In the article, on the basis of scientific literature analysis the peculiarities of the provision of social services by governmental and non-governmental organizations are investigated, as well as positive and negative features of approaches to the provision of social services by each type of organizations are highlighted. The possible ways on how to reform the social services system by strengthening the role of local communities and introducing the mechanisms for social partnership between public authorities and nongovernmental organizations are defined. ; На основі аналізу наукових джерел досліджено особливості надання соціальних послуг державними та недержавними суб'єктами, окреслено позитивні та негативні риси у підходах до надання соціальних послуг кожного з типів організацій. Визначено можливі шляхи реформування системи соціальних послуг шляхом збільшення акцентів на місцеву громаду та впровадження механізмів соціального партнерства між органами державної влади та неурядовими організаціями.
In the article, on the basis of scientific literature analysis the peculiarities of the provision of social services by governmental and non-governmental organizations are investigated, as well as positive and negative features of approaches to the provision of social services by each type of organizations are highlighted. The possible ways on how to reform the social services system by strengthening the role of local communities and introducing the mechanisms for social partnership between public authorities and nongovernmental organizations are defined. ; На основі аналізу наукових джерел досліджено особливості надання соціальних послуг державними та недержавними суб'єктами, окреслено позитивні та негативні риси у підходах до надання соціальних послуг кожного з типів організацій. Визначено можливі шляхи реформування системи соціальних послуг шляхом збільшення акцентів на місцеву громаду та впровадження механізмів соціального партнерства між органами державної влади та неурядовими організаціями.
Policies that admit immigrants based on their education have dramatically reshaped the demographics of the United States and Canada. In the mid-1960s, facing pressures to open their borders to non-Europeans, both countries replaced previous policies of racial and nationality discrimination with new systems of socioeconomic discrimination. These policies explain the growth of Asian immigration from the 1970s onward, as well as the high levels of education among Asian immigrants and their descendants. Refugees and family migrants, however, added socioeconomic diversity. Recent developments in skilled immigrant selection programs will continue to shape Asian American and Asian Canadian demographics in the future.
BACKGROUND: Diabetes is highly prevalent in the Caribbean, associated with a high morbidity and mortality and is a recognised threat to economic and social development. Heads of Government in the Caribbean Community came together in 2007 and declared their commitment to reducing the burden of non-communicable diseases (NCDs), including diabetes, by calling for a multi-sectoral, systemic response. To facilitate the development of effective policies, policymakers are being engaged in the development and use of a system dynamics (SD) model of diabetes for Caribbean countries. METHODS: Previous work on a diabetes SD model from the United States of America (USA) is being adapted to a local context for three countries in the region using input from stakeholders, a review of existing qualitative and quantitative data, and collection of new qualitative data. Three country models will be developed using one-on-one stakeholder engagement and iterative revision. An inter-country model will also be developed following a model-building workshop. Models will be compared to each other and to the USA model. The inter-country model will be used to simulate policies identified as priorities by stakeholders and to develop targets for prevention and control. The model and model-building process will be evaluated by stakeholders and a manual developed for use in other high-burden developing regions. DISCUSSION: SD has been applied with success for health policy development in high-income country settings. The utility of SD in developing countries as an aid to policy decision-making related to NCDs has not been tested. This study represents the first of its kind. ; The project is funded by a health initiatives development grant sponsored by the DFID/MRC/Wellcome Trust/ESRC. Reference: MR/N005384/1.
