions of labour in research teams; divisions of intellectual status and the differential valuation of researchers and research labour; divisions of formal power and the management structure of research teams; and exertions of informal power and the micropolitics of research teams. We suggest that feminist research management and feminist management, more generally, need to recognize and accept differences and inequalities among feminists and work with these issues in reflexive, ethical and caring ways. [source]


    Temporary organisations and spatial embeddedness of learning and knowledge creation

    GEOGRAFISKA ANNALER SERIES B: HUMAN GEOGRAPHY, Issue 2 2002
    Bjørn T. Asheim
    It is the overall aim of this article to investigate theoretically how spatial embeddedness of learning and knowledge creation might be challenged by alternative organisational forms (i.e. temporary organisations). The article presents development coalitions as an alternative to projects as a form of temporary organisation. They are potentially able to combine the promotion of radical change with collective and localised learning, thus eliminating some of the characteristic shortcomings of project organizations with regard to collective learning and transfer of knowledge. [source]


    Diaspora as Process: (De)Constructing Boundaries

    GEOGRAPHY COMPASS (ELECTRONIC), Issue 3 2007
    Elizabeth Mavroudi
    This article discusses different conceptualisations of diaspora, as bounded, unbounded and as a process, in order to help highlight the useful role diaspora can play in explorations and (de)constructions of nation-state, community and identity boundaries. There are two main ways in which diaspora has been theorised. The first theorises diaspora in relation to defined homeland-orientated ethnic groups and identities and the second theorises diaspora in relation to fluid, non-essentialised, nomadic identities. This article argues that it is necessary to look beyond such conceptualisations of diaspora as nomadic/fluid (unbounded) or homeland-centred/ethnic-religious (bounded). This article advocates a flexible use of diaspora as process that is able to examine the dynamic negotiations of collective, strategic and politicised identities based around constructions of ,sameness' and the homeland, as well as individual identities that are malleable, hybrid and multiple. It stresses that it is within this notion of diaspora as process that geographers, with their emphasis on place, space and time, have an important role to play. [source]


    MEMORY, AMNESIA AND IDENTITY IN HERMANN BROCH'S SCHLAFWANDLER TRILOGY

    GERMAN LIFE AND LETTERS, Issue 2 2008
    Graham Bartram
    ABSTRACT Through its three novels, set in 1888, 1903 and 1918, Broch's Schlafwandler trilogy traces a progressive fragmentation of social values in late modernity. This article investigates a key marker of this fragmentation: the figuration of individual and collective memory, which undergoes a radical shift between Part I and Part III. In Part I the depiction of memory engages the reader with the protagonist's psychological and moral conflicts and the formation of his individual identity. In Part II memory features as abstract and collective, in allegorical meditations on man's existence in time; in Part III the theme of remembering is largely displaced by that of amnesia, emphasising the isolation of the individual in the era of ,Wertzerfall'. This depiction of cultural disintegration is, however, counterbalanced by the symbolic unity of Die Schlafwandler, whose aesthetic structures play an essential part in what Broch saw as the novel's ,cognitive' task. Here memory features within the reading process itself. To conclude we examine some of the trilogy's densely intersecting leitmotifs that activate the reader's memory in defiance of disintegration and amnesia, and thereby contribute a vital element to the realisation of the ,cognitive novel'. [source]


    The European Parliament and the Commission Crisis: A New Assertiveness?

    GOVERNANCE, Issue 3 2002
    David Judge
    This article examines two claims made about the "Commission crisis" of 1999: first, that the accountability of the Commission to the European Parliament (EP) was significantly increased; and, second, that the model of parliamentary government in the European Union (EU) was advanced by events in 1999. In analyzing the crisis and its consequences, this article focuses upon the powers of dismissal and appointment, and what these powers reveal about the capacity of the EP both to hold the Commission responsible for its collective and individual actions and to influence its policy agenda. If a parliamentary model is to develop in the EU, the negative parliamentary powers of censure and dismissal have to be balanced by the positive powers of appointment and enhanced executive responsiveness. On both counts,dismissal and appointment,the 1999 "Commission crisis" did not point to the clear and unambiguous dawning of a "genuine European parliamentary democracy." [source]


    Collective AIDS activism and individuals' perceived self-advocacy in physician-patient communication

