144 research outputs found

    Climate Change and Critical Agrarian Studies

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    Climate change is perhaps the greatest threat to humanity today and plays out as a cruel engine of myriad forms of injustice, violence and destruction. The effects of climate change from human-made emissions of greenhouse gases are devastating and accelerating; yet are uncertain and uneven both in terms of geography and socio-economic impacts. Emerging from the dynamics of capitalism since the industrial revolution — as well as industrialisation under state-led socialism — the consequences of climate change are especially profound for the countryside and its inhabitants. The book interrogates the narratives and strategies that frame climate change and examines the institutionalised responses in agrarian settings, highlighting what exclusions and inclusions result. It explores how different people — in relation to class and other co-constituted axes of social difference such as gender, race, ethnicity, age and occupation — are affected by climate change, as well as the climate adaptation and mitigation responses being implemented in rural areas. The book in turn explores how climate change – and the responses to it - affect processes of social differentiation, trajectories of accumulation and in turn agrarian politics. Finally, the book examines what strategies are required to confront climate change, and the underlying political-economic dynamics that cause it, reflecting on what this means for agrarian struggles across the world. The 26 chapters in this volume explore how the relationship between capitalism and climate change plays out in the rural world and, in particular, the way agrarian struggles connect with the huge challenge of climate change. Through a huge variety of case studies alongside more conceptual chapters, the book makes the often-missing connection between climate change and critical agrarian studies. The book argues that making the connection between climate and agrarian justice is crucial

    Management Controls for Sustainable Development: Evidence from a Thai Manufacturing Organisation

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    This thesis aims to empirically investigate the use of management controls in relation to sustainable development within an established manufacturing organisation in Thailand. Situated within the conflicts between formal motivators (e.g., performance measurement and reward systems) which call for economic rationalism and an informally cognitive responsibility for socio-ecological awareness and commitment (Ball and Milne, 2005; Milne, 1996), the existence of formal and informal management controls to support the sustainable development belief and their interplays are examined. An inductive research approach with Laughlin’s (1991) organisational change framework is drawn upon in the analysis of a single case study. The empirical evidence is collected through semi-structured interviews, non-participant observations and document analysis to investigate the organisation's sustainability discourse. This study makes important contributions to the extant social and environmental accounting literature, especially concerning management controls. Little research directs towards how organisations integrate their management controls with the sustainable development concept (Lueg and Radlach, 2016) due to its subjective and disputable nature (Ball and Milne, 2005; Gray, 2010; Milne, 1996). This research goes further to unveil the change journey in quantifiable and religious-based management controls within a Thai manufacturing organisation that encountered complex sustainability challenges. Furthermore, the sustainability concept has been integrated into corporate strategies, organisational culture and key capabilities for value-added activities and innovation. The internal and external disturbances were managed with proper caution and safeguards. The observed formal and informal management controls worked interdependently in line with the organisation’s core values (i.e., interpretive schemes – Laughlin, 1991). These control tools are shown to be built on “measure what can be managed” or achievable-based outcomes with support from multiple specialist work groups

    A Pedagogy of Love: reflections on 25 years of informal vocational education and training practices in the commercial fishing industry in South Africa

