Spartan Daily, October 30, 2008

Volume 131, Issue 35https://scholarworks.sjsu.edu/spartandaily/10519/thumbnail.jp

Investigative decision-making in public corruption cases: Factors influencing case outcomes

Public corruption undermines the rule of law that is crucial to the maintenance of governmental legitimacy and peaceful co-existence. As political divisiveness has grown, politicians have called public corruption investigations “witch hunts” and part of partisan politics, rather than a search for justice. Contemporary attacks on law enforcement charge that they are acting with political motivation which further undermines the legitimacy of these investigations. It is important for research to delve into how the investigative processes maintain their fact-finding missions in support of the rule of law. This study addresses how public corruption investigations occur and how the investigations themselves are conducted. First, federal prosecution data are used to understand the frequency of investigations over the last thirty years. Second, interviews with 40 former investigators and prosecutors examines the process, protocols, tools and resources needed for successful corruption investigations. Investigations require interagency cooperation (especially at different levels of government) and particular attention to the use of investigative tools that ensure the legitimacy of the law in the eyes of the accused, the courts and the general public. In addition, a decline in public corruption cases is seen in recent years with the US prosecution effort diverted to immigration cases

Spartan Daily September 10, 2012

Volume 139, Issue 36https://scholarworks.sjsu.edu/spartandaily/1352/thumbnail.jp

Think tanks, television news and impartiality: The ideological balance of sources in BBC programming

Is the use of think tanks ideologically balanced in BBC news and current affairs programming? This study empirically answers this question by establishing which think tanks are referenced in different BBC programming in 2009 and 2015, and then classifying them according to their ideological aims (either left, right, centrist or notpartisan). We draw on a sample size of over 30,000 BBC news and current affairs programmes in 2009 and 2015 to measure how often these think tanks were mentioned or quoted. Overall, BBC news reveals a clear preference for non-partisan or centrist think tanks. However, when Labour were in power in 2009, left and right-leaning think tanks received similar levels of coverage, but in 2015, when the Conservatives were in government, right-leaning think tanks outnumbered left-leaning think tanks by around two to one.. Overall, our findings add weight to a pattern emerging from a number of recent academic studies that show, despite its undoubted commitment to impartiality, BBC news programming has shifted its centre of gravity to the right. We argue that broadcasters need to be more independently aware of how stories emerge, and how issues and sources should be balanced and explained in an increasingly partisan news environment

You get what you came for? A case study and reflections on applying an English inspection model in international schooling.

This article considers the position of international education, and the ways in which it ‘borrows’ performativity structures from the English education system. Utilising a recent Case Study and analysing Ralph Tabberer’s personal reflections on it, the article outlines ways in which we can continue to learn from the socio-cultural dimensions of the English schooling system that are regularly utilised in an international educational context

Living without the State: A Rear View Mirror of Nigeria\u27s 50 Years of Independence

The purpose of this analysis is twofold. First, it undertakes a critical review of Nigeria’s performance within the five decades of its nationhood. Second, it compares its performance vis-à-vis a number of new states which started almost at the same time in both Africa and Asia using basic economic and political indicators. The article, however, infers that Nigerian political-economic performance is appalling, which has subjected citizens to living almost without the state in all ramifications. For a balanced view, the analysis argues that although there are few giant strides in terms of educational development and reduction in infant mortality as a result of improved health facilities, the gap between intent and actual practices is still very wide. The analysis recommends that the policymakers should visualize the next five decades and formulate appropriate reforms so that Nigeria may not eventually become a failed state

Changing the Course of Faculty Engagement in Academic Governance: Reconcilation through Education

During the past decade, River’s Edge has engaged in organizational change due to neoliberal reforms permeating the higher education sector in the province. Chronic under-funding and annual budget cuts have directed change efforts towards commodifying service, education, and research to generate revenue from public consumption. Like other higher education institutions, River\u27s Edge responds by positioning itself to become a driver of economic development rather than a force for social change. The mandate and strategic priorities of the provincial government is the primary driver of institutional change. The mandate holds the institution accountable by setting key performance indicators to serve the interests of the private-for-profit sector to ensure a source of skilled labour. Therefore, what gets measured gets done, and what is not mandated does not. The institution fulfills its mandate by sharing in decision-making to approve new programs and credentials to provide quality skilled workers. Academic governance, as legislated, is democratic by being inclusive of internal stakeholders, including faculty, students, and administrators, in decision-making. However, it excludes engagement and participation by external stakeholders whose interests are not being served. As agents of the crown, stakeholders have a fiduciary duty to act in the best interests of those not represented. The organizational improvement plan aims to address the problem of practice of low faculty engagement and participation in academic governance. Through their roles of teaching, research, and service, faculty are the means by which the institution will achieve the end of reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples. Keywords: fiduciary duty, reconciliation through education, stakeholders, faculty engagement and participation, shared academic governanc