Suchergebnisse

Minority Rights, Jennifer Jackson Preece, Cambridge (UK) and
Malden MA: Polity Press, 2005, pp. ix, 213.This book is not, as its title might be thought to suggest, an
abstract conceptual analysis of a particular sub-set of rights. Although
it builds on, and acknowledges, the work of Kymlicka, Raz, Taylor and
Shklar (160), the narrative thread that gives it unity is historical. It
deepens our understanding of the nature of the discourse of minority
rights by contextualizing that discourse both temporally (through
historical examples) and spatially (through adroitly selected comparative
examples). With extraordinary succinctness and clarity the author guides
us through a succession of political epochs: the time of the Christian and
Islamic medieval universitae, the period of the dynastic re-organization
of Europe, the modern era of popular sovereignty with its attendant
notions of civic and ethnic nationalism, and especially the
contradiction-laden time of European imperialism and its post-imperial and
post-colonial reverberations. As this narrative unfolds we follow the
vicissitudes of religious, racial, linguistic and ethnic minorities and
observe the successive forms taken by the "problem of
minorities."

En este artículo se aborda la relación entre la segregación espacial y la migración por medio del análisis de las condiciones de habitabilidad de la población nicaragüense asentada en el Cantón Central de San José, Costa Rica.Con datos del Censo Nacional de Población del año 2000 se demuestra que existen fuertes diferencias entre las condiciones de habitabilidad de la población nacida en Nicaragua y las de quienes nacieron en Costa Rica y residen en el área de estudio, atendiendo particularmente a tres variables: el hacinamiento, el estado de la vivienda y el acceso a servicios básicos. AbstractThis article examines the link between spatial segregation and migration through the analysis of the living conditions of the Nicaraguan population residing in the Cantón Central of San José, Costa Rica.Using data from the 2000 National Population Census, the author shows that there are sharp differences between the living conditions of the population born in Nicaragua and those born in Costa Rica and living in the area of study, involving three main variables: overcrowding, the state of the dwelling and access to basic services.

ABSTRACTListening to children and young people is for social workers a legal requirement, it is also believed to lead to better outcomes and is increasingly promoted in policy. The practice of listening is, however, rarely straightforward, and this is particularly the case with socially excluded groups. As a result, the voices of the marginalized are less likely to be heard. In this paper the author draws on interview data from a research study into communication between social workers and looked‐after children for the light it sheds on why effective dialogue with disaffected young people can be hard to achieve. It is argued that much that appears unsuccessful in an interaction can be understood in terms of power plays, with young people resisting the adult's agenda and trying to impose their own. True listening to disaffected young people requires time, so that a trusting relationship can be developed. It also demands an acceptance that the adult agenda may be flawed and a willingness to consider alternative possibilities. This can challenge the preconceptions, not just of individual workers, but of agencies and of national policy‐makers.

PurposeThe paper seeks to identify the nature of the contribution that European works councils (EWCs) have made to six British workplaces and their employees.Design/methodology/approachA qualitative longitudinal study of the workplaces (2001‐2004) is discussed, which analyses the views of those senior managers and representatives directly involved together with those who have no immediate role but are intended to be beneficiaries of a council's activities: managers, representatives and employees.FindingsA range of factors are identified that, in most instances, frustrated the realisation of the intended objective of EWCs. Those findings contrasted with the initial optimism concerning EWCs created by the use of quantitative research methods. Whilst councils are diverse in character, a backdrop is provided to some of the challenging representational issues and it explores the scope for managerial manipulation and control, given the limitations of the legislation and the sometimes fragmented activities of representatives.Research limitations/implicationsHowever, it is acknowledged that in a limited number of instances EWCs have made a significant contribution.Originality/valueThe paper reflects the expertise of the author and will be of interest to those in the field.

In this article the author is going to answer the question, that intrigues many researchers of international relations and political science – is it possible to build a grand theory explaining actions and behaviours of political, and international, entities? International relations are distinguished from other disciplines of science by its special character: they are polyarchic, plural, complex and impulsive. Th€is is why we find here, exceptional in contrary to other, more mature disciplines, diversity of opinions and answers to the question – in what way international relations shall be build? Searching for the right answer the researchers of international relations have to cross borders of many disciplines, also using research methods of sociologists, historians, economists, lawyers, psychologists and anthropologists. €There is a similar problem with political science, as the political matter is widely interpreted and, depending on the researcher and the analysed political system, its scope is wide as when using so called largo sense in the totalitarian states, where even the choice of school for a child has a political character or as when using so called strict sense in the democratic systems.