The purposes of this mixed methods research were to investigate the factors and to examine the goodness of fit model to the empirical data. Data were collected using two procedures. Firstly data were collected through in-depth interviews with 75 flood victims, and focus groups with 50 informants consisting of administrators, council members and government officials of Local Administrative Organizations. The sample groups were selected through purposive sampling from the flood beds in Pak Phanang, Nakhon Si Thammarat Province. The data were analyzed using content analysis. Secondly, the data were collected using a questionnaire asking 400 respondents selected using stratified random sampling from flood victims, administrators, council members and government officials of Local Administrative Organizations in seven provinces with flood beds in the Southern part of Thailand. The data were analyzed using exploratory factor analysis and path analysis. The study found the following. 1. There were six factors relating to collaboration for flood management between Local Administrative Organizations and the community: 1) a flood management process, 2) leadership of local politicians, 3) social relationships, 4) a learning process, 5) communication, and 6) collaboration for flood management. 2. The development of relationship causal model was consistent with the empirical data. Goodness of fit measures were found to be: c2 =8.62 (df = 4, p = 0.071), CFI = 1.00, RMSEA = 0.054, GFI = 0.99, AGFI = 0.96 and SRMR = 0.022 3. The flood management process and the learning process had direct positive influence on the collaboration for flood management with the effect sizes of 0.42 and 0.31, respectively. ; การวิจัยนี้ใช้ระเบียบวิธีวิจัยทั้งเชิงคุณภาพและวิจัยเชิงปริมาณ โดยมีวัตถุประสงค์ของการวิจัยเพื่อศึกษาองค์ประกอบและตรวจสอบความสอดคล้องของโมเดลกับข้อมูลเชิงประจักษ์ ขั้นตอนการดำเนินการวิจัยมี 2 ขั้นตอน คือ 1) การสัมภาษณ์เจาะลึกผู้ประสบภัยน้ำท่วม รวม 75 คน และการสนทนากลุ่ม กับคณะผู้บริหาร สมาชิกสภาและข้าราชการองค์กรปกครองส่วนท้องถิ่น รวม 50 คน โดยกลุ่มตัวอย่างมาจากการสุ่มแบบเฉพาะเจาะจง จากพื้นที่น้ำท่วมซ้ำซากลุ่มน้ำปากพนัง จังหวัดนครศรีธรรมราช และวิเคราะห์ข้อมูลโดยวิธีการวิเคราะห์เนื้อหา 2) ดำเนินการใช้แบบสอบถามกับกลุ่มตัวอย่างที่มาจากการสุ่มแบบแบ่งชั้นภูมิ กับผู้ประสบภัยน้ำท่วม ผู้บริหาร สมาชิกสภาและข้าราชการองค์กรปกครองส่วนท้องถิ่น รวม 400 คน จาก 7 จังหวัดในพื้นที่น้ำท่วมซ้ำซากในภาคใต้ วิเคราะห์ข้อมูลโดยการวิเคราะห์องค์ประกอบเชิงสำรวจ และการวิเคราะห์ความสัมพันธ์เชิงสาเหตุ ผลการศึกษา พบว่า 1. องค์ประกอบที่สัมพันธ์กับความร่วมมือในการจัดการน้ำท่วมระหว่างองค์กรปกครองส่วนท้องถิ่นและชุมชน ประกอบด้วย 6 องค์ประกอบ คือ 1) กระบวนการจัดการน้ำท่วม 2) ภาวะผู้นำของนักการเมืองท้องถิ่น 3) ความสัมพันธ์ทางสังคม 4) กระบวนการเรียนรู้ 5) การติดต่อสื่อสาร และ 6) ความร่วมมือในการจัดการน้ำท่วม 2. โมเดลที่พัฒนาขึ้นมีความกลมกลืนกับข้อมูลเชิงประจักษ์ในเกณฑ์ที่ดี โดยได้ค่า c2 = 8.62 (df = 4, p = .071) CFI = 1.00, RMSEA = 0.054, GFI = 0.99, AGFI = 0.96, และ SRMR = 0.022 3. กระบวนการจัดการน้ำท่วม และกระบวนการเรียนรู้ มีอิทธิพลทางตรงเชิงบวกต่อความร่วมมือในการจัดการน้ำท่วม ด้วยขนาดอิทธิพลเท่ากับ 0.42 และ 0.31 ตามลำดับ
Der vorliegende Beitrag befasst sich mit dem EU-USA-Gipfel vom 30. April 2007, der sich oberflächlich betrachtet in seiner Symbolik und in seinem Ergebnis nahtlos in die Abfolge der transatlantischen Gipfeltreffen der letzten Jahre eingefügt hat. Auch unter dem deutschen EU-Ratsvorsitz wurde das Hauptaugenmerk auf den Ausbau der wirtschaftlichen Beziehungen gerichtet. Im Zentrum stehen dabei immer wieder neue Initiativen, Aktionsprogramme und die Einrichtung von Expertengruppen, die auf Arbeitsebene den Wirtschaftsdialog weiter voranbringen sollen. Doch letzten Endes überdeckt die tragende Symbolik - beispielsweise die Unterzeichnung des neuen transatlantischen Luftfahrtabkommens - das Fehlen verbindlicher Zusagen in globalen Themen wie etwa der Klimapolitik. Der Autor kommt zu dem Schluss, dass ein transatlantisches Reformprogramm geschaffen werden könnte, welches sich als gestalterische Kraft im Verhältnis zwischen den USA und Europa, aber auch für die internationalen Beziehungen etablieren könnte - eine transatlantische Globalisierungsstrategie. (ICD2)
Published in: Society and Space in Contemporary Poland in Łódź University Geographical Research, edited by T.Marszał ; The formation of social geography in Poland should be considered with reference to internal and external determinants of its development. Contemporary research problems, the treatment of research methodologies and theoretical concepts are undoubtedly closely related to the models stemming from the Anglo-Saxon geography. However, it is worth noting that while social geography abroad is part of extensive ideological and evaluative discussions, Polish social geography represents the behavioural trend under string influence of neo-scientistic methodology, which is caused by both the cognitive conservatism of the researchers and the prevailing social structure of Polish scientific community. The existing consensus based on models accepted in early 1980s and motivated by concession (selective) access to information is still hard to overcome. The dominance of