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This volume highlights key aspects of new media, knowledge practices and multiliteracies in communication and education, providing readers with a range of empirical findings, novel theories and applications. The reports also include best practices, case studies, innovative solutions and lessons learned with regard to three core fields: (1) New media: discussions on the effects of traditional and new media, legal risks concerning social media, the effects of media intervention on help-seeking attitudes, obstacles of using tablets for learning, qualitative interpretation of media reporting, use of social media for enhancing design practices, and news-reading habits; (2) Knowledge practices: exploration of online viewing and lifestyles, reform of school management models, undergraduate students' mathematics learning experiences, perceived accounting ethics and online knowledge sharing, creating knowledge repositories, digital technologies outside school, smartphone usage and life satisfaction, and cultural differences and isomerism; and (3) Multiliteracies: studies on learning style inventories, the impact of ICT in interdisciplinary approaches, ePortfolios for learning, video production and generic skills enhancement, mobile-assisted collaborative learning, and the effects of project-based learning on student achievements. The reports presented are from various countries and organizations.

Almost three decades have passed since political violence erupted in Turkey's south-eastern regions, where the majority of Turkey's approximately 20 million Kurds live. In 1984, the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) initiated an insurgency which intensified in the following decades and continues to this day. Kurdish regions in Turkey were under military rule for more than a decade and the conflict has cost the lives of 45,000 people, including soldiers, guerrillas and civilians. The complex issue of the Kurdish Question in Turkey is subject to comprehensive examination in this book. This interdisciplinary edited volume brings together chapters by social theorists, political scientists, social anthropologists, sociologists, legal theorists and ethnomusicologists to provide new perspectives on this internationally significant issue. It elaborates on the complexity of the Kurdish question and examines the subject matter from a number of innovative angles. Considering historical, theoretical and political aspects of the Kurdish question in depth and raising issues that have not been discussed sufficiently in existing literature, this book is an invaluable resource for students and scholars of Nationalism and Conflict, Turkish Politics and Middle Eastern politics more broadly.

This book provides an interpretation of one of the key aspects of Max Weber's work: the relationship between his political and sociological writings. Weber's sociological studies have often been treated as if they were completely separate from his political attitudes and interests, and in general his political writings have remained less well-known than his sociological work. The book contains three main sections. The first of these analyses the principal concerns underlying Weber's political assessment of the prospective development of post-Bismarckian Germany. The second examines some of the way in which these views channelled his interests in sociology and influences his studies of capitalism, authority and religion. Finally, the third main section 'reverses' this perspective, showing how his conceptions of sociology and social philosophy in turn influenced the evolution of his assessment of German politics. ANTHONY GIDDENS is the former director of the London School of Economics and Political Science, and is now a member of the House of Lords. He is one of the most influential sociologists and social theorists in the world today, and his many books include The Third Wayand The Consequences of Modernity.

The welfare state, labour market and gender in Turkey -- Introduction: gender, society and the welfare state in Turkey / Saniye Dedeoglu and Adem Y. Elveren -- The changing welfare regime of Turkey: neoliberalism, cultural conservationism and social solidarity redefined / Ays̜e Buğra -- Understanding gender equality demands in Turkey: foundations and boundaries of women's movements / Feride Acar and Gülbanu Altunok -- The state of female labour in the impasse of the neoliberal market and the patriarchal family / Gülay Toksöz -- Gender aspects of income distribution and poverty in Turkey / Meltem Daytoğlu and Cem Bașlevent -- Housewifisation of women; contextualising gendered patterns of paid and unpaid workers / Emel Memiș, Umut Öneș, and Burc̦a Kizilimak -- Domestic labour and well-being: a case-study of the Evlatlik Institution in Turkey / Hande Toğrul -- The effects of the welfare reforms on women's status in the EU accession process / Saniye Dedeoglu -- The social security reform and women in Turkey / Mustafa Șahin -- Gender and health sector reform: policies, actions and effects / Tuba İ Ağartan -- Child and elder care providers: women in the informal sector / Helga Rittersberger-Tilic̦ and Sibel Kalaycioğlu -- Women and trade unionism in Turkey: the impact of rthe European Union / Șerife Gözde Yirmibeșoğlu.

This book is based on research and observations undertaken for the authors PhD thesis at the National University of Ireland, and represents a case study of national and regional campaigns against both the Irish states Regional Waste Management Plans and the corporate sectors attempts to develop waste incinerators or dumps in various parts of Ireland. This book provides an in depth account of the mobilizing patterns and framing processes of community campaigns which emerged in the wake of the Irish states introduction of regional plans for waste management, which included plans for municipal waste to energy plants or incinerators. It is the only book with a sole focus on this aspect of Irish society during the Celtic Tiger boom which preceded the current economic downturn, and examines policy, population, development social issues and local and national electoral processes in detail at a time of immense change in the Republic of Ireland. As such, it provides a salient insight into the societal shifts which provide opportunities for social movements to oppose state or corporate plans which may be perceived to have human health or environmental risks associated with them.