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    This thesis is a reflection of informal vocational education and training (IVET) practices conducted by the Researcher in the commercial fishing industry between 1995-2021. Fourteen interventions took place during this time which involved several hundred sea-going employees who are disadvantaged by low levels of literacies and low/no Internet Computer Technology connectivity. The Production Programme was chosen as the focus of study and draws upon the influence of the other thirteen programmes. The purpose of the Production Programme was to teach technical fish processing skills to the production management teams and factory hands who work in the factories on board the vessels. The programme ran for five years and evolved through three distinct generations. At the heart of this work lies the question: ‘What made these programmes successful?’ This is an intra-programmatic study and seeks to identify the pedagogical practices which promoted or confounded the efficacy of the Production Programme; and based upon this understanding how such programmes could be improved, transferred, and taken to scale. These questions are both descriptive and explorative in nature. IVET is regarded as training which takes place outside of the formal South African National Qualifications Framework. This work is relevant because approximately 80% of sea-going staff neither finish school, nor get the opportunity of Post School Education and Training by going to a university, a technical institution, or a community college. This statistic is reflected in the general population (Department of Higher Education and Training [DHET], 2022). There is a fine line between being employed and unemployed for people working at this level in the formal economy which makes this project relevant to youth or persons who are ‘not in employment, education or training’ too. This means that for most South African adults IVET presents a significant opportunity for post-school education. Therefore, it is important to answer the questions raised above to rapidly improve inclusion of the majority of South Africans into meaningful education which improves livelihoods. The Theory of Practice Architectures (TPA), from the collection of social-material practice theories, is the conceptual framework for this thesis. The smallest unit of analysis of TPA are practices which may be ‘sayings/thinkings’, ‘doings’, or ‘relatings’. These practices bundle together into practice arrangements and form practice architectures. The reason that TPA was chosen was that practices were the only data available as we (learners, managers, facilitators, and me) knew what we had said/thought or done, and we were aware of the relationships between us over the years as the fourteen interventions played out. Under conventional research circumstances data would be collected in real time, however in this project, most of the data is historical. In addition to the fundamental building blocks of TPA, the theory is embedded in a Theory of Education. There have also been contemporary enhancements to the TPA which were significant to this study, for example, the Ecologies of Practices, a Trellis of Practices which Support Professional Learning, Middle Leadership, Travelling Practices, and moves towards transformative or transgressive education using the TPA in IVET. This is empirical, qualitative research and an ethnographic case study was chosen as the research design which is a methodology particularly suited to answering both descriptive and explorative questions. Nine methods for data collection were used, namely an historical reflective narrative; two focused-group interviews; three individual interviews; four Whatsapp videos; one WhatsApp voice note; two mobisodes; ten questionnaires; 29 documents; and 16 photographs. Because this data was collected under Covid-19 pandemic conditions, two conceptions were employed to guide the generation of data under these uncertain and constrained conditions. These were firstly, the ‘methodology of chance’ which allowed for a ‘methodological agility’; and secondly, the idea of ‘information power’ which is helpful in deciding on how much data is enough. In order to be explicit concerning a key research activity, the approach and method used to review the literature is explicated. Key practices were identified in the data set and described; and then the data was analysed using heuristics provided by TPA theorists. Seven Tables of Invention were used to synthesise the data arising from these practices. An eighth Table of Invention was used to synthesise all the practices and practice arrangements characterised; and to indicate how these evolved over time and space. The data description and analysis is supported by eight Analytic Memos, a comprehensive Data Code Table and a hyperlink to a data repository which provides access to oral and video material. The findings distinguished five key practices and practice arrangements which were: Practices of the Creation of Courseware; Practices of Teaching and Learning; Practices of Assessment; Practices of Love; Practices of Management. The thesis title is reflective of the impact which love has upon the pedagogical process of IVET. Based upon the analysis and synthesis of the corpus of data, practices which either promoted or confounded the Production Programme became visible; it is these insights which inform future improvements to similar programmes. Emanating from these findings, two overarching practice architectures (PA) were identified which restrained the Production Programme in the same manner that the banks of a river restrain a river, and yet simultaneously, are changed by the river over time. These are the PA of Methodology and Methods and the PA of Maturing Ecologies of Practices. The inferences drawn from the data were achieved through the use of deductive, inductive, and abductive reasoning. My claim to new knowledge is a lamination of a practical contribution on one side of the coin, and a theoretical contribution on the other side of the coin. The PA of Methodology and Methods provides a practical mechanism to create, deliver and assess IVET. This is done by explicating the three practice architectures which constitute the overarching PA of Methodology and Methods which are, the PA of Informality; the PA of Range, and the PA of Relationality. An IVET programme constitutes Ecologies of Practices. The theoretical conception of the overarching PA of Maturing Ecologies of Practices provides a conceptual tool which enables the transferring and scaling of IVET programmes. It does this by providing theoretical indicators to establish the ‘state’ of an IVET programme as it matures over time from a pioneer state to a settler state. An IVET educator can then work towards creating a PA which is conducive for a mature ecologies of practices to form; and the programme can then be transferred and/or taken to scale, if this is desirable in the particular context. The power of my claim to new knowledge does not lie on one side or the other of the coin, but in the lamination of the practical and theoretical contributions put to use in the service of IVET. This thesis concludes with a number of theoretical and practical recommendations which are loosely grouped according to ‘sayings/thinkings’, ‘doings’ and ‘relatings’ in deference to the value of TPA to this thesis. An urgency is conveyed in these recommendations as there is an immediate need to improve the livelihoods of ordinary South Africans. One of the ways of doing this is through informal ‘education for living well’ which contributes to a ‘world worth living in’.Thesis (PhD) -- Faculty of Education, Education, 202