quantitative methods and the lack of a broader theoretical (philosophical) reflection maintain mental clichés cause the research problems of social geography, both in theoretical sense and in the number of active researchers, to be taken over by other branches of science that are stronger in terms of theory, such as sociology, social anthropology or economics. The current reorientation of socio-economic geography towards spatial economy and management is, in our opinion, a kind of return to the known cognitive and methodological contents characteristic to the old economic geography in a new packaging and using modern research technologies (computers). The simultaneous lack of willingness to perform in-depth theoretical reflections (also characteristic of the entire Polish socio-economic geography) and the failure of social geographers to undertake major research challenges could lead to a crisis of this discipline in the institutional structure, followed by the regression in research, both in Poland and Łódź. We should hope that over the years, when the political, social and economic transformation is at last completed in Poland, full openness to ideas and free exchange of thoughts between geographers with various views will finally emerge. It seems that it could become an impulse to undertake new theoretical and methodological challenges and to solve the growing socio-spatial problems in the country.
The Winter Online Lecture Series on Europe will take place in December 2021 in connection with the courses "History of European integration (1919-1993)" (MAHEC-S1-M6i) and "Economic and social history of Europe after 1945" (MAHEC-S3-M5iii) from the Master in European Contemporary History, and the course "Democratic transitions in Central and Eastern Europe" (BCE-EU-301-04) from the Bachelor in European Cultures, with the aim of giving students on these programmes, as well as the wider academic community at the University of Luxembourg, the opportunity to find out about the history and workings of the European institutions in Luxembourg from new and unconventional angles and to discuss some of the milestones in contemporary European history with people who were involved in or witnessed these events. Each session (in French, with Q&A session in French and English) will be streamed via Webex and will include a presentation by a speaker, followed by a discussion with the audience and the opportunity to ask questions.
Abstract: The Development of Waqf Management Throught Waqf Act in Indonesia (Note on Republic of Indonesia Act Number 41 of 2004 regarding Waqf). Waqf is an Islamic endowment of property to be held in trust and used for a charitable or religious purpose. The development of waqf law in Indonesia, as one of religious institutions, is the realization of Muslim community needs to fulfill their religious life. The object of waqf that formerly was focused on immovable objects, with the presence of the Act has been broader to movable property, especially money waqf. This paper describes the urgency of civilization and the dynamics of waqf both from the side of law and its management in the context of people prosperity. By using library research that use qualitative data, this paper found the existence of waqf, normatively lies not only in the individual obligations, but also in social meaning in the context of collective obligations involving mawqûf bih (the property), wâqif (the person creating a waqf), nazir (the supervisor/manager of waqf), mauqûf 'alayh (waqf users), and the government through legislation. Basically, the Republic of Indonesia Act Number 41 of 2004 regarding Waqf is based on the philosophical, sociohistorical, and juridical foundation.
Interest in the role that parenting assumes in child obesity has increased the need for valid and reliable screening tools that are specific for populations targeted by programming efforts. While low-income families comprise a large audience for Cooperative Extension obesity prevention programs, valid and reliable selfadministered parenting assessments for this population are lacking. Development of such tools requires understanding low-income parents' interpretations of questions related to their parenting. The current paper reports on interviews conducted with low-income parents (N = 44) of 3- to 5-year-old children during the development of a tool to assess parenting in the context of feeding. Interviews revealed areas of potential discrepancy between parents' and researchers' interpretations of items that may affect parents' responses and subsequent measurement validity when used in Cooperative Extension community intervention setting. Three themes emerged that may interfere with valid and reliable assessments of constructs: fear of being labeled a "harsh parent," response bias due to previous knowledge, and discrepancy in interpretation of the intended construct. Results highlight complexities of constructing parent-report assessments of parenting for low-income audiences, and potential hazards of using research-focused tools with high respondent burden. Guidelines for educators assessing parents' feeding behaviors are presented.
