Suchergebnisse

This article examines urban power and community movements when a city is consumed by a major disaster. Using New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina as its case study, this investigation will identify discriminatory police practices, public-private development policies, and ethnopolitical leadership that reproduced historic racial and class inequality in post-Katrina New Orleans. This study will argue that it was not so-called disaster capitalism, but automatic or "reflexive" re-development (Ulrich Beck's concept) that revived the city's traditional racial caste and structural class stratification. Finally, this policy mix in disaster response initiatives overshadowed specific strategies and goals for rebuilding advocated by community-based movements.

This article focuses on self-organizing processes in contested urban social-ecological systems. It analyzes a wetland conservation program and civic management effort in the Angachilla sector of the city of Valdivia, Chile in a 15-year time frame. The aim is to understand what triggers collective actions and self-organization in the attempts of preserving an urban green common. The study uses a qualitative approach based on action-research methodologies. It examines key variables influencing self-organizing processes; including social-environmental crises, governance vacuums, wetland valuation, and leadership. It also discusses collective strategies for the transformation of negative feedback loops, such as norms and regulations detrimental to wetland protection, and those related to resistance to change of wetland surface area due to unregulated urbanization. From an Urban Green Commons perspective, this work illustrates the complexity of dealing with contested nature, making it a resource difficult to govern collectively given all the different interests and values in place. It also shows that there have been successful periods of active wetland management that have influenced active democratic processes regarding land use and land use change in the city.

In China's urbanizing spaces, expropriation of land has become a major source of revenue for governments, and compensatory income for the members of village collective organizations. In October 2008, China's leadership signaled its intention to adjust this relationship to ensure that development of rural land contributes to development among expropriated villagers. This decision foreshadows a significant devolution of decision making and control over profits from land development to village organizations. In this context, the question of who is a village member assumes profound importance, for while members will be entitled to decide on, participate in, and benefit from land development, non-members will not. In this paper, we draw on theorizations of citizenship as both rights-bearing membership in a political community and participation in the polity, to explore links between the determination of women's citizenship entitlements and the gender distributive outcomes of land development. Drawing on a comparative study conducted in peri-urban settlements in six districts and counties in Fuzhou, Changsha and Yuxi between 2007 and 2009, we examine conflicts among villagers and between villagers and governments to establish which villagers share in compensation for expropriated land. Our findings suggest, first, that villages across China are translating virilocal marriage customs into gender-exclusive rules on village membership and entitlement. Hence, against the view that villagers' "rightful resistance" is grounded in the "unfragmented" nature of village political power, our research highlights the gender-discriminatory impulses spurring villagers' defense of local political and property rights. Second, our findings demonstrate that the adoption of gender exclusive citizenship criteria in villages experiencing land development adversely affects not only many women, but also their households and communities. Finally, the study suggests that women's opposition to their exclusion from village citizenship is contributing to the emergence of differently gendered modalities of citizenship in the margins of Chinese cities. (China J/GIGA)

"The work presented in this volume attests to the innovative and successful educational alternatives designed and implemented by Catholic religious groups to improve educational, career, and life outcomes for urban children, adolescents, and adults placed at risk. These efforts have helped thousands of urban citizens break away from the chains of poverty and poor academic preparation to succeed in high school and beyond and secure a place of meaning and influence in adult society. In this volume, we examine the contributions of networks of schools, such as NativityMiguel and Cristo Rey schools in the U.S. and Canada and Fe y Alegría based in South America and operating in multiple countries, as well as more local initiatives. There is much to be learned from these initiatives that can improve urban education and this edited volume provides this opportunity to educators, planners, funders, and others who are inclined to invest in effective urban education. The perspectives taken in these chapters include current approaches to critical race theory, faith perspectives that promote justice, and the building of social capital and resilience to succeed academically despite considerable adversity associated with economic poverty. The chapters included here explore educational structures that communicate high expectations for student and teacher performance and provide individualized instruction, caring mentoring, and support beyond graduation in order to help develop men and women of confidence, skill, leadership, and integrity and ensure high levels of success in a world that tends to exclude them more than welcome them"--

