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Medical Sciences	50%

Selected Abstracts

Corruption in Africa , Part 1

HISTORY COMPASS (ELECTRONIC), Issue 5 2009
John Mukum Mbaku
As Africans struggled against colonial exploitation, there was near universal agreement among the freedom fighters and other nationalists that one of the most important determinants of poverty in the colonies was the control of the instruments of economic and political governance by foreign interlopers, all of whose objectives were in conflict with those of the Africans. Colonial institutional arrangements were primarily instruments for the exploitation of Africans and their resources. Europeans came to Africa to maximize metropolitan objectives and hence, established within each colony, institutional arrangements that enhanced their ability to exploit Africans and their resources for the benefit of the metropolitan economies. With their comparative advantage in the employment of military and police force, the Europeans were able to impose on the African colonies laws and institutions that enhanced their objectives but significantly impoverished Africans. Hence, independence was considered critical not only to the elimination of the psychological effects of foreign occupation but also to the empowerment of Africans and the enhancement of their ability to take full control of their governance systems. First, independence was expected to expel the European interlopers from the continent and allow the in-coming African leaders to rid their societies of the exploitative, despotic and non-democratic institutions that had been brought to the colonies by the Europeans. In the post-independence period, Africans were expected to have full control of their own destiny, allocate their own resources, and generally take responsibility for the design and implementation of policies affecting their own welfare. Second, the new leaders were then expected to engage all relevant stakeholder groups in each country in democratic constitution making to develop and adopt locally focused, participatory, inclusive and politically and economically relevant institutional arrangements. Finally, Africa's post-independence leaders were expected to use public policy as an instrument for the effective eradication of mass poverty and deprivation. [source]

Alternatives to Public Provision: The Role of Legal Expenses Insurance in Broadening Access to Justice: The German Experience

JOURNAL OF LAW AND SOCIETY, Issue 1 2003
Matthias Kilian
The literature suggests that the main barriers to justice range from a general lack of knowledge about legal rights, and the related prevalent use of technical language within justice systems (which has led to commentators describing law as a ,leviathan'), to a vague ,fear of the unknown'. In Germany the principal barrier is thought to be the problem of funding legal services. Empirical research indicates that the question of whether or not to consult a lawyer is primarily one of cost, although over one,third of potential clients have little idea about lawyers' fees. To find ways to surmount this barrier is therefore of paramount importance for a modern society. In broad terms, there are three potential attitudes to legal costs: reliance on one's own resources; hope for third party assistance (such as legal aid or pro bono); and insurance. This article concentrates on the last of these three options, comparing, in particular, the systems in Germany and England and Wales. [source]

A philosophical analysis of the concept empowerment; the fundament of an education-programme to the frail elderly

NURSING PHILOSOPHY, Issue 4 2005
Anne Merete Hage RN Cand.san.
Abstract, The word ,empowerment' has become a popular term, widely used as an important claim, also within the health services. In this paper the concept's philosophical roots are traced from Freire and his ,Pedagogy of the Oppressed' to the philosophical thoughts of Hegel, Habermas, and Sartre. An understanding of the concept, as a way to facilitate coping and well-being in patients through reflection and dialogue, emerges. Within an empowerment strategy the important claim on the nurse and the patient will be to reveal the patient's own resources and limitations in times with sickness and reduced functionality to promote the patient's choice to act and cope. From this point of view an education-programme for the frail elderly is outlined. If the nurse wants to empower the elderly patient she has to be willing to be educated through the dialogue with the patient, and to look for the patient's own meaning of being frail and elderly. The coping and self-care solutions for the patient may then even be different from the preferences of the nurse, and this does not mean that the empowerment strategy is a failure or that the patient then has to continue without the assistance from the nurse. Within an empowerment strategy, in the Freirerian sense, the important thing is that both the patient and the nurse together critically reflect on the meanings of the sickness so that the patient can be able to make his own conscious choices. [source]

Perceived Benefits on Family Health of Small Groups for Families With Children

PUBLIC HEALTH NURSING, Issue 3 2007
Arja Häggman-Laitila
ABSTRACT Background: Thus far, international research on small groups has focused on health problems. Research on preventive, resource-, and family-oriented small groups and their impact on family health is scant. Objectives: To describe the experiences of families with small children concerning resource-enhancing small support groups, and to identify the benefits to family health described by participating parents at the end of the group processes. Sample: The study population consisted of parents (n=123) attending 13 small groups. Participants included 63 mothers and 14 fathers (63% response rate). Methods: Data were collected through group interviews. Qualitative content analysis of latent content was the method of analysis. Results: Small groups provided the parents with knowledge about family life and encouraged them to seek information, made them feel refreshed, strengthened their social support networks, enhanced their awareness of their own resources and the different developmental needs at times of change in the family, and increased their confidence concerning their ability to cope. Conclusions: Concepts from this study can be used in the future to construct instruments to evaluate the effectiveness of small groups from the perspective of families and family health. The findings add to our professional understanding of resource-oriented family work from the perspective of families. [source]