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Political Context (political + context)
Selected AbstractsParty Identification in Emotional and Political Context: A ReplicationPOLITICAL PSYCHOLOGY, Issue 6 2007Francis Neely While testing an affective measure of party identification Burden and Klofstad (2005) found that using the phrase, "feel that you are," in place of, "think of yourself as," significantly shifted PID in a Republican direction. I adopt the theoretical framework of Affective Intelligence (Marcus, Neuman, & MacKuen, 2000) to specify how the timing of their question-wording experiment may have influenced the results. I suggest that the outcome was a function of (a) anxiety present during the survey, which ran just after 9/11 of 2001, coupled with (b) a political environment that favored Republicans. In a 2005 survey I replicate the experiment and collect new measures with which to test expectations. I find no significant shift in PID, and provisional support for the Affective Intelligence explanation. The results validate Burden and Klofstad's measure, qualify their findings, and test the application of the theory of Affective Intelligence to party dispositions. Alternative explanations and directions for further research are discussed. [source] Late Twentieth Century Congressional Leaders as Shapers of and Hostages to Political Context: Gingrich, Hastert, and LottPOLITICS & POLICY, Issue 2 2002John E. Owens Most contemporary explanations of congressional leadership postulate a version of contextual theory that typically places greatest emphasis on the strength of party and downplays the personal skills of individual leaders. By analyzing the leadership of just three recent individuals,Gingrich, Hastert, and Lott,this essay demonstrates the extent to which these leaders' different styles, skills, and characteristics interacted with changing political contexts and strategic environments to impact political and policy outcomes. Context matters, but so does leadership skill. Most graphically, Gingrich,a rare transforming leader in Burns' typology,demonstrates the importance of the right person and the right conditions being in place at the same time and the ability of an individual imaginative leader to intervene exogenously to have a significant effect on policy outcomes. Yet the essay also demonstrates that even where leaders adopt more conventional transactional styles, as Hastert and Lott did, the skill and success with which they juggle political pressures emanating from different, often conflicting, contexts,skills in context,also matters. [source] Spanish Herod, Dutch Innocents: Bruegel's Massacres of the Innocents in Their Sixteenth-century Political ContextsART HISTORY, Issue 1 2001David Kunzle This article approaches the famous Bruegel painting by establishing possible precursors for the politicization of the Massacre of the Innocents in European drama and art. With the wars, the theme moves, suddenly popular, from Italy to the north. I argue that there are, in fact, two distinct compositions of the subject by Bruegel the Elder, the other being much less well known but probably derived from him (both were later much copied), which I place with new evidence in the context of Spanish repression, and other politicized versions of the theme by other Flemish artists. By indicating the severity of the repression well before the arrival of Alva in 1567, I show that arguments in favour of the one autograph version (Hampton Court) having a contemporary application do not depend on a later dating, and that any resemblance of the commander of the massacre to the Duke of Alva in the Vienna version and other copies, is due to their having been done a ,safer' generation later. Other relevant political works by Bruegel are adduced, notably the Census and Preaching of St John. A consciousness of Spanish tyranny and slaughter is carried into the later part of the century, via anti-Spanish cartoons, paintings of (non-biblical) killing and plundering and other Massacres of the Innocents, notably and climactically those by Cornelis Cornelisz. van Haarlem, which must have been affected by his childhood experience of the Siege of Haarlem in 1573. [source] Conservation Biology Framework for the Release of Wild-Born Orphaned Chimpanzees into the Conkouati Reserve, CongoCONSERVATION BIOLOGY, Issue 5 2001Caroline E. G. Tutin Release of captive individuals is complex and controversial, however, particularly when risks are potentially high, as in the case of orphaned apes. We describe the decision-making process that led to the successive release of 20 wild-born orphan chimpanzees ( Pan troglodytes troglodytes) into the Conkouati Reserve in the Republic of Congo. Recommendations of the Reintroduction Specialist Group of the World Conservation Union's Species Survival Commission were followed closely. The conservation status, ecology, and behavior of wild chimpanzees; the biological, social, economic and political context of the release site; and the health and genetic status of the candidates for release were all taken into account in the planning and execution of the project. Rigorous post-release monitoring of behavior and health allowed documentation of the outcome. The project was of benefit to the chimpanzees that were released but also brought broad benefits to the site through effective protection from poaching and deforestation, and direct and indirect benefits to local people. The genetic and behavioral diversity of chimpanzees require a variety of conservation strategies to reduce threats and maintain as many viable wild populations as