Horizon Environmental Services, Inc. (Horizon) was selected by Schrickel, Rollins and Associates, Inc. (SRA) on behalf of the City of Pflugerville to conduct an intensive cultural resources inventory and assessment of an approximately 130.7-hectare (323.0-acre) tract in Pflugerville, Travis County, Texas. This tract represents the proposed location of the City of Pflugerville Community Park and Athletic Complex, and it is located off the northeast side of Cameron Road approximately 1.9 miles (3.1 kilometers) southeast of its intersection with State Highway (SH) 130. For purposes of the cultural resources investigations, the project area was considered to consist of the entire 130.7-hectare (323.0-acre) tract. The proposed undertaking is being sponsored by the City of Pflugerville, which represents a political subdivision of the state of Texas, on land owned by the City of Pflugerville; as such, the project falls under the jurisdiction of the Antiquities Code of Texas (Texas Natural Resources Code of 1977, Title 9, Chapter 191). No federal jurisdiction has been identified for the project at this time; however, the cultural resources investigations conducted within the project area would be suitable for review under Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) of 1966 in the event that any federal jurisdiction is identified in the future. As the project represents a publicly sponsored undertaking with the potential to impact significant cultural resources, the City of Pflugerville was required to provide for a cultural resources inventory of the project area. From April 5 to 6, 2016, Horizon archeologists Russell K. Brownlow, Jeffrey D. Owens, and Briana N. Smith, under the overall direction of Jeffrey D. Owens, Principal Investigator, performed an intensive cultural resources survey of the southern 98.3 hectares (243.0 acres) of the project area, which represented the portion of the larger project area to which the City of Pflugerville was able to provide access at that time. From July 20 to 22, Horizon archeologists Briana N. Smith and Jared Wiersema conducted an intensive cultural resources survey of the northern 32.4 hectares (80.0 acres) of the project area, which became accessible subsequent to completion of the initial fieldwork in April 2016. Horizon's archeologists traversed the project area in parallel, linear transects spaced no more than 30.5 meters (100.0 feet) apart and thoroughly inspected the modern ground surface for aboriginal and historic-age cultural resources. The majority of the project area consists of a mix of cattle pastures and active agricultural fields that had been plowed but not yet planted for the season. Moderately densely wooded areas are present along the banks and terraces of Wilbarger Creek and one of its tributaries, which meander through the northern portion of the project area. Visibility of the modern ground surface was excellent in the agricultural fields (100%), though ground surface visibility in pastures and forested areas was obscured by vegetation (<30%). In addition to pedestrian walkover, the Texas State Minimum Archeological Survey Standards (TSMASS) require the excavation of one shovel test per three acres for project areas measuring more than 80.9 hectares (200.0 acres) in size; thus, a minimum of 108 shovel tests were required within the 130.7-hectare (323.0-acre) project area to meet the TSMASS. Horizon excavated a total of 202 shovel tests during the survey, thereby exceeding the TSMASS for a project area of this size. The cultural resources survey was conducted under Texas Antiquities Permit No. 7608. Five newly recorded archeological sites—41TV2518, 41TV2519, 41TV2520, 41TV2521, and 41TV2522—were documented within the project area during the survey, and one previously recorded archeological site—41TV2453—was reinvestigated and its boundaries were expanded. In addition, one cemetery—the Pfluger Cemetery (TV-C077)—was investigated during the survey. While prehistoric cultural components are present on two of the sites (41TV2453 and 41TV2520), the majority of the cultural resources documented during the survey are associated with mid-19th- to mid-20th-century farmsteads related to two of the founding German immigrant families of the area—the Pflugers and the Bohls. The City of Pflugerville intends not to disturb the Pfluger Cemetery during the proposed development and use of the property and to maintain a surrounding construction buffer of at least 7.6 meters (25.0 feet). Based on the results of the survey-level investigations documented in this report, no potentially significant cultural resources would be affected by the proposed undertaking. In accordance with 36 CFR 800.4, Horizon has made a reasonable and good-faith effort to identify historic properties within the project area. No cultural resources were identified within the project area that meet the criteria for designation as State Antiquities Landmarks (SAL) according to 13 TAC 26, and no further archeological work is recommended in connection with the proposed undertaking. However, human burials, both prehistoric and historic, are protected under the Texas Health and Safety Code. In the event that any human remains or burial objects are inadvertently discovered at any