The film Downfall, released in 2004 at the height of an unprecedented "Hitler wave," has to be seen in a long tradition of literary and cinematic attempts to deal with Germany's "unmasterable past." The filmmakers claimed that by focusing on Hitler's final days before the end of WWII they had discovered "new territory" and presented the "facts behind the guilt." This article points out, however, that the film is historiographically based on the account by Joachim Fest's book Downfall-in which the author, as in his earlier work, follows a methodological approach that personalizes history and focuses on Hitler as "singular personality," rejecting any systematic analysis of political and social context. The film goes even further in its unscrupulous blurring of fact and fiction and simplistically juxtaposes a very small group of perpetrators (basically Hitler and Goebbels) and the large group of victims, i.e., the general population that only wanted to survive. Such an attempt to focus on a tragically failing, isolates Hitler, who alone is to blame for nation's "Downfall" is hardly suitable to help Germans to step out of the shadow of their past.

This article analyses how participants in a not-for-profit service organization (the `Incubator') drew on understandings of 'ethics' in order to make sense of their individual and collective selves. Identities are theorized as being constituted within discursive regimes, and notions of ethics are conceived as discursive resources on which individuals and groups may draw in their attempts to author versions of their self and organizational narratives. We show how conceptions of ethics were a rich vein on which organizational members drew to elaborate narratives that legitimated particular modes of working and which cohered an otherwise quite disparate community of individuals. The research contribution of this article is twofold. First, we discuss how a discourse focused on ethics may be a strategic resource for identity work. Second, we analyse how talk and writing about issues of ethics are implicated in relations of power and ongoing struggles for control over organizations conceived as discursive spaces. In so doing, this article advances our understanding of ethics as discursively complex constructions, which require the micro-analysis of language practices in situated contexts for action.

During most of the nineteenth century, the economy of the British crown colony Ceylon depended almost exclusively on the export of plantation products. After modest beginnings in the 1820s and 1830s, coffee cultivation spread on the island in the 1840s. During the 1880s, the coffee plantations were superseded by plantations of a new crop—tea. Both cultivation systems were almost pure export monocultures, and both relied almost exclusively on imported wage labour from South India. Thus, it is surprising that labour immigration—a process vital to the efficient functioning of the plantation economy—received practically no government attention for the better part of the nineteenth century. Migration between South India and Ceylon was free of government control, support or regulation. Instead, certain functional equivalents—such as the kangany system—organised immigration and coordinated supply and demand. Only very late in the century, when the kangany system had revealed a number of dramatic organisational weaknesses, the Ceylon Government started to get directly involved in labour and immigration policy.The author can be contacted at roland.wenzlhuemer@staff.hu-berlin.de

This article studies the changes in labor relations and work that occurred at the end of the past and the beginning of the 21st centuries, in Colombian industry. In terms of theory, it draws on the analytical framework proposed by the M.I.T. team based on the 'strategic options of the actors;' methodologically, it approaches the topic through six case studies, using qualitative techniques such as non-participative observation, the semi-structured interview of business actors (directors, workers and labor union representatives) and documentary analysis. On one hand, conclusions validate the pertinence of the analytic framework proposed by M.I.T. in the study of labor relations, in the sense of giving a central role to the company as a unit for analysis and to the strategies of the business actors. Nevertheless, the author calls attention to the need for incorporating the political sphere in this framework, in order to obtain an adequate interpretation of the construction of business mentalities. On the other hand, it verifies the role that total quality strategy has played in transforming labor relations and work in the case studies analyzed.

With the entry of Lithuania into the European Union, proper conditions for both Lithuanian and the EU inhabitants to comfortably travel by trains should be created. Lithuania should resume the direct communication by railroads with Poland. For that the passenger train route "Vilnius‐Warsaw" should be opened; it would enable the national inhabitants to reach European countries by train and also the inhabitants of those countries to come by train to Lithuania.The article gives an analysis of perspective passenger flows on the route "Vilnius‐Warsaw", presents results of the study on passenger transportation of competitive sphere on this route, investigates technical‐economical aspects of the train's launch, analyses the marketing strategy, gives a survey of links of this train's launch with the "Rail Baltica" project, provides with a presentation of the SWOT analysis. The author proposes to include St. Petersburg into the "Rail Baltica" route ‐ this would increase flows of both – passengers and cargoes. The article covers redistribution of the international passenger transportation market among different types of transport following the introduction of the "Rail Baltica" route. First Published Online: 27 Oct 2010