possible. Resumen: El retorno de animales confiscados a sus hábitats nativos es deseable cuando ocasiona una contribución positiva para la conservación de la especie. Sin embargo, la liberación de individuos cautivos es compleja y controversial, particularmente cuando los riesgos son potencialmente altos, como es el caso de los monos huérfanos. Describimos el proceso de toma de decisiones que condujo a la liberación de exitosa de 20 chimpancés silvestres huérfanos ( Pan troglodytes troglodytes) dentro de la Reserva Conkouati de la República de Congo. Las recomendaciones del Grupo de especialistas en reintroducción de la UICN-SSC fueron seguidas de cerca. El estatus de conservación, ecología y conducta de los chimpancés silvestres; el contexto biológico, social, económico y político del sitio de liberación y la salud y estatus genético de los candidatos a ser liberados fueron también tomados en consideración en la planeación y ejecución del proyecto. El monitoreo riguroso post-liberación de la conducta y salud permitió la documentación de los resultados. El proyecto fue benéfico para los chimpancés liberados pero también trajo beneficios amplios al sitio mediante la protección efectiva de la caza fortuita y la deforestación y beneficios directos e indirectos para la población humana local. La diversidad genética y conductual de los chimpancés requiere de una variedad de estrategias de conservación para reducir las amenazas y mantener cuantas poblaciones silvestres viables sean posibles. [source] Shelter from the storm?CONSERVATION LETTERS, Issue 1 2010misuse of coastal vegetation bioshields for managing natural disasters Abstract Vegetated coastal ecosystems provide goods and services to billions of people. In the aftermath of a series of recent natural disasters, including the Indian Ocean Tsunami, Hurricane Katrina and Cyclone Nargis, coastal vegetation has been widely promoted for the purpose of reducing the impact of large storm surges and tsunami. In this paper, we review the use of coastal vegetation as a "bioshield" against these extreme events. Our objective is to alter bioshield policy and reduce the long-term negative consequences for biodiversity and human capital. We begin with an overview of the scientific literature, in particular focusing on studies published since the Indian Ocean Tsunami in 2004 and discuss the science of wave attenuation by vegetation. We then explore case studies from the Indian subcontinent and evaluate the detrimental impacts bioshield plantations can have upon native ecosystems, drawing a distinction between coastal restoration and the introduction of exotic species in inappropriate locations. Finally, we place bioshield policies into a political context, and outline a new direction for coastal vegetation policy and research. [source] Charity Basket or Revolution: Beliefs, Experiences, and Context in Preservice Teachers' Service LearningCURRICULUM INQUIRY, Issue 4 2000David M. Donahue Given what one observer calls the "vast disparity of definitions that faculty can bring to service learning,from what is basically the charity basket approach to the revolutionary," service learning can varytremendously, from reading to elderly residents of a nursing home to organizing a boycott of a sneaker company. With such diversity before teachers, what influences them in the way they design service learning? How do preservice teachers, for whom so many ideas about teaching are emerging, make such choices? Two case studies suggest that preservice teachers' beliefs, experiences, and the context where they teach play an important role related to if and how they use service learning. Beliefs and experiences are especially important because, although service learning is often presented as supporting apolitical values,empowerment and responsibility, for example,for which broad consensus exists, such values are also ambiguous and open to interpretation. Teacher educators and advocates of service learning need to acknowledge the ambiguous political nature of service and service learning. By doing so, they have an opportunity to make the political context of teaching explicit for preservice teachers. Such education in service learning for new teachers goes beyond "training" in the logistical and technical details of implementing a new pedagogy to thoughtful reflection on the value-laden act of teaching. [source] Collective Action and Property Rights for Poverty Reduction: A Review of Methods and ApproachesDEVELOPMENT POLICY REVIEW, Issue 3 2009Esther Mwangi This article provides a review of literature on the relationship between poverty and the institutions of collective action and property rights, as outlined in the conceptual framework of Di Gregorio et al. (2008). Using the elements of the framework as a guide, it offers an overview of how researchers and practitioners identify and evaluate these concepts. The article emphasises the multidimensionality of poverty and the necessity of applying various approaches and tools to conceptualising and measuring it. In addition to highlighting the crucial role that institutions play in poverty reduction, it shows power relations and the political context to be of fundamental importance in poverty-related studies. [source] What Happens to the State in Conflict?: Political Analysis as a Tool for Planning Humanitarian AssistanceDISASTERS, Issue 4 2000Lionel Cliffe It is now part of received wisdom that humanitarian assistance in conflict and post-conflict situations may be ineffective or even counterproductive in the absence of an informed understanding of the broader political context in which