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In this chapter we examine the notion of linguistic and other types of societal diversity that have become an important factor in evaluating economic, political and societal progress. While most of the existing research on the measurement of diversity has been focused either on the number and size of different groups, this approach fails to take into account the degree of their distinctiveness. Thus, it is important to incorporate the notion of distances or dissimilarity between groups which should help resolving the difficult group identification problem. We discuss various ways of measuring similarity between groups, the wide range of fractionalization and polarization indices and their impact (positive or negative) on various economic and political outcomes. To mitigate the negative impact of linguistic fractionalization, societies has often chosen to standardize by reducing the number of official languages. The numerous examples of such standardization policies (in the Russian Empire, India, Sri Lanka, among many others, including the European Union) lead to the feeling of disenfranchisement experienced by some population groups, and often end up failing. The search for a compromise between efficiency and the sentiment of being disenfranchised represents a serious challenge for any multi-lingual country or union; we examine this problem in the context of the European Union for which good data are available. ; info:eu-repo/semantics/published

The aim of the paper is to gather some insight into issues of the application of business excellence in Australian local government and to see if its unique characteristics matter all that much. The research strategy is to look at some local governments which have been advanced in quality, use the ABEX framework and have won recognition for this. Whilst the sample is selective, it has the advantage of providing insights into practices and experiences of recognised leaders in the sector. Interviews with CEOs and/or quality specialists in 7 local government organisations were arranged. Results confirm that the use of business excellence in local government organisations in Australia has largely been internally driven by CEOs rather than any external forces (i.e. not governance, legislation, etc.). In most cases it has been due to a drive for a strategic approach in managing and running the business, and the framework is seen by most if not all CEOs as an integrated way of running a business. Since it is just a framework, it is not prescriptive and therefore allows each organisation to have its own identity, processes and systems. The evidence suggests that excellence frameworks have applications in local government even though there are unique characteristics in this sector. The excellence models provide a generic business framework.

Arun Property Development (Pty) Ltd wished to subdivide portions of the farm Langeberg 311, Durbanville. The 1988 structure plan for the area had indicated that certain roads would traverse the property. These and other roads all formed part of a new subdivision known as Sonstraal Heights. As is customary, the ownership of the roads in the subdivision vested in the municipality in terms of section 28 of the Land Use Planning Ordinance 15 of 1985 (C) (LUPO) on the date of approval of the subdivision. Central to this provision is that no compensation is payable to the developer if the provision of the public roads is based on the normal need therefor arising from the subdivision. Since the developer was of the opinion that the roads it had provided exceeded the normal need, the issue that had to be resolved was whether compensation must be paid for roads beyond what would normally be required for a subdivision. The main issue that the courts, from the Western Cape High Court to the Constitutional Court in Arun Property Development (Pty) Ltd v City of Cape Town 2015 2 SA 584 (CC), had to deal with was whether the vesting of roads beyond the normal need therefor arising from the subdivision amounted to an expropriation of land for which compensation is payable in terms of section 25(2) of the Constitution. This case note looks at the different stages of the case, and in the process highlights the historical and legislative background and the subdivision process. It shows that the vesting of the ownership of roads in the municipality is similar to the payment of a development contribution, both of which can be categorised as deprivations of property in terms of the constitutional property clause. On 1 July 2015 LUPO was effectively superseded by the new Spatial Planning and Land Use Management Act 16 of 2013 (SPLUMA) and the Western Cape Land Use Planning Act 3 of 2014 (LUPA). Since SPLUMA does not and LUPA does contain a reference to the "normal needs" provision, the implications of Arun for the new legislative dispensation are addressed.