point during construction, use, or ongoing maintenance in the project area, even in previously surveyed areas, all work should cease immediately in the vicinity of the inadvertent discovery, and the Texas Historical Commission (THC) should be notified immediately. With further research to determine the integrity, the project area potentially could be considered part of a rural historic landscape. A rural historic landscape is defined by the National Park Service (NPS) as a geographical area that has historically been shaped or modified by human activity, occupancy, or intervention, and that possesses a significant concentration, linkage, or continuity of areas of land use, vegetation, buildings and structures, roads, waterways, and natural features. This level of evaluation would require a survey extending far beyond the physical boundaries of the current project area (and also including the project area), including intensive archival research to document the integrity of the landscape, historic and current land uses, topography, circulation patterns, vegetation, and archeology. The project area has historically functioned and currently functions as an agricultural property (though the dwellings on the property have been abandoned for decades), a gravel driveway and farm roads connect some of the recorded historic-age resources, the cemetery associated with the early settlers of the property is located within the project area, and neighboring parcels may have been part of the Pfluger family's holdings at one time. For example, the farm complex located across Cameron Road from the project area was determined to be eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) based on a historical resources survey of northeastern Travis County prepared by Hicks & Company for the Travis County Historical Commission in 2010 entitled Historic Resource Survey of Northeast Travis County, Texas (Bound by SH 130, US 290 North, and East County Lines). The Hicks & Company report identified the Pfluger family farm within the current project area as a possible contributing element of a rural historic landscape requiring further research to document and assess its level of integrity. The project area therefore potentially could be considered part of a larger landscape that possesses historical significance. The Agricultural Theme Study for Central Texas, prepared by the Texas Department of Transportation's (TxDOT) Historical Studies Branch of the Environmental Affairs Division, along with the National Park Service's Guidelines for Evaluating and Documenting Rural Historic Landscapes, Bulletin No. 30, would provide useful guidance on evaluating the property and surrounding parcels as a historic landscape. However, evaluating the eligibility of the project area as a component of a potential rural historic landscape is outside the scope of the current project, and this level of evaluation does not fall within the jurisdiction of the Antiquities Code of Texas. It should be noted that, while the standing National Folk house on site 41TV2453, designated as Resource 2, is herein recommended as ineligible for designation as an SAL and for inclusion in the NRHP, the City of Pflugerville has elected to proactively pursue a limited mitigative strategy regarding this structure. At the City of Pflugerville's request, Horizon conducted a detailed documentation effort for this house. This process included collecting detailed measurements of the exterior and interior of the house that were used to produce measured drawings of exterior elevations and floor plans; taking numerous photographs of the building and keying the photographs to the measured drawings; and producing a detailed report noting the construction materials, architectural features, building description, and historical context. The architectural renderings and building documentation can be submitted to the THC as a courtesy under separate cover when the final draft of this report is submitted.
Diverse perspectives on the idea of "Indo-Pacific" are resulting in a lack of clarity on this concept. As a framework, the Indo-Pacific seeks to create a connected multipolar Asia that must be governed by commonly agreed international norms, rules and practices. But what is the Indo-Pacific?
Over the last few years, both economic and historical ties between Sri Lanka and China have grown with China becoming a significant economic partner of Sri Lanka. The Belt and Road initiative (BRI) is at the centre of this. The Chinese government has invested large sums to develop infrastructure and trade routes for what it believes is a mutually beneficial programme.
Asia faces many non-traditional security challenges at the subnational level that are closely linked to domestic, economic, political, and social issues within different countries. These challenges have important ramifications beyond national borders: from environmental degradation, natural disasters, and trafficking-in-persons to maritime security, ethnic and religious conflict, and failed systems of governance. The Asia Foundation's International Relations and Regional Cooperation Programs work to strengthen relations between the United States and Asia, and among Asian nations to foster peace, stability, and prosperity.