so-called ,complex political emergencies' (CPEs) occur. Though recognising that specific cases have to be understood in their own terms, this article offers a framework for incorporating political analysis in policy design. It is based on a programme of research on a number of countries in Africa and Asia over the last four years. It argues that the starting-point should be an analysis of crises of authority within contemporary nation-states which convert conflict (a feature of all political systems) into violent conflict; of how such conflict may in turn generate more problems for, or even destroy, the state; of the deep-rooted political, institutional and developmental legacies of political violence; and of the difficulties that complicate the restoration of legitimate and effective systems of governance after the ,termination' of conflict. It then lists a series of questions which such an analysis would need to ask , less in order to provide a comprehensive check-list than to uncover underlying political processes and links. It is hoped these may be used not only to understand the political dynamics of emergencies, but also to identify what kinds of policy action should and should not be given priority by practitioners. [source] 1985 and all that: The establishment of Australia's Drug StrategyDRUG AND ALCOHOL REVIEW, Issue 2 2009NEAL BLEWETT Abstract A national drug summit in the mid-1980s played a pivotal role in the establishment of Australia's National Drug Strategy. It transformed the delivery of drug policies in Australia and gave us the instruments to understand our drug problem, namely national Centres of Excellence, including the National Drug Research Institute. This paper examines how a ,bundle of compromises' came together in the political context of the mid-1980s to give rise to, for the first time, a cooperative national campaign that continues to drive Australia's drug strategy today.[Blewett N. 1985 and all that: The establishment of Australia's Drug Strategy. Drug Alcohol Rev 2009;28:96,98] [source] Viking and native: re,thinking identity in the DanelawEARLY MEDIEVAL EUROPE, Issue 1 2002D.M. Hadley This paper addresses the impact of the Scandinavian settlements in England in the ninth and tenth centuries, and the role that ethnic identity and affiliation played in the society of the so,called Danelaw. It is argued that ethnic identity was not a constant factor, but one that only became relevant, at least in the evidence available to us, at certain times. It is suggested that the key to understanding expressions of ethnicity lies in the absorption of new ruling elites in northern and eastern England, and in subsequent political manoeuvring, rather than in the scale of the Scandinavian settlement. Indeed, the scale of the settlement does not easily explain most of our evidence, with the exception of some of the linguistic data. This paper stresses the importance of discussing the Scandinavian settlements not simply by reference to ethnic factors, but within the social and political context of early medieval society. [source] Long-range transport of organic chemicals in the environmentENVIRONMENTAL TOXICOLOGY & CHEMISTRY, Issue 4 2009Martin Scheringer Abstract The long-range transport (LRT) of organic chemicals in the environment is reviewed, with particular focus on the role of environmental fate and transport models and the relationship between model results and field data. Results from generic multimedia box models, spatially resolved multimedia box models, and atmospheric transport models are highlighted, including conceptual investigations of cold-trap effect and global fractionation as well as results for particular chemicals, such as hexachlorocyclohexanes, DDT, polychlorinated biphenyls, perfluoroocctanoic acid, and polybrominated diphenyl ethers. Comparison of model results to field data shows that in many cases environmental fate models provide a good description of the distribution dynamics observed in the field, with deviations between measured and modeled concentrations around a factor of five. Sorption to atmospheric aerosols as a key process influencing the LRT of semivolatile organic chemicals (SOCs) is discussed, and the need for more measurements of the aerosol,air partitioning of SOCs and of the reactivity of particle-bound chemicals is pointed out. Key findings from field campaigns measuring legacy persistent organic pollutants (POPs) as well as new POPs are summarized. Finally, the relationship between science and politics in the field of POPs is addressed. Research into the LRT of organic chemicals has always occurred in interaction with political activities aiming to reduce the emissions of POPs. Since the late 1990s, the Stockholm Convention and the Aarhus Protocol on POPs have formed an important political context for research concerning POPs; the implementation of these international treaties creates a demand for ongoing research into the LRT of organic chemicals. [source] Economic voting: The effect of political context, volatility and turnout on voters' assignment of responsibilityEUROPEAN JOURNAL OF POLITICAL RESEARCH, Issue 5 2004ÅSA BENGTSSON Voters' assignment of responsibility for the state of the national economy is assumed to vary according to the context of the election. Building on previous research, the importance of the political context , clarity of responsibility and availability of alternatives , is analysed. The study also breaks new ground by introducing two new contexts of importance: volatility, seen from a systemic perspective, and the trend in turnout. The contextual hypothesis is