    Learning from the experiences of friends and relatives who care for people with life-limiting conditions to improve support services in Glasgow

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    Introduction The number of people living longer with life-limiting conditions continues to increase. However, this increase has not been matched with adequate growth to health and social care services. Consequently, there is an increasing reliance on family members and friends who offer their time and resources to act as a caregiver. Caring for people who are living with life limiting conditions is predominantly expected of female family members. The caring role has become increasingly enduring and complex and puts those undertaking it at an increased risk of experiencing negative consequences related to their physical and mental health. This thesis describes a three-year project that explored the population of people from Glasgow who care for individuals with at least one life-limiting condition and their experiences with support services. Methods The aim of the project was to begin the process of developing an intervention for caregivers, that could be implemented in NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde. This project was underpinned by the transformative intervention paradigm and influenced by feminist theory. Three steps of data collection and analysis were undertaken to achieve the aim. The steps included a modified systematic review of outcome measures used in trials of interventions for caregivers. This was followed by a secondary analysis of needs assessments carried out by the Glasgow City Carers Team. Finally, focus groups and interviews were carried out with caregivers from Glasgow to describe their experiences in using interventions and working with professional groups to help identify what was missing from what was available. Findings This project identified that there is considerable heterogeneity in caregiver intervention description and evaluation, which makes drawing conclusions about efficacy difficult. This variation is mirrored in the demographics of people who require needs assessments for their caring responsibilities in Glasgow. Speaking directly to caregivers through focus groups and an interview identified that professionals who interact with caregivers often add to, rather than reduce caregiver burden and stress. Participants described that current support is not flexible enough for them and does not offer continuity and accessibility. What is missing from what is available is a single point of contact that supports caregivers to manage their own health and wellbeing alongside the health of the person for whom they care. Consequently, an array of interventions and approaches to care and support for caregivers may be useful to caregivers. However, as many people who support people with life-limiting conditions do not recognise themselves as caregivers, access and visibility must be considered for any future interventions. Conclusion Future research should consider place-based interventions that address the unmet needs of caregivers. However, changes to existing services and professional conduct that offers caregivers continuity, opportunities to work in collaboration and respectfully communicate might reduce or remove the need for some caregiver interventions altogether

    Routledge Handbook of Public Policy in Africa

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    This Handbook provides an authoritative and foundational disciplinary overview of African Public Policy and a comprehensive examination of the practicalities of policy analysis, policymaking processes, implementation, and administration in Africa today. The book assembles a multidisciplinary team of distinguished and upcoming Africanist scholars, practitioners, researchers and policy experts working inside and outside Africa to analyse the historical and emerging policy issues in 21st-century Africa. While mostly attentive to comparative public policy in Africa, this book attempts to address some of the following pertinent questions: • How can public policy be understood and taught in Africa? • How does policymaking occur in unstable political contexts, or in states under pressure? • Has the democratisation of governing systems improved policy processes in Africa? • How have recent transformations, such as technological proliferation in Africa, impacted public policy processes? • What are the underlying challenges and potential policy paths for Africa going forward? The contributions examine an interplay of prevailing institutional, political, structural challenges and opportunities for policy effectiveness to discern striking commonalities and trajectories across different African states. This is a valuable resource for practitioners, politicians, researchers, university students, and academics interested in studying and understanding how African countries are governed

    Salutogenesis in health promoting settings: a synthesis across organizations, communities and environments

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