On 17 September 2007, the Agency, together with the Portuguese Ministry of Education, held a European Hearing entitled 'Young Voices: Meeting Diversity in Education'. The event took place within the framework of the Portuguese Presidency of the Council of the European Union. Young people with special educational needs from 29 countries, attending secondary, vocational and higher education, participated in the Hearing. Their proposals resulted in the Lisbon Declaration – Young People's Views on Inclusive Education. This Declaration covers what the young people presented in the plenary session at the Assembleia da República in Lisbon concerning their rights, needs, challenges and recommendations to achieve successful inclusive education. Download the young people's declaration in PDF format below. In addition to 21 official Agency languages – Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, Estonian, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Hungarian, Icelandic, Italian, Latvian, Lithuanian, Maltese, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Slovenian, Spanish and Swedish – the publication is also available in Romanian. ; This publication has been funded with support from the European Commission. This publication reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.

Young Voices: Meeting Diversity in Education presents the results of the European Hearing of young people with special educational needs that the Agency and the Portuguese Ministry of Education organised in 2007. The event took place in Lisbon on 17 September 2007 within the framework of the Portuguese Presidency of the Council of the European Union. Young people with special educational needs from 29 countries, attending secondary, vocational and higher education, participated in the Hearing. The Agency prepared this report based on their contributions. The Lisbon Declaration – Young People's Views on Inclusive Education is the main result of this event. This report presents the full text of the Declaration. Download the report below as a PDF in 21 of the Agency's official languages: Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, Estonian, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Hungarian, Icelandic, Italian, Latvian, Lithuanian, Maltese, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Slovenian, Spanish and Swedish. ; This publication has been funded with support from the European Commission. This publication reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.

President Sapirmurat Niyazov, the all-powerful leader of Turkmenistan, suddenly died on December 21, 2006. Because Central Asia is a cockpit of great power rivalry and a potential theater in the Global War on Terrorism, no sooner had Niyazov died than the great powers were all in Turkmenistan seeking to influence its future policies away from the neutrality that had been Niyazov's policy. Turkmenistan's importance lies almost exclusively in its large natural gas holdings and proximity to the Caspian Sea and Iran. Because energy is regarded as a strategic asset as much if not more than as a mere lubricant or commodity, Russia, Iran, China, and the United States have all been visibly engaged in competition for influence there. The outcome of this competition and of the domestic struggle for power will have repercussions throughout Central Asia, if not beyond. The author shows the linkage between energy and security policies in Central Asia and in the policies of the major powers towards Central Asia. Beyond this analysis, he provides recommendations for U.S. policymakers as to how they should conduct themselves in this complex situation. ; https://press.armywarcollege.edu/monographs/1669/thumbnail.jpg

With the entry of Lithuania into the European Union, proper conditions for both Lithuanian and the EU inhabitants to comfortably travel by trains should be created. Lithuania should resume the direct communication by railroads with Poland. For that the passenger train route "Vilnius‐Warsaw" should be opened; it would enable the national inhabitants to reach European countries by train and also the inhabitants of those countries to come by train to Lithuania. The article gives an analysis of perspective passenger flows on the route "Vilnius‐Warsaw", presents results of the study on passenger transportation of competitive sphere on this route, investigates technical‐economical aspects of the train's launch, analyses the marketing strategy, gives a survey of links of this train's launch with the "Rail Baltica" project, provides with a presentation of the SWOT analysis. The author proposes to include St. Petersburg into the "Rail Baltica" route ‐ this would increase flows of both ‐ passengers and cargoes. The article covers redistribution of the international passenger transportation market among different types of transport following the introduction of the "Rail Baltica" route. First Published Online: 27 Oct 2010

The question of the so-called democracy deficit in the European Union is one of the most interesting and complex problems and, at the same time, one of the most important challenges the European Union faces at the begining of the 21st century. As emphasised by many scientists and politicians, the process of European integration requires planting, among the citizens of Member States, of firm belief that theirs is a true influence upon the process. In other words, better legitimization of the European Union activities is needed. The article deals with certain aspects of the European Union's institutional system operation in which democracy deficit reveals. Then, the Author analyzes such problems as competences, positions and interdependencies among the Council of the European Union, the European Commission, the European Parliament and the European Central Bank. Other problems addressed include qualified majority voting in the EU Council and the number of the European Parliament's members compared to the number of citizens in Member States, as well as passing of financial perspectives specifying the European Union's expenditures for several years to come.