Suchergebnisse

Disaster research has been studied from many angles, seldom targeting its implications for vulnerable territories in Africa. Entities most subject to the effects of climate change are often undeveloped and located in disadvantaged regions. Post-disaster communities need to scrutinize the social, political, economic, and cultural structures that stagnate sustainable growth. Acknowledging that low economic development and high climate costs cannot coexist, this collected volume interrogates the challenge for disaster-prone territories to determine strategies for restructuring and redesigning their environment. This book proposes the creation of knowledge economies, whereby empowered communities may produce innovative knowledge translatable across the African diaspora.

Research on Eastern European attitudes toward democracy has not comprehensively examined the economic, social, and political origins of support for and satisfaction with democracy and what these portend for democratic consolidation in Eastern Europe. Differentiating origins of mass support and satisfaction clarify whether ordinary citizens perceive democracy as a normatively correct, legitimate process of making collective and binding decisions or merely as a means to achieving efficiency and distributive justice. Multivariate analysis revealed that whereas social, economic, and psychological factors influence support, only economic evaluations predict satisfaction. This identifies support for democracy in Eastern Europe as emanating more from a recognition of the moral worth of the process than from a calculus about its benefits. However, the study reveals that dissatisfaction with democratic government abounds and may affect support. This challenges optimism for speedy consolidation, showing Eastern Europe poised to linger at the crossroads of transition for a while.

Through each era, the southeastern United States was and continues to be an epicenter for industrial companies to establish factories and plants. Though this development attracts economic gain for the companies and surrounding areas, low-income and predominantly Black communities bear the brunt of the environmental consequences while frequently remaining stagnant economically. This qualitative, community-based participatory research study grew out of a larger study designed to recruit lay community advisors from communities labeled as hard to reach in research. We focus on Holt, Alabama, an unincorporated community in the southeastern United States region. The primary goal of this research inquiry is to thematically analyze community interviews stemming from a topic of research, practice, and policy interest to community members: the effects of industrial pollution on Holt citizens' daily lives. Content analysis of focus-group transcripts revealed four emergent themes, including: (1) how the pollution affects their water, soil, and air quality; (2) illness related to pollution; (3) community engagement and empowerment; and (4) suggestions regarding what government officials could do to address this area of need. Building upon the prior research regarding environmental justice, human flourishing, and the definition of nurturing environments, suggestions are made regarding the creation, implementation, and maintenance of project advisory councils focused on issues of environmental justice. Community advocacy and empowerment as well as community and scientific partnerships are imperative to alleviate problems associated with environmental justice.

This study investigated the effects of flooring on balance during quiet standing in healthy young and older participants. Seven flooring conditions were examined, including a hard tile floor and combinations of low-pile and high-pile carpet with urethane foam and rubber padding. The resulting floors provided a variety of compliant surfaces, ranging from very soft to hard. Participants stood during three separate visual conditions: eyes open, eyes closed, and looking at a moving visual surround. Three measures of postural sway were calculated using center of pressure recordings during the trials. The results showed that the amplitude of sway was higher in the older than in the younger participants, particularly in the moving visual surround condition. Flooring compliance was found to have an effect on sway during moving visual environments, with the largest effects found among the older participants. Softer floors increased the amount of sway in the older participants. These results suggest that floor compliance influences standing postural stability in older people, particularly in destabilizing visual environments.

This essay combines the experiences and participation of women's studies members from four campuses in New Orleans, Louisiana. It reflects both on the damage suffered by women in the academy and the strides that have been made in the post-Katrina environment.