    HUMAN COMMUNICATION RESEARCH, Issue 3 2000
    E Brashers
    In a study of AIDS activism and communication patterns between people with HIV or AIDS and health care personnel, parallel persuasive processes are described between social or political activism and personal self-advocacy. The analysis of public and private discourse leads to 3 interrelated conclusions about AIDS activist behaviours at the collective and individual levels: (a) greater patient education about the illness and treatment options is encouraged, (b) a more assertive stance toward health care is promoted, and mindful nonadherence is considered. Activists perceived that their self-advocacy behaviors, in turn, impact the physician-patient interaction. In communicative interactions, education allows patients to challenge the expertise of the physician, assertiveness allows them to confront paternalistic or authoritarian interactional styles, and mindful nonadherence allows them to reject treatment recommendations and offer reasons for doing so. Participants reported that physicians had mixed reactions to their self-advocacy attempts. [source]


    A framework for continuous design of production systems and its application in collective redesign of production line equipment

    HUMAN FACTORS AND ERGONOMICS IN MANUFACTURING & SERVICE INDUSTRIES, Issue 1 2002
    Françoise Darses
    The continuous design of production systems is a major challenge facing companies, and one that requires organization and systematization. This article describes one of the continuous design endeavors implemented in a factory manufacturing steel tubes. We have studied the collective redesign of production line equipment. For 2 years, we followed the operations of a multioccupational group composed of the various actors involved in manufacturing (including the operators). Their task was to redesign the tools used in their production line. Our analysis is focused on the cognitive side of the activity and especially on the collective redesign processes. From the transcripts of the meetings, we have examined how the codesigners come to an agreement about the redesigned equipment. We show that the criteria spontaneously used for the evaluation of the solution are far wider (quantitatively and qualitatively) than the list of functional criteria prescribed to the codesigners for the decision-making process. This analysis leads us to propose three conditions that have to be met to guarantee success: (a) a true systemic view of the production system must be developed by all the continuous design actors, (b) there must be support for the collective decision-making process, and (c) new forms of knowledge must be institutionalized. © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. [source]


    Introduction: Researching Democracy and Social Change with Violence in the Foreground

    IDS BULLETIN, Issue 3 2009
    Jenny Pearce
    There are many studies of violence within specific fields of the social sciences, but the next stage in our evolving understanding of violence may lie with interdisciplinary approaches. By traversing traditional academic categories, violence as a variable may become more visible in its multiple modes. It is through our ability to see the linkages between interpersonal, cultural, collective, political, state, interstate and structural violences that we can gain a better understanding of its persistence in human interactions. Researchers for this IDS Bulletin set out not only to understand contemporary dynamics of violence, but also to work with people trapped in violent places, spaces and histories who were willing to talk about and act upon their situation. Researching violence in an interactive way with those living in the thick of it posed many ethical, safety, epistemological and methodological challenges. These are documented in this IDS Bulletin alongside findings on the dimensions and impact of violence in different contexts. [source]


    A Different Kind of Union: Balancing Co-Management and Representation

    INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS, Issue 2 2001
    Saul A. Rubinstein
    Local unions engaging in co-management and joint governance arrangements require new capacities and organizational forms to balance managerial responsibilities with representation of both the collective and individual interests of the membership. This article examines the evolution of the local union at General Motors' Saturn Corporation through the internal and external tensions created by the challenges faced in assuming these roles. A new model of local unionism, grounded in this experience and data, is outlined for further testing and research. [source]


    Understanding volunteer motivation for participation in a community-based food cooperative

    INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF NONPROFIT & VOLUNTARY SECTOR MARKETING, Issue 1 2003
    Sally Hibbert
    Those concerned with social exclusion have increasingly recognised the value of community-level activities as a basis for the development of disadvantaged communities. Much community development activity is collective and depends on members of the community volunteering to take on tasks and responsibilities associated with the collective action. The long-term success of these activities is contingent on recruitment of sufficient numbers of volunteers and maintaining their commitment. The purpose of this research was to gain insights into volunteers' motives for participating in a community retail initiative, with a view to understanding the dynamics of their relationship with the enterprise as time passes. A series of in-depth interviews provided evidence that motivations and factors influencing involvement change over time. Relatively vague ideas of the potential benefits of volunteering that motivated initial involvement were clarified as volunteers gained experience of participating in the enterprise. There was overt recognition of skill development and growth in self-esteem and confidence that had been gained during the first few months of working on the project and there was anticipation that these would be enhanced through ongoing involvement. The implications of these findings are discussed and some future research directions are proposed. Copyright © 2003 Henry Stewart Publications [source]


    Conflict, Collaboration and Climate Change: Participatory Democracy and Urban Environmental Struggles in Durban, South Africa

    INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF URBAN AND REGIONAL RESEARCH, Issue 3 2010
    ALEX AYLETTArticle first published online: 28 JUN 2010
    The South Durban Basin on the eastern coast of South Africa is home to both a large-scale petrochemical industry and a highly mobilized residential community. In a conflict cemented by apartheid-era planning, the community's campaigns to improve local air quality provide a test case for the value of conflict for participatory democratic structures. In the context of the work of the International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the South Durban Basin also provides an opportunity to push the boundaries of the established links between participation and the design and implementation of responses to a changing climate. Contributing to one of the main themes of the symposium, this article argues that the focus on collaboration and compromise within studies of governance and participation overlooks both the reality of conflict and its potentially positive effects. Addressing this requires particular attention to how power relationships influence processes of governance, and the role of civil society in balancing the influence of the private sector on the state. It also calls for a better understanding of conflict and collaboration as mutually re-enforcing elements of an ongoing and dynamic political process. Together, the elements of this critique help to build a more nuanced view of participatory urban governance: one that both better describes and may better facilitate the ability of urban populations to collectively, effectively and rapidly respond to the challenges of a changing climate. Résumé Le bassin Sud de Durban, situé sur la côte Est de l'Afrique du Sud, abrite à la fois un vaste secteur pétrochimique et une communauté résidentielle particulièrement mobilisée. Dans une lutte cimentée par un urbanisme datant de l'apartheid, les campagnes communautaires pour améliorer la qualité de l'air local testent la valeur de la lutte en faveur de structures démocratiques participatives. De plus, dans le cadre des travaux du Groupe d'experts intergouvernemental sur l'évolution du climat (GIEC), le bassin Sud de Durban offre une occasion de repousser les limites des liens établis entre la participation, d'une part, et l'élaboration et la mise en ,uvre de réponses au changement climatique, d'autre part. Contribuant à l'un des principaux thèmes du symposium, cet article montre que, compte tenu de leur focalisation sur la collaboration et le compromis, les études sur la gouvernance et la participation négligent la réalité de la lutte autant que ses effets positifs potentiels. Pour ce faire, il examine comment les relations de pouvoir modulent les processus de gouvernance ainsi que le rôle de la société civile visant àéquilibrer l'influence du secteur privé sur l'État. Il convient également de mieux appréhender lutte et collaboration comme des composantes qui se nourrissent mutuellement dans un processus politique permanent et dynamique. Les éléments de cette analyse critique, une fois réunis, aident àélaborer une vision plus nuancée de la gouvernance urbaine participative. Cette vision offre une meilleure description et peut faciliter l'aptitude des populations urbaines à réagir de façon collective, efficace et rapide aux défis du changement climatique. [source]


    The Participant's Dilemma: Bringing Conflict and Representation Back In

    INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF URBAN AND REGIONAL RESEARCH, Issue 3 2010
    DEBBIE BECHER
    Abstract Innovations in democratic participation involving small-scale, long-term focused governing bodies have increased citizen influence in poor American urban neighborhoods. Scholars have described these emerging forms of participation as essentially cooperative in spirit and directly democratic in nature. I argue that the new participatory regimes continue to involve social processes of representation and conflict inherent to more traditional forms of engagement. Participants move dynamically between cooperation and conflict and between participating as individuals and representing constituencies. This article presents a careful study of how a single decision developed and was implemented in such a participatory experiment, the American Street Empowerment Zone in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA, between 1994 and 2008. Archival and interview data support the general perspective shared by articles in this symposium , that participation involves dynamic movement between conflict and cooperation. This article suggests that the durability of the participatory regime depends not on the level of conflict but on how participants move between displaying identification with either government or their community constituents. This article uses the concept of intermediation to describe this kind of dynamism and to reflect the flexibility a participatory structure must nurture to endure. Résumé Les innovations en matière de participation démocratique qui impliquent des organes de gouvernement ,uvrant à petite échelle et à long terme ont accru l'influence des habitants dans les quartiers urbains pauvres américains. D'après certains auteurs, ces formes nouvelles de participation sont, dans l'esprit, essentiellement coopératives et, par nature, directement démocratique. Il est exposé ici que les nouveaux régimes participatifs font encore intervenir des processus sociaux de représentation et de conflit propres à des formes d'engagement plus traditionnelles. Les participants oscillent de manière dynamique entre coopération et conflit, et entre participation en tant qu'individus et représentation collective. Cet article présente une étude minutieuse de la manière dont une décision a étéélaborée et mise en ,uvre dans le cadre d'une expérience participative de ce type, ,American Street Empowerment Zone'à Philadelphie (Pennsylvanie), de 1994 à 1998. Des données issues d'archives et d'entretiens corroborent la perspective générale commune aux articles de ce symposium: la participation implique un mouvement dynamique entre conflit et coopération. L'article suggère que la pérennité du régime participatif dépend, non pas du niveau de conflit, mais de la façon dont les participants alternent dans leur manifestation d'une identification soit au gouvernement soit aux membres de leur communauté. Le concept d'intermédiation est utilisé pour décrire cette forme de dynamique et pour traduire la souplesse que doit garder une structure participative pour perdurer. [source]