1. Introduction / Chandan Sengupta and Stuart Corbridge -- 2. Equality or inclusion : the dilemma of India's democracy / Meghnad Desai -- 3. Burden of exception? : deficits and deepening of democratic development in India / Chandan Sengupta -- 4. The continuing reinvention of India / John Harriss and Stuart Corbridge -- 5. Development as freedom and justice : an essay on Sen and Rawls / Parthasarathi Mondal -- 6. Framing the development debate : the case of farmers' suicide in India / Ritambhara Hebbar -- 7. Institutional credit and economic entitlement : emerging regional and sectoral divides in Maharashtra / Abdul Shaban -- 8. Fiscal decentralisation and urban local governments in India : an empirical review / Anita Rath -- 9. Decentralisation, women's rights and development : lessons from India and South Africa / Jo Beall -- 10. Social divisions and rural non-farm sector : lessons from India / Gaurang R. Sahay -- 11. Development and change in agrarian economy : aspects of rural non-farm sector in Andhra Pradesh, India / Perumula Gopinath -- 12. Privatising social opportunity : trends and implications for higher education in India / Anindita Chakrabarti -- 13. Healthcare services and development in India : a study of reproductive health in Jharkhand / P.M. Sandhya Rani -- 14. Public intervention, institutions and human development in India : theory and evidence / Sandhya S. Iyer.

The present and future of our society are shaped by an ever-increasing proportion of old and very old people. The Berlin Aging Study is one of the largest interdisciplinary efforts to explore old age and aging. Unique aspects of the Berlin Aging Study are the spectrum of scientific disciplines involved, the range of discipline-specific and interdisciplinary research topics, the focus on very old age (70 to over 100 years), and the empirical reference to a representative heterogenous urban population. The study's first cross-sectional findings on intellectual abilities, self and personality, social relationships, physical health, functional capacity, medical treatment, mental disorders such as depression and dementia, socioeconomic conditions, activities, everyday competence, subjective well-being, and gender differences are reported in depth in this book. The study was carried out in the context of the Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences study group on 'Aging and Social Development'. The authors primarily conduct their research at the Berlin Max Planck Institute for Human Development, the Free University of Berlin, and the Humboldt University, Berlin

Defeated in the East and discredited in the West, Marxism has broken down as an ideology and as a guide to governance. But, for all its flaws, it remains an important tool for understanding and raising questions about key aspects of modern life. In Marxism and the City Ira Katznelson critically assesses the scholarship on cities that has developed within Marxism in the past quarter century to show how some of the most important weaknesses in Marxism as a social theory can be remedied by forcing it to engage seriously with cities and spatial concerns. He argues that such a Marxism still has a significant contribution to make to the discussion of such historical questions as the transition from feudalism to a world composed of capitalist economies and nation-states and the acquiescence of the western working classes to capitalism. Professor Katznelson demonstrates how a Marxism that embraces complexity and is open to engagement with other social-theoretical traditions can illuminate our understanding of cities and of the patterns of class and group formation that have characterized urban life in the West

Intro -- The Silent COUNTDOWN -- Copyright -- Preface -- Contents -- Contributors -- Introduction -- Holistic Conceptions -- The Energy System - A Basic Concept of Environmental History -- From Ecological History to World Ecology -- The Early Loss of Ecological Stability in an Agrarian Region -- An Anthropological Perspective of Environment, Population, and Social Structure in the Alps -- Environmental History: Some Questions for a New Subdiscipline of History -- Reflections on a Typology of Historical Pollution: Complementary Conceptions -- Agricultural and Sylvicultural Impacts -- Aspects of Historical Soil Erosion in Western Europe -- Natural Environment and Human Settlement over the Central European Lowland in the 13th Century -- Sylviculture and Forest Administration in Hungary 11th-20th Centuries -- The Ecological Background of the Livelihood of Peasants in Kuusamo (NE Finland) During the Period 1670-1970 -- Urban and Industrial Impacts -- Environmental History - The Environmental Evidence -- Policey"* and Environment as a Form of "Social Discipline" in Early Modern Hamburg -- Environmental Policy in 19th-Century Leyden -- Air Pollution in York 1850-1900 -- Experts in the Smelter Smoke Debate -- The Ruhr Basin 1850-1980: A Case of Large-Scale Environmental Pollution -- Environmental Consciousness -- The Evolution of Environmental Sensitivity 1750-1950 -- The Obscure Problems: Rationalization, Power, and the Discovery of Environmental Problems -- Subject Index.