confirmed. The universal economic effect as such is very weak indeed. However, given a favourable political and institutional environment (clear responsibility structure and availability of alternatives), an economic effect appears. Tests including the new contexts created on the basis of behavioural patterns in the electorate (system volatility and turnout trend) identify elections where the economic effects are even stronger. [source] Appointing and Censuring the European Commission: The Adaptation of Parliamentary Institutions to the Community ContextEUROPEAN LAW JOURNAL, Issue 3 2001Paul Magnette The parliamentary model at the heart of European civic cultures has deeply influenced ,Constitutional reforms' in the European Community. But the EC is not a Parliamentary state and the transplant of national institutions in its own political context gives rise to hybrid practices. This paper examines this process of hybridation, and shows that new practices of appointment and censure are emerging in the Community, mixing classic parliamentary institutions with the crucial features of the EC itself. Focusing on recent tensions between the Council, the Commission, and the European Parliament, it shows that they are governed by national divisions, technocratic and legal reasoning rather than by classic majoritarian attitudes. It concludes that, while this new model of accountability might prove efficient in terms of inter-institutional controls, it remains symbolically inefficient, because it does not help citizens understand and accept the Community institutional model. [source] Principles and approaches to abate seabird by-catch in longline fisheriesFISH AND FISHERIES, Issue 1 2005Eric Gilman Abstract Mortality in longline fisheries is a critical global threat to most albatross and large petrel species. Here we identify key principles and approaches to identify and achieve broad use of effective seabird by-catch avoidance methods. Despite the availability of highly effective and cost-saving seabird avoidance methods, few longline fleets employ them. Given the political context and capacity of management authorities of the majority of longline fisheries, it is critical to identify seabird avoidance strategies that are not only highly effective, but are also economically viable and commercially practical. Adoption of an international performance standard for longline baited hook,sink rate, and prescribing minimum gear weighting designs that meet this standard that are achievable by all longline fisheries, would be an important step forward towards resolving low use of seabird avoidance methods by vessels, including those in illegal, unregulated and unreported fisheries. Due to differences between fleets, no single seabird avoidance measure is likely to be effective and practical in all longline fisheries. Therefore, testing of seabird avoidance methods in individual fleets is needed to determine efficacy and economic viability. Longline fishers should directly participate in these trials as they have a large repository of knowledge and skills to effectively develop and improve seabird by-catch avoidance techniques, and this provides industry with a sense of ownership for uptake of effective by-catch reduction methods. Establishing protected areas containing seabird colonies and adjacent waters within a nation's EEZ can be an expedient method to address seabird by-catch. However, establishing high seas marine protected areas to restrict longline fishing in seabird foraging areas, which would require extensive and dynamic boundaries and large buffer zones, may not be a viable short-term solution because of the extensive time anticipated to resolve legal complications with international treaties, to achieve international consensus and political will, and to acquire requisite extensive resources for surveillance and enforcement. Analysis of results of research on seabird avoidance methods reveals that the most reliable comparisons of the efficacy of alternative strategies are from comparing the effectiveness of methods tested in a single experiment. Benefits from standardizing the reporting of seabird by-catch rates to account for seabird abundance are described. To provide the most precise inputs for seabird population models, estimates of seabird mortality in longline fisheries should account for seabird falloff from hooks before hauling, delayed mortality of seabirds caught but freed from gear, and mortality caused by hooks discarded in offal. [source] Leadership Style and International Norm Violation: The Case of the Iraq WarFOREIGN POLICY ANALYSIS, Issue 1 2007VAUGHN P. SHANNON We examine the topic of decision making and norm violation in international politics. While constructivists emphasize norm conformity due to global social pressures, and realists emphasize the ease of norm violation due to self-interest and the lack of a world enforcer, we argue that these approaches fail to explain variation in normative behavior in foreign policy. We suggest that normative behavior is mitigated importantly by leaders' beliefs and decision-making styles. Leaders who view the international environment in state-centric, Hobbesian terms and are less sensitive to the political context are more likely to violate international norms than leaders who view world politics in more benign terms and are more sensitive to contextual pressures. We test these expectations by correlating key leadership traits of Bush Administration officials with their positions regarding the normatively suspect invasion of Iraq in 2003. The findings suggest that need for power, belief in ability to