Researchers have not fully examined how school leaders impact the teaching and learning environment when working toward generating students' academic success. Balyer (2012) called for more work on understanding the transformational leadership behaviors that create conditions conducive to generating student achievement within educational accountability. Therefore, the purpose of this phenomenological inquiry is to explore the lived experiences of principals and their perceptions concerning the state accountability system and how it may impact their transformational efforts in ensuring a holistic and quality education for every child. The phenomenological inquiry will yield the opportunity to compare administrators' in-depth perceptions of the accountability systems in Texas that may impact how they apply transformational leadership behaviors to their efforts to educate all children. Five principals of schools that administer the State of Texas Assessment of Academic Readiness (STAAR) and its associated end-of-course exams (EOC) and whose schools consistently show high academic performance year-to-year in a Texas urban area were selected to participate in the research. The impact the study has on principals could lead to principal retainment, improvement of student achievement, and trials of better practices and innovative strategies. The data reflected the following overall themes about the phenomenon of transformational leadership by principals in the era of accountability: Navigating the political environment Clear vision and focus on main priorities High expectations Collaborative environment Teamwork Inspiring and motivating teachers and students Effective and on-going professional development Working in a school district that has a focus on student achievement, not student testing, creates a fertile environment for principals to lead their staff and students. The principal must ensure that the vision for school success is clear so that the entire campus focuses on the main priorities for assuring the academic success of every student. Transformational leaders have high expectations for the staff and students and effective leaders of sustainable and high performing campuses create collaborative environments. An environment of teamwork is a key element of success on a campus because "working together, you achieve more." Transformational leaders inspire teachers and students to strive for excellence is an important part of transforming an environment and on-going professional development is a vital part of a successful and productive organization.

The greatest problems of the Lithuania country is facing are economic and social: there is an economic recession in the country; the country has lost its eastern markets for agricultural and industriaI products; the standard of living has declined after the political changes; and the crime rate is high. In terms of social development, rural disposable household income is lower than in Lithuania urban areas. In that respect, over-dependence on agriculture is equally a serious problem in rural areas demanding for a diversification of rural activities and employment opportunities. This will be increasingly important when the agriculture and processing sectors become more ef'ficient. Moreover, basic living conditions are comparatively poorer in rural areas than in the cities, and a tendency to ageing of rural population can be a threat to economic vitality. Social and economic changes taking places in Lithuania countryside are changing the problem of gender dimension. The goal of this research was to show the main aspects of leadership in the rural areas of Lithuania in the context oftoday's trade and gender dimension and integration. The main problems in rural areas are related to the current agrarian reform; people are motivated to start private farming, but they do not have enough resources. Rural people have also lost many of the social and communal services main- tained by big state and collective farms. The proportion of women in the totallabour force is high at 48 percent. However, forms of occupational sex segregation can be seen. In rural areas women are mainly involved in unskilled work in the fields, cowsheds, pig or poultry farms, or in social services. A special problem in rural areas is that the privatization of state and collective farms has led to the loss ofthe social services they supplied. If kindergartens are closed, it is difficult for women to have paid employment outside the home There is a great difference in the age structure of men and women in rural areas; in the oldest age group (over 65 years) there are many more women than meno The level of education is far lower in rural than in urban areas, and the educationallevel of rural women is lower than that of rural meno Although there is now more migration from cities to rural areas than vice versa, young and unmarried women have a tendency to move from rural areas to cities, or foreign countries. The greatest problems for rural women are economic and caused by unemployment or a heavy work load. Other problems are the lack of district hospitals, matemity clinics and pharmacies in rural areas and the fact that transportation costs to regional centres are high. It is al so problematic that there are no extension services in home economics, home management or in new job opportunities such as rural entrepreneurship or agrotourism. In addition, discrimination against women in employrnent persists. The transition period in society has been particularly difficult for women because of the threat ofunemployment and the diminishing social services (such as kindergardens). The statistical data show, that women representation in alllevels of govemmental structures of Lithuania Repub- lic is insufficient. Quite big gap between man and women possibilities, seekingprofessional career, and in gender equality in general is noticeable. This study assesses female and male leadership in Lithuania rural areas through analysis of interviews with govemment officials and recognized local leaders. Findings of previous community studies, which suggested that structural characteristics of communities influence their leadership patterns, have been incorporated into this study of gender. Key and action informant data were collected in all regions of rural Lithuania which differ in levels of urban presence and pressure. The findings revealed that men dominated rural leadership positions and were recognized as leaders more often than women, but that the gender ratios ofleaders, as well as the types ofwomen leaders who emer- ged, varied by site.