Past and future development as well as possibilities for influencing the process of retirement are discussed, in particular effects on the labour market (supply and demand, behaviour of workers and firms, concerning human resource management and occupational pensions), financing of social security and income of workers. Decisions concerning earlier or postponed, full or partial retirement are the main topic stressing the central role of firms' decisions depending e.g. on their view of the productivity of the elderly. Reports on Scandinavian countries (Sweden, Denmark, Finland) in particular on their approach for partial retirement are included as well as papers discussing possibilities to stop the trend of early exit from the labour force and how to give incentives for a longer working life (e.g. by changes in social security). These topics are discussed in the view of structural changes in demography, economy and society, using - among other - the US and West Germany as examples. The papers point out the necessity to look at retirement as a process (in a life cycle perspective, requiring longitudinal data for empirical research) and in a perspective integrating the different aspects involved

This report is a culmination of more than three years of research and deliberation. In it, a variety of issues are addressed that arise in federal and state court proceedings when statistical assessments such as quantitative descriptions, causal inferences, and predictions of events based on earlier occurrences are presented as evidence. We appraise the forms in which such assessments are presented, aspects of their admission into evidence, and the response to and evaluation of them by judges and juries. Our recommendations include several innovations to improve the comprehension of statistial evidence by judges and juries. In addition to jurists, who must evaluate statistical testimony, our report is addressed to lawyers, who may have occasion to draw on statistical testimony or to present factual arguments that incorporate statistical assessments; to statisticians, social scientists, and others who may serve as expert witnesses presenting statistical arguments; and to the research communities in law, statistics, and the social sciences that seek to understand how courts cope with unfamiliar and technically complex information. Our ultimate goal is to improve the legal process

PurposeThis paper aims to identify the archetypes of business models and illustrate how firms create, deliver and capture value by juxtaposing the firm's aspired value emphasis with its strategic agility.Design/methodology/approachThe two-by-two matrix is constructed based on an analysis of existing literature and conceptual development.FindingsWe advance a conceptualization of strategic agility to emphasize speed and flexibility as the main drivers, along with attention toward stakeholder expectations. Additionally, we unveil four different archetypes of business models based on the firm's aspired value emphasis (economic vs plus social/environmental) and the type of strategic agility (defensive vs proactive).Research limitations/implicationsStudies that empirically corroborate the proposed conceptualization of strategic agility are needed. In addition, empirical investigations on the evolutionary paths underlying the development of firms' business models are requested.Practical implicationsManagers learn about aspects and actions that they should pursue to shift from one business model archetype to another.Originality/valueWe identify the features – in terms of focus on all the components of the triple bottom line (or not) and in terms of strategic agility – that firms need to face or even anticipate environmental and social transformation.

Demographic issues are becoming key to the debate on the future of Europe, and of Italy in particular, which has the lowest birth rate in Europe but is among the top-ranked countries for demographic ageing. The general improvement of living conditions and the ageing of large cohorts cannot be supported by the economic activity of the younger generations, which calls into question the security of certain aspects of the social pact, such as the provision of pensions and health care. While encouraging an awareness among Italians of the trends and problems they will have to deal with, all national actors must cooperate to ensure the recovery of the birth rate, and to harness the economic benefits of incoming migrants and the experiences of older people. It is equally necessary to meet the needs of young people and enhance their social role. Only through such cooperation will it be possible to create a favourable climate for actions that will allow us to control and direct these demographic phenomena and not to suffer from them.

The domain of intercultural friendships between international and host national students represents a pivotal aspect of international higher education and intercultural communication. In response to the evident research gap within this realm, we conducted a phenomenological inquiry to explore how eight Omani students establish friendships with US host students and the factors that might either facilitate or impede these intercultural friendships. Through our interviews, we discerned four key themes: Adjustment (involving social integration and seeking part-time jobs), Acceptance (embracing new cultural norms and utilizing social media), English proficiency (being proficient in the language and displaying friendliness), and Similarity (finding common ground in country of origin or shared interests). Our investigation identified participants falling into distinct categories: some anticipated forming friendships with both local and international students, while others realized that lack of commonality, either in their home country or shared interests, limited their interaction and socialization with host students. Additionally, some expressed that nurturing friendships demands significant time and effort. Our research yields insightful conclusions on methods to enhance intercultural friendships, including the promotion of meaningful interactions between host and international students.

Research on science, technology and innovation policy (STI policy) in Vietnam has mainly focused on the role of government and business—the two main groups of social actors shaping the development of the Government. From the cultural perspective of STI policy, the article analyses the interactions between four policy cultures representing four groups of social actors (academic, state, business and civil society) that affect the formation and development of STI policy in Vietnam through four stages of development. From there, the article provides a general picture of the role of four groups of policy actors involved in the policymaking process, considering aspects including: (a) the nature of the policy; (b) policy objectives; (c) policy makers; (d) policy instruments; (e) policy specificity and (f) group of agents representing policy culture. Next, the article analyses the formation and development of an innovation-based startup ecosystem that represents the concerns of a third policy culture—an economic policy culture. Finally, the article proposes some initial recommendations to promote the interaction between the components of the STI ecosystem, especially those related to the innovation-based startup ecosystem.