control events, ingroup bias, and especially distrust may be important predictors of one's willingness to violate international norms. We discuss the implications of our results for the prospect for international society to regulate force, and call for a third wave of constructivism wedded to its ideational ally of political psychology. [source] The Swedish Welfare State and the Emergence of Female Welfare State OccupationsGENDER, WORK & ORGANISATION, Issue 4 2000Lars Evertsson The Swedish welfare state has, during the twentieth century, developed into the primary guarantor of health and social services as well as economic security. As the welfare state has developed, a new group of professions has emerged which can be described as welfare state professions. In this paper I will point out a few central aspects of how female-dominated welfare state professions have emerged and developed within the framework of the Swedish welfare state's expansion. These ideas will then be demonstrated on two female-dominated occupations, nurses and occupational therapists, which have developed in close association with the expansion of the welfare state. The results indicate that the emergence of a centrally planned welfare state and the occupational groups' organizational resources have been of crucial importance for the professional development of female-dominated health and care occupations in Sweden. The welfare state has opened up new professional fields and created a stable labour market, which has provided good conditions for professional organizing. The state has also been quick to establish relationships with occupational groups whose professional competence has been deemed to be suited to the welfare political context. However, the state's interests in professional matters have often been in conflict with those of the professions themselves, regarding, for example, education, sub-specialization and certification. One conclusion that can be drawn is that the Swedish welfare state has acted both as an engine and a brake regarding professional development and status. [source] The architecture of ethnic logic: Exploring the Meaning of the Built Environment in the ,Mixed' City Of Lod , IsraelGEOGRAFISKA ANNALER SERIES B: HUMAN GEOGRAPHY, Issue 3-4 2002Haim Yacobi This article analyses the evolution of the built environment in Israel's ,mixed cities' in Israel; sites shaped by the logic of ethno,nationalism, and characterized by patterns of segregation between the Jewish dominant majority and the Arab subordinate minority. The paper investigates the changes and dynamics of the urban landscape from the British Mandate period to recent times, focusing on the interrelations between ideology and architecture in its wider sense, i.e. referring to the practices of urban design and planning. The production of urban landscapes in Israeli ,mixed cities', I will argue, is a result of the social construction of an ethnic logic, and thus cannot be seen as autonomous from the existing socio,political context. Rather, I would propose, the architecture of the ,mixed city' reflects on one hand, and shapes on the other the struggle over identity, memory and belonging, rooted in urban colonialism discourse. Empirically, this paper focuses on the city of Lod/Lydda where as in other previously Palestinian cities, a strategy of colonization had been implemented, forming the city,s central planning policy since the Mandate period. The paper analyzes in detail various aspects and sites of this process, and explores the role of planners and architects in the construction of a sense of place in tangible as well as discursive levels, which are often neglected in the body of knowledge that deals with urban,ethnic conflicts. [source] Kafka, Critical Theory, Dialectical Theology: Adorno's Case against Hans-Joachim SchoepsGERMAN LIFE AND LETTERS, Issue 2 2010Margarete Kohlenbach ABSTRACT Theodor Adorno derived from his reading of Kafka some of the central assumptions that inform the critical theory of the Frankfurt School. He opposed theological Kafka interpretations in general, and in particular rejected Hans-Joachim Schoeps's reading of Kafka in the context of Karl Barth's dialectical theology. Adorno and Schoeps thus came to exemplify the dichotomy with which we still characterise the early reception of Kafka's work as either secular (sociological or political) or theological and religious. The disintegration of religion as a comprehensive social system in twentieth-century Germany means that writers can agree with traditional theology and religion in some regards while opposing them in others. This article argues that any unqualified adoption of the dichotomy between the secular and the religious is detrimental to our understanding of both Kafka's work and its early reception. First, the article outlines some of the major discrepancies in Kafka's heterogeneous engagements with religion. Second, it places Adorno's rejection of Schoeps's interpretation in the political context of National Socialism and the Holocaust. Finally, it compares Adorno's notion of ,inverse theology' with Schoeps's inversion of salvation history. Throughout, the article aims to ascertain the differences as well as the underlying commonalities between Adorno's and Schoeps's Kafka reception. Wesentliche Richtlinien der Kritischen Theorie der Frankfurter Schule verdanken sich der Kafka-Rezeption Adornos, die theologische Deutungen Kafkas im allgemeinen abweist und insbesondere Hans-Joachim Schoeps' Verständnis von Kafkas Werk im Kontext der Dialektischen Theologie Karl Barths verwirft. Adorno und Schoeps repräsentieren