    Trader associations and urban food systems in Ghana: institutionalist approaches to understanding urban collective action

    INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF URBAN AND REGIONAL RESEARCH, Issue 1 2003
    Fergus Lyon
    This article explores the activities and functioning of urban food trader associations in Ghana. These associations are strong indigenous groups of women traders who have been able to sustain cooperation over many years in contrast to many other forms of collective action. They shape urban food systems and link urban consumers with rural producers. The analysis relates the findings to the literature on socio-economics, institutional economics and collective action. Of particular interest are the social relations and networks within associations that allow traders to access informal credit and information with contracts based on trust. The factors that contribute to the ability to sustain collective action are explored. These include leadership structures and acceptance of the authority of market queens by other women traders, as well as the need to have the benefits that come from membership of associations. Cet article porte sur les activités et le fonctionnement d'associations urbaines de commerce alimentaire au Ghana. Il s'agit de puissants groupes autochtones de marchandes qui ont pu préserver une coopération sur de nombreuses années, contrairement à bien d'autres formes d'action collective. Ces associations configurent les systèmes d'approvisionnement des villes, reliant consommateurs urbains et producteurs ruraux. L'analyse rapproche résultats et références documentaires en socio-économie, économie institutionnelle et action collective. On soulignera les relations et réseaux sociaux au sein des associations, lesquels permettent aux commerçantes d'accéder à des sources parallèles d'information et de crédit sur la base de contrats de confiance. L'article étudie les facteurs facilitant la pérennisation d'une action collective, notamment les structures de leadership et la reconnaissance de l'autorité de reines du marché par d'autres commerçantes, ainsi que la nécessité de tirer des avantages de l'appartenance à ces associations. [source]


    From east to west: Nepalese women's experiences

    INTERNATIONAL NURSING REVIEW, Issue 3 2004
    C. Rolls rn
    Abstract Background:, Nepal is a small mountainous South Asian country located between the nations of India and China. Forty-two per cent of the 22 million Nepalese people live in poverty. As a result, immigration to a developed country is the dream of many but available to few. Some immigrants from Nepal have arrived in Australia in recent years entering the ,Skill' stream of eligibility categories. Nepalese immigrants to Australia are predominantly young married couples with professional education qualifications. Aim:, To generate knowledge of the childbirth and early experiences of Nepalese women in their mother country and in Australia. The aspect presented here is the immigration experiences of Nepalese women to Australia. Method:, An ethnographic, grounded theory approach was used to observe and analyse the experiences of 11 Nepalese participants. Findings:, Analysis of data suggests that Nepalese female immigrants with the ability to comprehend and speak English and a level of education and skill required by Australia can successfully negotiate the change of culture and adapt to their new society. Major benefits of immigration for the women were the opportunities to work, become independent and to share in decision making for their family. Conclusion and implications for nursing practice:, Severance from the Nepalese joint family, a male dominant hierarchical society, and a new way of life allow a Nepalese woman to become an individual rather than a member of a collective. This study has produced transcultural information from the perspective of the educated professional Nepalese female immigrant that will assist in the provision of midwifery and nursing care. [source]


    "Spontaneous" Interethnic Order: The Emergence of Collective, Path-Dependent Cooperation

    INTERNATIONAL STUDIES QUARTERLY, Issue 4 2000
    Badredine Arfi
    Can "spontaneous," decentralized interethnic cooperation emerge among ethnic groups whose members heavily discount future interethnic relations and do not fear punishment for interethnic noncooperation? Why is it that once the interaction between two ethnic groups evolves along a certain (cooperative or conflictual) path it sometimes becomes harder for the interacting groups to reverse course and seek alternative paths? The answer to these two questions lies in the fact that individual members not only are always calculative and could hence act opportunistically, but also are interdependent and can learn from one another. Because the members of interacting groups operate interdependently they thereby create collective nonlinear path dependence. Using a social game (within evolutionary game theory) the article shows counterintuitively that the emergence of collective, nonlinear path dependence within and across ethnic groups whose members heavily discount the future and face no punishment for interethnic noncooperation makes "spontaneous" decentralized interethnic cooperation a long-run equilibrium. Collective cooperation can thus develop path-dependently among ethnic groups without a Damocles' sword of any sort hanging over their members' heads, even when most individuals are shortsighted and opportunistic. [source]