The greatest problems of the Lithuania country is facing are economic and social: there is an economic recession in the country; the country has lost its eastern markets for agricultural and industriaI products; the standard of living has declined after the political changes; and the crime rate is high. In terms of social development, rural disposable household income is lower than in Lithuania urban areas. In that respect, over-dependence on agriculture is equally a serious problem in rural areas demanding for a diversification of rural activities and employment opportunities. This will be increasingly important when the agriculture and processing sectors become more ef'ficient. Moreover, basic living conditions are comparatively poorer in rural areas than in the cities, and a tendency to ageing of rural population can be a threat to economic vitality. Social and economic changes taking places in Lithuania countryside are changing the problem of gender dimension. The goal of this research was to show the main aspects of leadership in the rural areas of Lithuania in the context oftoday's trade and gender dimension and integration. The main problems in rural areas are related to the current agrarian reform; people are motivated to start private farming, but they do not have enough resources. Rural people have also lost many of the social and communal services main- tained by big state and collective farms. The proportion of women in the totallabour force is high at 48 percent. However, forms of occupational sex segregation can be seen. In rural areas women are mainly involved in unskilled work in the fields, cowsheds, pig or poultry farms, or in social services. A special problem in rural areas is that the privatization of state and collective farms has led to the loss ofthe social services they supplied. If kindergartens are closed, it is difficult for women to have paid employment outside the home There is a great difference in the age structure of men and women in rural areas; in the oldest age group (over 65 years) there are many more women than meno The level of education is far lower in rural than in urban areas, and the educationallevel of rural women is lower than that of rural meno Although there is now more migration from cities to rural areas than vice versa, young and unmarried women have a tendency to move from rural areas to cities, or foreign countries. The greatest problems for rural women are economic and caused by unemployment or a heavy work load. Other problems are the lack of district hospitals, matemity clinics and pharmacies in rural areas and the fact that transportation costs to regional centres are high. It is al so problematic that there are no extension services in home economics, home management or in new job opportunities such as rural entrepreneurship or agrotourism. In addition, discrimination against women in employrnent persists. The transition period in society has been particularly difficult for women because of the threat ofunemployment and the diminishing social services (such as kindergardens). The statistical data show, that women representation in alllevels of govemmental structures of Lithuania Repub- lic is insufficient. Quite big gap between man and women possibilities, seekingprofessional career, and in gender equality in general is noticeable. This study assesses female and male leadership in Lithuania rural areas through analysis of interviews with govemment officials and recognized local leaders. Findings of previous community studies, which suggested that structural characteristics of communities influence their leadership patterns, have been incorporated into this study of gender. Key and action informant data were collected in all regions of rural Lithuania which differ in levels of urban presence and pressure. The findings revealed that men dominated rural leadership positions and were recognized as leaders more often than women, but that the gender ratios ofleaders, as well as the types ofwomen leaders who emer- ged, varied by site.