die Pole einer Dichotomie, mit der noch heute die Beiträge der frühen Kafka-Rezeption entweder als soziologisch und politisch oder als theologisch und religiös klassifiziert werden. Die Desintegration religiösen Lebens in der deutschen Gesellschaft des 20. Jahrhunderts bringt es mit sich, dass Schriftsteller in jeweils bestimmten Hinsichten traditionelle Theologie und Religion verwerfen,und,übernehmen können. Der vorliegende Beitrag argumentiert, dass jede nicht-spezifizierte Vorstellung einer Dichotomie von religiösem und weltlichem Leben und Denken aufgegeben werden muss, wenn wir Kafkas Werk und seine frühe Rezeption verstehen wollen. Der Beitrag skizziert zunächst zentrale Diskrepanzen in Kafkas heterogenen Bezugnahmen auf Religiöses. Im Anschluss stellt er Adornos Schoeps-Kritik in den politischen Kontext von Nationalsozialismus und Holocaust. Wie der Beitrag als ganzer soll der abschließende Vergleich der Begiffe ,inverse Theologie' (Adorno) und ,Unheilsgeschichte' (Schoeps) ein angemessenes Verständnis der Unterschiede und Gemeinsamkeiten in der Kafka-Deutung der beiden Autoren ermöglichen. [source] Associational links with home among Zimbabweans in the UK: reflections on long-distance nationalismsGLOBAL NETWORKS, Issue 2 2009JOANN MCGREGOR Abstract In this article, I provide an overview of the character of associations formed in Britain by Zimbabweans in the context of the mass exodus that gathered pace from the late 1990s. I discuss the politicization of the Zimbabwe diaspora, which infuses many aspects of associational life beyond specifically political organizations, and also emphasize the importance of Zimbabwean church fellowships. I offer an historical explanation for the strength of nationalism expressed in the diaspora and the absence of ,translocal' associations characteristic of other African diaspora groups, such as hometown associations, and explore reasons why burial societies, which have been centrally important for Zimbabwean migrants in other periods and contexts, are less prevalent in Britain. I build my argument on an historical discussion of continuities and changes in the associational forms characteristic of labour migrancy and urbanization within the southern African region. I emphasize the legacies of a strong segregationist settler state, the mobilizations and international solidarities of the protracted struggle for independence, the Christianization of elite African culture in Zimbabwe's cities, and the international politics of the recent multifaceted crisis. My discussion of the associational expression of ,long distance nationalisms' is based on interviews conducted in 2004,5, participation in diaspora meetings and events, and reading of diaspora media and websites. In the article I aim to highlight the specific social histories of association and the political context of diaspora formation, which are essential for understanding the nature of institutions connecting with home, and ideas about home itself. [source] Music and Politics in Germany 1933,1955: Approaches and ChallengesHISTORY COMPASS (ELECTRONIC), Issue 4 2007Toby Thacker Until very recently, music has often been considered as an art form which stands outside and above politics. This article explores the new approaches taken by historians and musicologists in the last twenty years to the analysis of music in political context in Germany between 1933 and 1955, a period in which musicians worked under Nazi and Communist forms of dictatorship, under Allied military government, and under a liberal democracy. It outlines the ways in which this literature has been fragmented by self-imposed chronological, geographical and thematic boundaries, and suggests ways in which these might be challenged. [source] Using the Rorschach for exploring the concept of transitional space within the political context of the Middle EastINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF APPLIED PSYCHOANALYTIC STUDIES, Issue 1 2005Shira Tibon Abstract The paper presents an application of a new Rorschach index, the Reality,Fantasy Scale (RFS) for evaluating the extent to which educated Israeli Jews and Arabs manifest a similar adaptive and functional ability in preserving psychic transitional space. The RFS is a psychodynamic oriented diagnostic tool, based on Exner's (1993) Comprehensive System for scoring and interpreting the Rorschach, and designed to operationalize Winnicott's (1971) concept of potential space. The scale is based on a paradigm that conceptualizes the Rorschach task as inviting the subject to enter the intermediate transitional space between inner and outer reality. The RFS ranges from ,5 to +5, and a score of zero indicates adaptive and functional use of potential space. The results point to a basic similarity between two groups of Jewish (n = 41) and Arab (n = 14) non-patients both using adaptively inner space between reality and fantasy. These results are discussed in terms of current psychoanalytic thought of relationality, political psychology research, cross-cultural personality assessment, and the empirical study of psychoanalytic concepts. Copyright © 2005 Whurr Publishers Ltd. [source] The political participation of social workers: a comparative studyINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF SOCIAL WELFARE, Issue 2 2002Mel Gray This article reports on a comparative study that examined the political participation of social workers in KwaZulu-Natal province in South Africa, the state of New South Wales (excluding the Hunter region) in Australia, and New Zealand. Each of these contexts had roughly the same number of social