The Value of Quality: Capital, Class, and Quality Assessment in the Re-making of Higher Education in the United State, the United Kingdom, and Ontario

This dissertation examines the utility of quality assessment (QA) in higher education as a means of measuring and improving qualitative excellence. It also tracks the emergence and development of QA in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Ontario. I find that QA neither measures nor helps to produce anything that could meaningfully be described as being of high “quality”. Rather, QA is effective in helping to reproduce commercially oriented but hardly ground-breaking research and a more “flexploitable” labour force. The precursors to contemporary forms of QA first appeared in United States during the early part of the 20th century. To serve the interests of a burgeoning capitalism, corporate America organized independently and under the aegis of the American state to develop and control a national system of higher education. To that end, the captains of industry developed an extensive program of measurement and evaluation as a basis to rationalize funding for university teaching and research. Over time, that system of measurement and assessment developed into what today appears as a massive network of procedures and metrics that aid in the reproduction of a stratified system of higher education that efficiently puts out the kinds of knowledge and workers that can in turn aid in the reproduction of neoliberal capitalism. Since 1980, successive governments in both the United Kingdom and Ontario have developed systems of QA in the hope of reproducing the kinds of results achieved in America. QA has been seen as a way to install a price-type signaling system, and thereby a market, in what are subsidized and public systems of higher education. In other words, systems of QA were developed to evaluate the exchange-value of new knowledge and graduates within the context of neoliberal capitalism. Accordingly, QA makes it possible for firms and the state to rationalize funding in a manner that disciplines those within and around the university – increasingly by consent - to produce a particular form of value, namely that which can help corporations to secure larger profits, irrespective of the social, political, economic, or ecological consequences

Rethinking Informalization: Poverty, Precarious Jobs and Social Protection

This peer-reviewed book contains revised papers initially presented at the conference, "Rethinking Informalization in Labor Markets," which took place at Cornell University in October 2002.Globalization, deep economic restructuring, and neoliberal policies have transformed the world of work and labor markets in the North and the South. Contrary to expectations of those who studied the "informal sector" in the 1970s and 80s, the informal economy keeps expanding. This collection brings together an interdisciplinary group of researchers and activists to rethink informalization and the world of work. Together they explore the processes and reasons behind the growth of informal activities and the possibilities for generating decent work and equitable labor markets under the present conditions. Rethinking Informalization includes papers that examine the heterogeneity of informal activities, the processes that generate its growth, and the lack of concern over increasing economic and social inequalities. Some contributions focus on the need to rethink social protections for labor and the generation of decent work. Others focus on the linkages between informality and poverty, and the final essay focuses on the impacts of informality on the segmentation of urban space and politics. The volume will be of interest to anyone concerned with the continued growth and dynamism of the informal economy, as well as its pernicious effects on workers lives everywhere

Sustainable Development

The technological advancement of our civilization has created a consumer society expanding faster than the planet's resources allow, with our resource and energy needs rising exponentially in the past century. Securing the future of the human race will require an improved understanding of the environment as well as of technological solutions, mindsets and behaviors in line with modes of development that the ecosphere of our planet can support. Sustainable development offers an approach that would be practical to fuse with the managerial strategies and assessment tools for policy and decision makers at the regional planning level

Quem é a mulher que empreende no Brasil? : perspectivas da psicodinâmica do trabalho feminino

