Bots, Seeds and People: Web Archives as Infrastructure

The field of web archiving provides a unique mix of human and automated agents collaborating to achieve the preservation of the web. Centuries old theories of archival appraisal are being transplanted into the sociotechnical environment of the World Wide Web with varying degrees of success. The work of the archivist and bots in contact with the material of the web present a distinctive and understudied CSCW shaped problem. To investigate this space we conducted semi-structured interviews with archivists and technologists who were directly involved in the selection of content from the web for archives. These semi-structured interviews identified thematic areas that inform the appraisal process in web archives, some of which are encoded in heuristics and algorithms. Making the infrastructure of web archives legible to the archivist, the automated agents and the future researcher is presented as a challenge to the CSCW and archival community

Does citizen vigilance and social media extend or threaten democratic practices?

Social media technologies (such as Facebook, Twitter, Google, YouTube, Snapchat and Instagram) have brought about radical changes in how the media systems of liberal democracies operate. The platform providers have become powerful actors in the operation of the media system, and in how it connects to political processes. At the same time, these companies claim political neutrality, because most of their content is created by their millions of users – perhaps creating far greater citizen vigilance over government and politicians. Ros Taylor and the Democratic Audit team examine how far the UK’s social media system operates to support or damage democratic politics. Does it help to ensure a full and effective representation of citizens’ political views and interests

Development, A question of Opportunity. A critique of the 2006 World Development Report, Equity and Development

The World Bank’s World Development Report 2006 addresses Equity and Development. It defines equity as respect for equal opportunities combined with the avoidance of absolute deprivation. Even though justice theories have long been interested in equity (given that equality of opportunity is one of the recognised values of Western society), it has hitherto remained a marginal issue in development economics. Our critique presents a detailed analysis of this report in the light of recent economic studies on this subject and endeavours to place it in the context of the evolution of World Bank thinking and policies. The first part illustrates the wealth of this concept, with its downside being that it is hard to accurately define. The second part demonstrates the gap between the prospects opened up by the enlargement of the development goals beyond poverty reduction and the report’s policy recommendations, which are generally an extension of the World Bank’s traditional analyses. The future of the equity concept for development policy-making could be closely dependent on the development community’s ability to take on board both all its complexity and wealth.

Silence at a Price? Judicial Questionnaires and the Independence of Alaska’s Judiciary

