Suchergebnisse

Over the course of the last decade, increasing political emphasis has been placed on the 'third role' of universities and universities of applied sciences in German higher education policy, i.e. to these institutions socio-economic contribution their regional environment. Against this background it is the first central aim of this study to take account of the existing regional activities of higher education institutions in Germany and to establish whether any effects of regional policymakers' and university management efforts to support such activities are already felt at the level of the individual researcher. Based on survey data, we find that a large array of decentralised projects is being performed by individual academics for multiple reasons, but also that evidence of effective centralised incentive-setting for such activities remains limited. Nonetheless, universities have undoubtedly become integrated into strategic considerations of regional co-operation to a stronger degree, as evidenced by a number of publicly supported programmes and the long time implicit 'third role' of universities of applied sciences. Consequently, the second main aim of the paper is to illustrate how such strategic approaches could be designed against the background of the concrete regional demand of the industrial sector in a case study region. With a view to the example of Upper Palatinate in Bavaria, our paper demonstrates how the formerly strict separation of missions and tasks between universities and universities of applied sciences has resulted in a certain structural fragmentation of competences that hinders the development of a substantial third role in the region. Additionally, it suggests some tentative approaches how this situation could be overcome by an increased co-operation between formerly quite separate institutions.

Over the course of the last decade, increasing political emphasis has been placed on the "third role" of universities and universities of applied sciences in German higher education policy, i.e. to these institutions socio-economic contribution their regional environment. Against this background it is the first central aim of this study to take account of the existing regional activities of higher education institutions in Germany and to establish whether any effects of regional policymakers' and university management efforts to support such activities are already felt at the level of the individual researcher. Based on survey data, we find that a large array of decentralised projects is being performed by individual academics for multiple reasons, but also that evidence of effective centralised incentive-setting for such activities remains limited. Nonetheless, universities have undoubtedly become integrated into strategic considerations of regional co-operation to a stronger degree, as evidenced by a number of publicly supported programmes and the long time implicit "third role" of universities of applied sciences. Consequently, the second main aim of the paper is to illustrate how such strategic approaches could be designed against the background of the concrete regional demand of the industrial sector in a case study region. With a view to the example of Upper Palatinate in Bavaria, our paper demonstrates how the formerly strict separation of missions and tasks between universities and universities of applied sciences has resulted in a certain structural fragmentation of competences that hinders the development of a substantial third role in the region. Additionally, it suggests some tentative approaches how this situation could be overcome by an increased co-operation between formerly quite separate institutions.

This paper uses a unique personnel data set and state administrative data to follow welfare and nonwelfare hires who separate from similar jobs with the same firm. Welfare hires are more likely to separate from their job and are more likely to be on welfare after separation compared with similarly low-skilled nonwelfare hires. Those not returning to welfare, however, are no more or less likely to have moved on to a lower- or higher-paying job than nonwelfare hires.

A cross sectional study was carried out from 1st June to 30th June, 2015, to assess the knowledge, attitude and practices related to the prevention and control of Ebola Virus Disease in Ogun State, Nigeria. A semi-structured questionnaire was used to gather data from 300 respondents selected by multistage sampling technique across four local governments in the state. The data collected included socio-demographics, awareness, knowledge, practices and misconceptions about EVD among the respondents. Knowledge of respondents about EVD was assessed on 20 items with a 3-points rating scale of good >14, fair 10-14 and poor <10. Of the 308 respondents that took part in the study, 111 (36%) were males and 127 (41.2%) rural dwellers and 43 (14%) of the respondents were between the ages of 9-18, 139 (45.1%) were between the ages of 19-25, 83 (26.9%) were between the ages of 26-35 and the remaining 43 (14%) were above 35 years of age. Five (1.6%) of the respondents had no formal education, 9 (2.9%) had primary education, 133 (43.2%) had secondary education and 161 (52.3%) had tertiary education. All the respondents (100%) have heard of Ebola. Only 2.6% had poor knowledge of Ebola with 12% being able to identify four misconceptions surrounding Ebola transmission and prevention. Respondents in the study reported various changes in practices such as avoidance of physical contact (33.4%), regular hand washing with soap and water (69.2%) and hand cleaning with other disinfectants (61.7%), nevertheless 73.1% of the respondents will not report infected member of the family. Television was the major source of receiving information with the internet being the trusted source of receiving information on Ebola by the respondents. In Ogun State, awareness and comprehensive knowledge on Ebola Virus Disease transmission is high with good knowledge on misconceptions. There is need to emphasize importance of reporting suspected case(s) to the hospital

Systems of private regulation based on certification have recently emerged to address environmental issues in the forest products industry and labor issues in the apparel industry. To explain why the same regulatory form has emerged across these fields, the author uses a historical and comparative case study approach, closely examining early moments and paying attention to "roads not taken." Two types of factors led to the initial emergence of private certification: (1) social movement campaigns targeting companies and (2) a neo-liberal institutional context. The analysis shows specific ways in which these factors led states, nongovernmental organizations, and companies to build or support certification associations.

In their article, "Political geographies of the object," Meehan, Shaw, and Marston (2013) introduce and explore some of the implications of object-oriented ontology (OOO) for political geography. Their analysis uses The Wire – a television drama about the legitimate and illegitimate forces affecting drug trade and policing in Baltimore – to consider how objects such as wiretaps, cameras and standardized tests affect power. Their theoretical aim is to move political geography beyond textual/discursive examinations of the state or those focusing on material/social relations. To do so, the authors appeal to OOO, which is gaining momentum in several fields beyond its originating home in continental philosophy. The implications of OOO are intriguing. So too are the problems. Particularly problematic, as this commentary identifies, is the question of what approaching the state as an object implies – a question left untouched in Meehan et al.'s provocative piece. I raise this problem because OOO requires approaching the state as a real object and this contrasts with political geographies that aim to avoid reifying the spatial extension of the state (i.e. territory) or its abstract relations. I begin with an overview of OOO that situates Meehan et al.'s arguments.