Arun Property Development (Pty) Ltd wished to subdivide portions of the farm Langeberg 311, Durbanville. The 1988 structure plan for the area had indicated that certain roads would traverse the property. These and other roads all formed part of a new subdivision known as Sonstraal Heights. As is customary, the ownership of the roads in the subdivision vested in the municipality in terms of section 28 of the Land Use Planning Ordinance 15 of 1985 (C) (LUPO) on the date of approval of the subdivision. Central to this provision is that no compensation is payable to the developer if the provision of the public roads is based on the normal need therefor arising from the subdivision. Since the developer was of the opinion that the roads it had provided exceeded the normal need, the issue that had to be resolved was whether compensation must be paid for roads beyond what would normally be required for a subdivision. The main issue that the courts, from the Western Cape High Court to the Constitutional Court in Arun Property Development (Pty) Ltd v City of Cape Town 2015 2 SA 584 (CC), had to deal with was whether the vesting of roads beyond the normal need therefor arising from the subdivision amounted to an expropriation of land for which compensation is payable in terms of section 25(2) of the Constitution. This case note looks at the different stages of the case, and in the process highlights the historical and legislative background and the subdivision process. It shows that the vesting of the ownership of roads in the municipality is similar to the payment of a development contribution, both of which can be categorised as deprivations of property in terms of the constitutional property clause. On 1 July 2015 LUPO was effectively superseded by the new Spatial Planning and Land Use Management Act 16 of 2013 (SPLUMA) and the Western Cape Land Use Planning Act 3 of 2014 (LUPA). Since SPLUMA does not and LUPA does contain a reference to the "normal needs" provision, the implications of Arun for the new legislative dispensation are addressed.

The recent war in Bosnia and Herzegovina has caused probably the greatest wave of migration of the Bosnian population into other countries, which also influenced traditional customs, including those relating to death rituals. When it comes to death, migration into other countries opens many questions, including those related to the decisions about the place of burial. Thus, for example, migrants chose to be buried either in their home or adopted countries. Also, there is a question related to the decisions about death announcements. In adopted countries, death is often announced through the existing webs of communication inside migrant communities, while in home countries death is announced through the media, especially through newspaper obituaries, which is specific to larger urban areas. This paper addresses the phenomenon of newspaper obituaries as a possible window into the way that Bosnian migrants elsewhere deal with the question of burial and death rituals. In addition to newspaper obituaries, this paper relies on ethnographic material that includes a number of informant interviews. The analysis demonstrated that such death obituaries could be observed as a form of transnational practice that includes the maintenance of relationships and communication of Bosnian immigrants with their home country.

In this article, the author looks at two very different techniques for the control of the terms on which contracts are made. The first technique consists of the insertion of contract terms into the contract directly by law or by standard conditions set by public authorities or, less directly, as a result of a regulatory regime set up for the conduct of the business in the course of which the contracts are made. The second technique ? familiar to all European lawyers from Article 7 of the EC Directive on unfair terms in consumer contracts ? consists of the policing of unfair terms by public or private bodies taking preventative measures, whether judicial or extra-judicial. The author then looks at the interaction between these two types of control in the exclusion from judicial review by Article 1(2) of the Directive of contract terms ?which reflect mandatory statutory or regulatory provisions?. These issues are discussed from the point of view of English and of French law, examining their different choices in implementing the EC Directive, and contrasting the different mixtures of public and private law ways of thinking which are revealed.

Hostage-takings in North and West Africa are nothing new. What is new is the assigning of blame to al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) and the level of resources Western powers commit to fighting AQIM and other extremists in the region. History shows that the simplified ill-defined fear of a united Islamic front against the West was unfounded. Today, however, Westerners continue to view the motivations behind such actions without considering three fundamental issues. First, who should, or can, effectively "govern" the Sahara and its fringes. Second, by defining the problems as a rising pan-Islamic front, the implementation of hard-power tactics is not questioned. Finally, any consideration of the long-term disparities in the region is postponed in lieu of dealing with hostage-takings or attacks on Western targets. In reality the Sahara and Sahel are contested territories. Ideological and personal divisions are numerous. AQIM and other Jihadi Salafist movements are not popular with the regions' inhabitants. Most practice Sufi forms of Islam which are distant from such extremism. There is little attention to identifying the problems of poverty, creating state integration, and solving the problems that arise from foreign intervention. With the agenda of national leaders and/or international actors focusing on fighting terrorism or mineral resource extraction, a few inhabitants in the region kidnap foreign nationals for ideological reasons, quick money or both. The potential for hostage-taking for money is, at best, a tenuous strategy for the few. Adapted from the source document.