workers, that is, approximately 1,200. It was found that social workers in New Zealand tended to be more politically active than their counterparts in New South Wales and KwaZulu-Natal, and the reasons for this are examined. In the process, New Zealand is presented as a case study of the way in which social work has responded to its political context. Finally, conclusions are drawn as to the engagement of social workers in the policy cycle and of the need for them to become more active politically. [source] The "right distance" when dealing with violenceINTERNATIONAL SOCIAL SCIENCE JOURNAL, Issue 174 2002Sandrine Lefranc The issue of the researcher's relationship with the subject of ,extreme violence' is approached here from the point of view not of subjective motivations, but of the scientific rule of distanc-ing which, in the absence of specific epistemo-logical recommendations, seems to apply in this case as in others. At times of ,exit' from violence, when a repressive authoritarian regime is replaced by a democratic government, the ,right Distance' of the researcher has particular consequences: it may coincide with the tenets of governmental ,reconciliation' policies, in particular the injunction to victims to weigh their demands against the need for pacification in the general interest. This convergence - which does not necessarily involve collusion - shows how difficult it is to find the right stance towards the subject of ,violence': epistemological rules cannot be dissociated from a particular political context and from a social relationship with violence, and may thus have normative implications. [source] Social Policymaking and Its Institutional Basis: Transition of The Chinese Social Security SystemINTERNATIONAL SOCIAL SECURITY REVIEW, Issue 2 2006Ka Lin This article discusses Chinese social policy development in response to the growth of the market economy. It provides a general overview of the system's evolution in three stages: (1) the pre-reform period when a system of enterprise welfare was in operation; (2) a period of system transition; (3) the stage when state welfare began to take shape. These developmental trends are interpreted on the basis of three types of institutional relations: the State-enterprise relation, the enterprise- (or employer-) employee relation, and the individual/worker-State relation. Moreover, the discussion deals with policy perceptions at each stage of the developmental process. Based on these analyses, it illustrates the transformation of the Chinese social security system in a broad socioeconomic and political context, where China struggled to establish a modern, market-based enterprise system. The paper thus expounds issues of socialism, market forces and the power of organized labour. [source] Social Health Insurance: Key Factors Affecting the Transition Towards Universal CoverageINTERNATIONAL SOCIAL SECURITY REVIEW, Issue 1 2005Guy Carrin Several low- and middle-income countries are interested in extending their existing health insurance for specific groups to eventually cover their entire populations. For those countries interested in such an extension, it is important to understand the factors that affect the transition from incomplete to universal coverage. This paper analyses the experience of eight countries in the implementation of social health insurance. It highlights the importance of the socioeconomic and political context, particularly in relation to the level of income, structure of the economy, distribution of the population, ability to administer and level of solidarity within the country, but also stresses the important stewardship role government can play in facilitating the transition to universal coverage via social health insurance. [source] "Living Our Faith:" The Lenten Pastoral Letter of the Bishops of Malawi and the Shift to Multiparty Democracy, 1992,1993JOURNAL FOR THE SCIENTIFIC STUDY OF RELIGION, Issue 1 2002Maura Mitchell From 1964 to 1993, Dr. Hastings Kamuzu Banda ruled the nation of Malawi by a singular mixture of terror and ritualized paternalism, relying on religious institutions to bolster his own moral authority. In the changing global and regional political context of the early 1990s, however, it was the Roman Catholic bishops of Malawi who challenged the prevailing culture of silence. In the lenten pastoral letter entitled "Living Our Faith," the seven bishops reproached the Banda regime for its authoritarianism. Relying on New Testament images of Christians as inherently free, the bishops ultimately contributed to the development of representative democracy. Acting not as biased proponents of specific political groups but rather as the champions of government accountability and human dignity, Malawan Catholic clerics and the external rituals and symbols of their faith have attained (at least in the short term) a greater prestige and popular appeal in a religiously heterodox nation. [source] Identifying the core components of cultural competence: findings from a Delphi studyJOURNAL OF CLINICAL NURSING, Issue 18 2009Maria Jirwe Aim., To identify the core components of cultural competence from a Swedish perspective. Background., The cultural diversity of Swedish society raises challenges for nursing practice. Nurses need to be culturally competent, i.e. demonstrate the effective application of knowledge, skills and attitudes to practice safely and effectively in a multicultural society. Existing frameworks of cultural competence reflect the socio-cultural, historical and political context they were developed in. To date, there has been no research examining cultural