The greatest problems of the Lithuania country is facing are economic and social: there is an economic recession in the country; the country has lost its eastern markets for agricultural and industriaI products; the standard of living has declined after the political changes; and the crime rate is high. In terms of social development, rural disposable household income is lower than in Lithuania urban areas. In that respect, over-dependence on agriculture is equally a serious problem in rural areas demanding for a diversification of rural activities and employment opportunities. This will be increasingly important when the agriculture and processing sectors become more ef'ficient. Moreover, basic living conditions are comparatively poorer in rural areas than in the cities, and a tendency to ageing of rural population can be a threat to economic vitality. Social and economic changes taking places in Lithuania countryside are changing the problem of gender dimension. The goal of this research was to show the main aspects of leadership in the rural areas of Lithuania in the context oftoday's trade and gender dimension and integration. The main problems in rural areas are related to the current agrarian reform; people are motivated to start private farming, but they do not have enough resources. Rural people have also lost many of the social and communal services main- tained by big state and collective farms. The proportion of women in the totallabour force is high at 48 percent. However, forms of occupational sex segregation can be seen. In rural areas women are mainly involved in unskilled work in the fields, cowsheds, pig or poultry farms, or in social services. A special problem in rural areas is that the privatization of state and collective farms has led to the loss ofthe social services they supplied. If kindergartens are closed, it is difficult for women to have paid employment outside the home There is a great difference in the age structure of men and women in rural areas; in the oldest age group (over 65 years) there are many more women than meno The level of education is far lower in rural than in urban areas, and the educationallevel of rural women is lower than that of rural meno Although there is now more migration from cities to rural areas than vice versa, young and unmarried women have a tendency to move from rural areas to cities, or foreign countries. The greatest problems for rural women are economic and caused by unemployment or a heavy work load. Other problems are the lack of district hospitals, matemity clinics and pharmacies in rural areas and the fact that transportation costs to regional centres are high. It is al so problematic that there are no extension services in home economics, home management or in new job opportunities such as rural entrepreneurship or agrotourism. In addition, discrimination against women in employrnent persists. The transition period in society has been particularly difficult for women because of the threat ofunemployment and the diminishing social services (such as kindergardens). The statistical data show, that women representation in alllevels of govemmental structures of Lithuania Repub- lic is insufficient. Quite big gap between man and women possibilities, seekingprofessional career, and in gender equality in general is noticeable. This study assesses female and male leadership in Lithuania rural areas through analysis of interviews with govemment officials and recognized local leaders. Findings of previous community studies, which suggested that structural characteristics of communities influence their leadership patterns, have been incorporated into this study of gender. Key and action informant data were collected in all regions of rural Lithuania which differ in levels of urban presence and pressure. The findings revealed that men dominated rural leadership positions and were recognized as leaders more often than women, but that the gender ratios ofleaders, as well as the types ofwomen leaders who emer- ged, varied by site.