Tese (doutorado ) — Universidade de Brasília, Instituto de Psicologia, Programa de Pós-graduação em Psicologia Clínica e Cultura, 2022.O presente trabalho tem o objetivo de propor uma nova perspectiva sobre a realidade do trabalho do empreendedorismo feminino no Brasil, com contribuições da Psicodinâmica do Trabalho. Considerando que as realidades de homens e mulheres são diferentes histórica, social e profissionalmente, os estudos sobre esse tema podem subsidiar o debate sobre o mercado de trabalho, a economia globalizada, bem como o papel que as mulheres, especialmente, as empreendedoras desempenham nesses contextos econômicos. Inicialmente, foi escrito um histórico do cenário do Empreendedorismo Brasileiro e, também, discorreu-se sobre como a Psicodinâmica do Trabalho pode contribuir com o desenvolvimento deste tema. Então, foi realizada uma revisão de literatura com o objetivo de identificar o perfil metodológico das pesquisas brasileiras sobre a temática do empreendedorismo feminino. Posteriormente, foi realizado um estudo analisando as palavras específicas dos resumos de artigos científicos em periódicos indexados com o tema mulheres no empreendedorismo. A partir de então, foi realizada uma entrevista piloto com onze mulheres empreendedoras do Distrito Federal. Em seguida, a análise foi dividida em três etapas: pré-análise, análise dos dados e discussão dos resultados. Por fim, foi realizado um estudo nacional com mulheres empreendedoras das 5 regiões brasileiras – Norte, Nordeste, Centro-Oeste, Sul, Sudeste, totalizando 25 mulheres entrevistadas. O último estudo mostra a diversidade da amostra, com empreendedoras que atuam em diferentes áreas e também destaca a mesma dificuldade comum denominada eupreneurship, em que o trabalhador teve que adotar múltiplos papéis e tarefas para exercer a atividade. A tese é encerrada com as considerações finais.Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES) .The present work aims to propose a new perspective about female entrepreneurship work’s reality in Brazil, with contributions of the psychodynamics of work. Considering that the realities of men and women are different historically, socially, and professionally studies about this theme could support the debate about the labor market, along with its global economy, as well as the role that women entrepreneurs play within these economic contexts. It has been written a background historical of Brazilian Entrepreneurship scenario as well as how Psychodynamic of Work could contribute with the discussion and development of this theme. Initially, a literature review was carried out in order to identify the methodological profile of Brazilian research on the theme of female entrepreneurship. Second, a study was conduted analyzing the particular words when researchers are speaking about women in entrepreneurship. Subsequently, a pilot interview was conducted with eleven women entrepreneurs in the Federal District. After that, the analysis was split into three stages: pre-analysis, data analysis and discussion of the results. Finally, a national study was conduted with entrepreneurship women from the 5 Brazilian regions – North, Northeast, Midwest, South, Southeast, totaling 25 women interviewed. The last study shows the diversity of the sample, with entrepreneurs who work in different areas and also highlights the same common difficulty called eupreneurship, in which the worker had to adopt multiple roles and tasks to perform the activity. The thesis is closed with the final considerations.RIASSUNTO : Il presente lavoro ha l'obiettivo di proporre una nuova prospettiva sulla realtà dell'imprenditoria femminile in Brasile, con contributi della Psicodinamica del Lavoro. Considerando che le realtà di uomini e donne sono diverse storicamente, socialmente e professionalmente, studi su questo tema potrebbero supportare il dibattito sul mercato del lavoro, insieme alla sua economia globale, nonché sul ruolo che le donne imprenditrici svolgono all'interno di questi contesti economici. È stato scritto un background storico dello scenario dell'imprenditoria brasiliana e come la psicodinamica del lavoro potrebbe contribuire alla discussione e allo sviluppo di questo tema. Inizialmente, la revisione della letteratura è stata effettuata al fine di identificare il profilo metodologico della ricerca brasiliana sul tema dell'imprenditoria femminile. In secondo luogo, lo studio è stato condotto analizzando le parole particolari quando i ricercatori parlano di donne nell'imprenditorialità. Successivamente, l'intervista pilota è stata condotta con undici imprenditrici del Distretto Federale. Successivamente, l'analisi è stata suddivisa in tre fasi: pre-analisi, analisi dei dati e discussione dei risultati. Infine, è stato condotto uno studio nazionale con donne imprenditrici provenienti dalle 5 regioni brasiliane: Nord, Nordest, Midwest, Sud, Sud-est, per un totale di 25 donne intervistate. L'ultimo studio mostra la diversità del campione, con imprenditori che lavorano in ambiti diversi ed evidenzia anche la stessa difficoltà comune chiamata eupreneurship, in cui il lavoratore doveva assumere più ruoli e compiti per svolgere l'attività. La tesi si chiude con le considerazioni finali

Research on social policy : proposals for a future agenda

Spanish version available in IDRC Digital Library: Investigación en política social : propuestas para una agenda futur

Sharing Knowledge, Transforming Societies: The Norhed Programme 2013-2020

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Patches of Equity: Policy and Financing of Indigenous Primary Health Care Providers in Canada, Australia and New Zealand

This thesis investigates how the governments of Canada, Australia and New Zealand balance the ideal of indigenous self-determination with other pressures, such as current trends in public administration and accountability, pressures on the health care system, issues of and sensitivities around minority rights, equity in health and cost-efficiency. It is based on four case studies conducted in Australia and New Zealand. The Canadian material is drawn from both the literature and a period of twelve years working in indigenous-controlled health services. All three governments have made some policy commitments to increased indigenous participation and self-determination, in the pursuit of health gains. The goal is a more responsive health care system. Self-determination is often mentioned. In Australia and New Zealand, the commitment extends to primary, secondary and tertiary care. Canada focuses exclusively on improving the responsiveness of on-reserve primary health care services. The contractual environment in which providers operate bears a highly nuanced resemblance to official policies. Two broad categories of contractual environments have emerged. Indigenous providers who operate in an environment where the funder is an indigenous-specific government authority (First Nations and Australia's new PHCAP program) have access to a relational contractual environment that is advantageous administratively, financially and in terms of comprehensiveness of services. Indigenous providers that secure funding from non-indigenous specific funders (New Zealand, and Australian Aboriginal Health Services) operate in a classic contractual environment where funding is accessed via a multiplicity of fragmented, often proposal-driven, contracts with high administrative costs. Classic contractual environments lead to a patchwork approach to achieving health gains. Indigenous aspirations for self-determination have been partially satisfied with increased opportunities for contracting in health. Although the link between increased indigenous participation and improved outcomes remains to be explored analytically, it is doubtful that classical contractual environments can yield the health gains expected