    Aquagenic pruritus: associated diseases and clinical pruritus characteristics

    JOURNAL DER DEUTSCHEN DERMATOLOGISCHEN GESELLSCHAFT, Issue 10 2010
    Tina Heitkemper
    Summary Background: Aquagenic pruritus (AP) can be induced by systemic diseases. The distribution of underlying diseases in a representative patient collective has not been investigated. This retrospective study aimed to determine the frequency and pruritus-specific parameter of systemic diseases in a series of patients. Patients and methods: Data of 39 patients with AP (24 f, 15 m; mean age: f: 51.3 ± 20.1, m: 57.2 ± 15.0 years) were obtained and statistically evaluated as follows: demographic data, pruritus characteristics, underlying diseases, family history. Results: 30.8 % of patients exhibited polycythemia vera or myelofibrosis (Group 1: G1), in 69.2 % (G2) no underlying disease was found. 25.6 % had lactose intolerance as possible contributing factor. Women were significantly more common in G2 (p < 0.01), with a lower mean age (p < 0.01) and longer duration of AP (18.9 years, p < 0.01). Conclusions: AP occurs frequently with polycythemia vera. Other underlying diseases are rare; in over half of the patients no cause can be detected. In 25 % lactose intolerance is present which possibly acts as co-factor. Demographic parameters (age, gender) allow estimation of the possible underlying disease in AP. Pruritus characteristics are similar in all groups and not helpful in determining the origin of AP. [source]


    Schematic representation of case study research designs

    JOURNAL OF ADVANCED NURSING, Issue 4 2007
    John P. Rosenberg
    Abstract Title.,Schematic representation of case study research designs Aim., The paper is a report of a study to demonstrate how the use of schematics can provide procedural clarity and promote rigour in the conduct of case study research. Background., Case study research is a methodologically flexible approach to research design that focuses on a particular case , whether an individual, a collective or a phenomenon of interest. It is known as the ,study of the particular' for its thorough investigation of particular, real-life situations and is gaining increased attention in nursing and social research. However, the methodological flexibility it offers can leave the novice researcher uncertain of suitable procedural steps required to ensure methodological rigour. Method., This article provides a real example of a case study research design that utilizes schematic representation drawn from a doctoral study of the integration of health promotion principles and practices into a palliative care organization. Discussion., The issues discussed are: (1) the definition and application of case study research design; (2) the application of schematics in research; (3) the procedural steps and their contribution to the maintenance of rigour; and (4) the benefits and risks of schematics in case study research. Conclusion., The inclusion of visual representations of design with accompanying explanatory text is recommended in reporting case study research methods. [source]


    The Concept of Sebestoimost' in Russian Farm Accounting: A Very Unmagical Mystery Tour

    JOURNAL OF AGRARIAN CHANGE, Issue 1 2001
    Gavin Kitching
    This article examines the use of the concept of sebestoimost' - production cost -on large-scale commercial farms (former collective and state farms)in European Russia. This examination is based on ?eldwork carried out by the author and some Russian colleagues in 1996 and 1997. This concept and the accounting magnitudes it generates are of no utility now, and should be abandoned as an actual impediment to effective farm management in current market conditions. But the manipulation of sebestoimost' magnitudes in the Soviet period served, it appears, very important functions for farm chairmen and directors. In uncovering the mystery of those functions, an important revisionist hypothesis concerning the inef ?ciencies, or alleged inef?ciencies, of Soviet agriculture emerges. The data cited in this article are too scanty to prove the hypothesis, but are certainly suf ?cient to suggest that it warrants further investigation. [source]


    Constituting the Public Realm of a Region: Placemaking in the Bi-National Niagaras

    JOURNAL OF ARCHITECTURAL EDUCATION, Issue 1 2003
    ROBERT G. SHIBLEY
    Reconstituting the public realm of a region requires changes in the way it is imagined. This can be done through the use of professional skills to present images and analysis, creative forms of agency able to act in such a realm, and representation of alternative futures for public consideration. The regional public realm is a collective and abstract consciousness as well as a concrete reality. Working at this scale means maintaining a conversation between the imaginal and the material, and between professional and local knowledges. It requires the construction of loosely collaborative partnerships and the adept use of professional skills to selectively organize attention to possibilities for action. [source]