The greatest problems of the Lithuania country is facing are economic and social: there is an economic recession in the country; the country has lost its eastern markets for agricultural and industriaI products; the standard of living has declined after the political changes; and the crime rate is high. In terms of social development, rural disposable household income is lower than in Lithuania urban areas. In that respect, over-dependence on agriculture is equally a serious problem in rural areas demanding for a diversification of rural activities and employment opportunities. This will be increasingly important when the agriculture and processing sectors become more ef'ficient. Moreover, basic living conditions are comparatively poorer in rural areas than in the cities, and a tendency to ageing of rural population can be a threat to economic vitality. Social and economic changes taking places in Lithuania countryside are changing the problem of gender dimension. The goal of this research was to show the main aspects of leadership in the rural areas of Lithuania in the context oftoday's trade and gender dimension and integration. The main problems in rural areas are related to the current agrarian reform; people are motivated to start private farming, but they do not have enough resources. Rural people have also lost many of the social and communal services main- tained by big state and collective farms. The proportion of women in the totallabour force is high at 48 percent. However, forms of occupational sex segregation can be seen. In rural areas women are mainly involved in unskilled work in the fields, cowsheds, pig or poultry farms, or in social services. A special problem in rural areas is that the privatization of state and collective farms has led to the loss ofthe social services they supplied. If kindergartens are closed, it is difficult for women to have paid employment outside the home There is a great difference in the age structure of men and women in rural areas; in the oldest age group (over 65 years) there are many more women than meno The level of education is far lower in rural than in urban areas, and the educationallevel of rural women is lower than that of rural meno Although there is now more migration from cities to rural areas than vice versa, young and unmarried women have a tendency to move from rural areas to cities, or foreign countries. The greatest problems for rural women are economic and caused by unemployment or a heavy work load. Other problems are the lack of district hospitals, matemity clinics and pharmacies in rural areas and the fact that transportation costs to regional centres are high. It is al so problematic that there are no extension services in home economics, home management or in new job opportunities such as rural entrepreneurship or agrotourism. In addition, discrimination against women in employrnent persists. The transition period in society has been particularly difficult for women because of the threat ofunemployment and the diminishing social services (such as kindergardens). The statistical data show, that women representation in alllevels of govemmental structures of Lithuania Repub- lic is insufficient. Quite big gap between man and women possibilities, seekingprofessional career, and in gender equality in general is noticeable. This study assesses female and male leadership in Lithuania rural areas through analysis of interviews with govemment officials and recognized local leaders. Findings of previous community studies, which suggested that structural characteristics of communities influence their leadership patterns, have been incorporated into this study of gender. Key and action informant data were collected in all regions of rural Lithuania which differ in levels of urban presence and pressure. The findings revealed that men dominated rural leadership positions and were recognized as leaders more often than women, but that the gender ratios ofleaders, as well as the types ofwomen leaders who emer- ged, varied by site.

In recent years, an increasing influx of migrants to Europe has led to a heated public discourse about integration capacities within receiving countries such as Germany. During this period, German society, with its changeful immigration history, is again challenged to provide policy responses and foster migrant integration, especially in urban areas. The efforts of cities along that path, however, vary greatly. Complementing locality approaches on immigration and integration policies, which are focused on metropolises and the U.S.-American context, this article is an empirical application for understanding institutional and structural conditions for local variations in integration strategies in Germany by presenting a comparative analysis of four mid-sized cities. The particular research interest lies on discourses from interviews with local authorities and civil society actors. Our analysis reveals city-specific streamlines: For instance, discourses at a center of the 'knowledge society' focused on a strong municipal power structure that allowed communally-financed, sustainable projects to evolve from a historically-grounded commitment to welcome migrants and from high financial capacities at its disposal. In another case, discourses revolved around a city's financially constraints, which were equalized by compensatory civil society networks. In other cities, progress was associated with spontaneous local happenings or individual innovative leadership. These street-level patterns create a degree of locality within the global migration discourse, since they emerge from the interplay of financial, economic, and demographic features; historical concepts; or local events. We therefore contend that urban planning initiatives would profit from considering place-specific institutions that influence integration stakeholders, which are regime-makers and foster institutional, migration-led changes.

The purpose of this study was to explore the perspectives and strategies internal and external stakeholders used to support students in a career academy serving a predominately Latinx community. Within this case study, the principal of the school was Latinx, grew up within the same community as the school, and therefore shared the same culture as his students. Thus, we wondered how effective the principal would be in overcoming the cultural, political, and social barriers of students in the predominately Latinx school. We found the school leaders had a heightened awareness of organizational, cultural, and political complexities because of their own personal investment as well as their lived experiences of living and growing up in the community. The identities of the school leaders, then, led to a collective sense of agency and transformational leadership practices that facilitated a change in the grim situations and prospects of their students, and motivated them to become role models and community leaders providing resources and supports to ensure the high academic performance of students in the academy. However, we also realized that cultural understanding may sometimes lead to parochial views on what is best for students, leading to practices that prevent the exploration of student options beyond high school.