competence within a Swedish context. Design., A Delphi survey. Methods., A purposeful sample of 24 experts (eight nurses, eight researchers and eight lecturers) knowledgeable in multicultural issues was recruited. Interviews were undertaken to identify the knowledge, skills and attitudes that formed the components of cultural competence. Content analysis yielded statements which were developed into a questionnaire. Respondents scored questionnaire items in terms of perceived importance. Statements which reached consensus were removed from questionnaires used in subsequent rounds. Three rounds of questionnaires were distributed during 2006. Results., A total of 118 out of 137 components reached a consensus level of 75%. The components were categorised into five areas, cultural sensitivity, cultural understanding, cultural encounters, understanding of health, ill-health and healthcare and social and cultural contexts with 17 associated subcategories. Conclusions., There are some similarities between the issues raised in the current study and existing frameworks of cultural competence from the USA and the UK. However, Swedish experts placed less emphasis on ethnohistory and on developing skills to challenge discrimination and racism. Relevance to clinical practice., This study identified the core components of cultural competence important to nurses practising within a multicultural society such as Sweden. Acquisition of the knowledge, skills and attitudes identified should enable nurses to meet the needs of patients from different cultural backgrounds. The components of cultural competence can form the basis of nursing curricula. [source] Community psychology, millennium volunteers and UK higher education: a disruptive triptych?,JOURNAL OF COMMUNITY & APPLIED SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY, Issue 2 2002Paul S. Duckett Abstract In this paper I critically explore the ideological underpinnings of pedagogical and political practices in UK Higher Education (HE). I first map out the political and pedagogical features of community psychology and then describe the Millennium Volunteers project at the University of Northumbria,a scheme that integrates voluntary placements into undergraduate degree programmes, reflecting on the political and pedagogical premises upon which it is based. I consider the political context and recent social policy trends in UK HE. Through exploring the ideological underbellies of community psychology and Millennium Volunteers I describe the tensions created once both are situated within a HE student's learning and a lecturer's teaching portfolio. I reflect on how each appears to share similar wish lists but conclude that a surface comparison of the pedagogical practices of each can leave unrecognized serious ideological, ethical and political differences that can cause disruption at the interfaces of staff, students and HE institutions. I recommend making the political and ideological assumptions behind pedagogical practices and education policy initiatives more transparent to both students and lecturers alike and outline the reasons for doing so. I conclude by reflecting on implications for the widening access agenda in the present political climate from the standpoint of a community psychologist. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Research, policy and practice: why developing countries are differentJOURNAL OF INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT, Issue 6 2005John Young Better utilization of research and evidence in development policy and practice can help save lives, reduce poverty and improve the quality of life. However, there is limited systematic understanding of the links between research and policy in international development. The paper reviews existing literature and proposes an analytical framework with four key arenas: external influences, political context, evidence and links. Based on the findings of stakeholder workshops in developing countries around the world, the paper identifies four key issues that characterize many developing countries. These are: (i) troubled political contexts; (ii) problems of research supply; (iii) external interference; and (iv) the emergence of civil society as a key player. Despite these challenges, two institutional models seem to be particularly effective: (i) think tanks and (ii) regional networks. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] (Re)constructing the Head Teacher: Legal Narratives and the Politics of School ExclusionsJOURNAL OF LAW AND SOCIETY, Issue 3 2005Daniel Monk School exclusions are a site of political and social contestation and in recent years statutory reforms and popular demands have focused on increasing the autonomy of head teachers. This article explores this trend and questions why, in a culture of human and children's rights, head teachers have such extensive powers within their schools and why law has, to a large extent, failed to provide a check on these powers. It does so not by doctrinal analysis of domestic and human rights law but, rather, by enquiring into how legal narratives construct the role of the head teacher and by locating the practice of exclusions within a broader social and political context. It suggests that demanding that the head teacher be unfettered in his or her decisions relating to exclusions ought not to be understood as a policy of ,non-intervention' or a return to a ,reassuring' past but, rather, as a contemporary policy that reinforces the construction of excluded pupils as marginalized non-citizens. [source] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||