Master's thesis in Business Innovation ; The aim of the study is to logically respond to the ongoing dilemma on Lofoten that whether Lofoten should be open for oil and gas extraction based on cost-benefit analysis. So far, our knowledge is concerning a little attempt that has been made to evaluate the Lofoten area by considering all possible costs and benefits by conducting an optimal cost benefit analysis. Net Present Value (NPV) method is used to analyse the net effects after collecting and processing the secondary data. It is a 50 years projection from 2020 to 2070 and therefore previous data are extensively used to project future cash flows, which were discounted by 3% rate which is also the rate of return from the Norwegian Government Pension Fund Global (GPFG). The direct benefit from oil and gas extraction, possible indirect losses from fishing and tourism, expected petroleum supply sector benefit, possible oil spill and clean-up costs and environmental cost are the basic factor that has been taken into consideration during the course of the study. Net costs are deducted from the net benefit we come up with a negative value (net loss) of NOK 1.71 billion. That indicates that considering the aforementioned factors if oil and gas extraction is allowed in Lofoten area the ,Norwegian government will incur a loss of NOK 1.71 billion over the next 50-year period. Therefore, the answer of the question of "whether Lofoten should be open for oil and gas extraction" is "No" according to our finding. In addition, we also suggested the avenue for future researches by presenting the fact that our study hasn't taken into account.

AbstractThis article analyses the challenges that online marketplaces and e-commerce pose to traditional product liability doctrines. It uses a comparative perspective to examine whether an online platform can be liable to a consumer for a defective product purchased on its platform, and the adaption of product liability law to this challenge in a series of jurisdictions. It reflects on the role of litigation and regulation, focusing on Europe and the United States, and considers reform in a number of jurisdictions in this area. It concludes with proposals for increasing the accountability of online marketplaces for products sold on their websites.

This volume aims to define the changing nature of lordship in Viking and early medieval Scandinavia. Advances in settlement archaeology and cultural geography have revealed new aspects of social power in Viking Age and early medieval Scandinavia. New sources and approaches allow us to question the traditional view that Scandinavian aristocrats developed from Viking raiders into Christian landlords. Seventeen thematic chapters by leading scholars survey and assess the state of research and provide a new baseline for interdisciplinary discussions. How were social ties structured? How did lordship and dependency materialize in modes of agriculture, settlement, landscape, and monuments? The book traces the power of tributary relations, forged through personal ties, gifts, duties, and feasting in great halls, and their gradual transformation into the feudal bonds of levies and land-rent

The writings of key Marxist thinkers and revolutionary processes are examined with focus on their understanding of the relation between anti-imperialism and socialism. As a result of the class structures associated with imperialist domination, and the deficiencies within approaches that emphasize the need of a capitalist development stage prior to socialist transition, the analysis points toward the feasibility and strategic superiority of moving directly from direct or indirect imperialist domination into the transition to socialism.

"This edited collection investigates how full employment programs can sustain the economy and the environment, promote social justice, and reinvigorate local communities. The contributing authors focus on the formation of institutions to eliminate the opportunity gap for marginalized populations, enact environmentally sustainable methods of production and consumption, and rebuild local economies through education, training, and community redevelopment programs. They argue that the formation and implementation of a federally funded, locally operated Job Guarantee program is a vital component to address a variety of complex and interweaving concerns. Through the formation of alternative institutions and encouraging local economies, the Job Guarantee approach has the potential to alter economic, social, and political structures away from an exploitative market-oriented structure toward one that is refocused on humanity and the sustainability of the earth and its peoples, cultures, and communities."--

"Despite explicit commitments to gender equality, women experience complex modes of disadvantage and discrimination in all nations of the world. Offering sophisticated insights into the persistence of gendered differences in opportunities, roles, power, and rights in societies across the globe, this volume investigates factors that both enable and constrain women's advancement. From intimate relations within families, to social norms, relations, ideologies, and structures of power, to political institutions, electoral systems, and public policies, the chapters analyze possibilities for and obstacles to inclusive democratic practices and identify interventions essential to enable democratic values to take root. Contributors from Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America, and the USA provide detailed assessments of the social, economic, and political condition of women, their mobilizations to produce transform gendered power and authority in diverse nations, and their efforts to enhance the quality of their lives, their communities, and democratic governance"--

This conceptual paper assesses prevalent critiques of the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) and analyzes content from the CCSS in language arts and literacy to determine whether the standards are likely to support or undermine key democratic aims of education. The authors conclude that critiques of the CCSS have some merit but are generally overstated and misdirected, and the standards give inadequate attention to the development of public autonomy but an ideal amount of attention to development of private autonomy.