AbstractAlthough the phenomenon of shrinking cities is a global one, policy responses can vary considerably depending on context. This article examines the initiatives of government agencies in a variety of contexts and finds that cities adopt different strategies to manage the problems of shrinkage. Specifically, the article presents an international comparison of three shrinking cities: Fu Xin in China, New Bedford in the USA, and Ústí nad Labem in the Czech Republic. These three cases, which present three distinctive political frameworks (namely, centralism, localism and indirect centralism), have responded to the issue differently but experienced similarly insufficient policy outcomes. We observed that the political agenda‐setting for shrinking cities involved more than simply choosing to ignore, deny or accept the problem, and focused instead on how the local governments opted to recognize their problems, assembled the political willpower and leadership to address them, and gave shape to the policy choices that created a specific narrative for their city. From a comparative perspective, we argue that cities cannot manage their shrinkage without support from other levels of government. In other words, a successful response to urban shrinkage requires multilevel governance to contextualize the locally‐based phenomenon, de‐contextualize the role of multilevel politics, and re‐contextualize the set of policies and actions that can be utilized.

This thesis argues that 'ethnicity' can be seen as the interplay between culture and politics in a specific social context. It compares the ethnic identity and organization of two migrant groups, Eritreans and Egyptians, in Milan and their contrasting relationship with the 'host society'. It also assesses the theoretical significance of 'cultural strategy', 'social closure' and the 'social construction of race', evaluating their significance for the concept of 'ethnicity'. The main method adopted is that of qualitative participant research. After a description of the social and cultural background of emigration and of the context of arrival, the thesis analyzes the main differences between the two groups in terms of patterns of employment, legal situation and housing. While these differences may partly be explained by the two groups' different demographic structures, social networks and ethnic identity, the crucial difference is in their different patterns of leadership, organization and political contacts with the 'host society'. The Eritreans have a high attendance at their 'ethnic institutions' because their leaders have been able to draw support from and to establish contacts with, sections of the 'host society' in order to find employment, to obtain sojourn permits and to gain access to public housing. By contrast, the Egyptians have a low attendance at the religious institution that they share with other Muslims, not only for ideological reasons, but also because of the institution's relative lack of resources. Instead, intermarriage is one of the main avenues of social advancement. The thesis concludes that 'ethnicity' can be seen as a 'usurpatory cultural strategy' in relation to the racist ideologies and 'exclusionary' practices of the 'host society'. For the Eritreans it involves the stressing of cultural distinctiveness and social enhancement at a group level. For the Egyptians it involves concealment of cultural difference and social enhancement pursued at an individual level.

'The Urban Roots of Democracy and Political Violence in Zimbabwe' details a democratic tradition developed in the 1940s and 1950s, and a movement that would fall victim to an increasingly elitist and divisive political culture by the 1960s. Providing biographical sketches of key personalities within the genealogy of nationalist politics, Timothy Scarnecchia weaves an intricate narrative that traces the trajectories of earlier democratic traditions in Zimbabwe, including women's political movements, township organizations, and trade unions. This work suggests that intense rivalries for control of the nationalist leadership after 1960, the 'sell-out' politics of that period, and Cold War funding for rival groups contributed to a unique political impasse, ultimately resulting in the largely autocratic and violent political state today. The author further proposes that this recourse to political violence, 'top-down' nationalism, and the abandonment of urban democratic traditions are all hallmarks of a particular type of nationalism equally unsustainable in Zimbabwe then as it is now. Timothy Scarnecchia is assistant professor of African history at Kent State University in Kent, Ohio

Community gardens have emerged as community development initiatives with proven environmental, social, and public health benefits. While many studies evaluate the benefits of community gardens, fewer studies evaluate the success and failure of gardens, especially in China. This research uses four case studies of state-sponsored community gardens in Beijing and Shanghai to analyze social and organizational factors that help and hinder the success of community gardens. Factors impacting success are multi-faceted and interactive, and relations between residents and local government staff determine success throughout different development stages. In the design stage, the involvement of residents and their vision are important to success. In the maintenance stage, the leadership of key actors, including Residents' Committee staff and volunteers, residents' preparedness for self-governance, and external recognition are the most significant factors. The findings corroborate literature on factors of community gardens' success while contributing new insights about the organization and governance of community gardens in the context of a top-down political system.