The real estate industry is facing a major change. The activity based working is promoted heavily by real estate companies, brokers and consultants as the future workplace. Knowledge and information is however limited. Many concepts have a tendency to get mixed up when companies on the market choose to formulate their own concepts. The research is neglected, and more focused on health and design. This thesis focuses on describing how the market may evolve the knowledge and how to implement the activity based working in the workplaces. Purpose The thesis aims to conduct a study to clarify the question of what activity based working means. The focus will be to examining the current work that is proceeding on the market but also explore if it would be possible to facilitate the implementation of the activity based working by using explorative factor analysis. Primary questions • How to define activity based working? • Which theories support the discussion and definition of activity based working? • Which concepts are available on the market today and how are these promoted? • Can the implementation of the activity based working be facilitated by using an activity based scale that measures needs and reactions in different workplace environments? Method The thesis consists of both a qualitative and a quantitative study. The qualitative study is based on interviews and a survey of how the market perceive the activity based working and with which keywords associated with the concept. In total, seven interviews were conducted. The quantitative survey consised of approximately 1000 surveys. Conclusions • Importance of a common definition and market approach for activity based working • Manage the self interest in the market to ensure a good development of activity based working • Activity based working is not just about design and floorlayouts. • Knowledge sharing should be prioritized • Organization, Technology and Premises are all very influencing aspects • The implementation requires a lot of time and effort • Through exploratory factor analysis, is it possible to define the driving forxes within the organization. • The workplace is no longer a specific place. It is an activity that can be performed in multiple places. Future research Future research should focus to continuing efforts on create an overall overview of the activity based working, but also develop clear and efficient processes for the implementation of the activity based working. Other interesting aspects are the international dimension of the work. The development with activity based working will in the future not only be applied on offices. To therefore explore how various industries work with the concepts and if there are any specific needs to develop in the future. Definition In the analysis chapter the author presents a comprehensive definition of activity based working which is developed with the support by the qualitative and quantitative research: “Based on the activities that occur in the workplace, teadership, facilities, and technology are customized to effectively and in a structured way maximize the benefits and value of the work that the individuals performs”Fastighetsbranschen står inför en förändring. Det aktivitetsbaserade arbetssättet marknadsförs starkt av fastighetsbolag, mäklare och konsulter som det framtida arbetssättet. Kunskapen och informationen är dock bristfällig. Många begrepp har en tendens att blandas ihop då aktörer väljer att formulera sina egna begrepp. Forskningen är eftersatt och mer fokuserad på hälsa och design. Detta examensarbete fokuserar därför på att redogöra för hur arbetssättet kan utvecklas och hur arbetet i framtiden skall på ett effektivt sätt implementera det aktivitetsbaserade arbetssättet inom svenska företag och organisationer. Syfte Syftet med examensarbetet är att bringa klarhet i frågan om vad ett aktivitetsbaserat arbetssätt är. Fokus kommer även ligga i att undersöka det pågående arbetet på marknaden och olika aktörers syn på arbetssättet. I arbetet undersöks även om det skulle vara möjligt att underlätta implementeringen av ett aktivitetsbaserat arbetsätt med hjälp av en aktivitetsbaserad skala som mäter reaktioner på olika arbetsmiljöer. Frågeställningar • Hur definieras aktivitetsbaserat arbetsätt? • Vilka teorier stödjer diskussionen och definitionen av aktivitetsbaserat arbetssätt? • Vilka koncept finns idag på marknaden inom aktivitetsbaserat arbetsätt och hur preciseras och presenteras dessa? • Kan implementeringen av ett aktivitetsbaserat arbetsätt underlättas med hjälp av en aktivitetsbaserad skala som mäter behov och reaktioner på arbetsplatsmiljöer? Metod Undersökningen består dels av en kvalitativ samt en kvantitativ del. Den kvalitativa delen baseras på intervjuer och en marknadsundersökning över hur aktörer på marknaden uppfattar det aktivitetsbaserade begreppet och vilka nyckelord som används frekvent. Sammanlagt har sju även intervjuer genomförts med framstående personer inom ämnesområdet. Den kvantitativa undersökningen består av ett 100-tal enkäter som undersökt kunskapen om det aktivitetsbaserade begreppet inom marknaden och även här vilka nyckelord som används frekvent. Slutsatser • Samtliga aktörer bör enas om gemensam definition, information och kommunikation av det aktivitetsbaserade arbetssättet • Hantera marknadens starka egenintresse av arbetssättets utvekcling för att säkerställa en en seriös och förtreoendegivande bild av det aktivitetsbaserade arbetssätt • Aktivitetsbaserat arbetssätt har många fler dimensioner än design och planlösningar • Kunskapsspridning inom ämnesområdet bör prioriteras och säkerställas • Organisation, Ledarskap, Medarbetare, Teknik och Lokal är samtliga aspekter som bör beaktas vid implementeringen av det aktivitetsbaserade arbetssättet • Aktivitetsbaserat arbetssätt är en förändringsprocess som kräver kraft, engagemang och tid • Genom explorativ faktoranalys kan tydliga drivande aspekter urskiljas inom organisationer (AktivitetsBaserad Skala) • Arbetsplatsen är inte längre en specifik plats utan en aktivitet som kan utföras på mängder av platser. Framtida forskning Den framtida forskningen bör fokuseras på att dels fortsätta arbetet med att skapa en helhetsbild av arbetssättet men även möjliggöra tydliga och effektiva processer för implementering av det aktivitetsbaserade arbetssättet. Det internationella perspektivet är idag mindre utforskat. Ytterliggare ett område som är av intresse är hur olika branscher ser på utveckling av arbetssättet och vilka specifika behov dessa branscher möjligen har. Definition I det avslutande kapitlet redogörs en samlad definition av aktivitetsbaserat arbetsssätt som är framtagen med stöd av den kvalitativa och kvantitativa forskningen: “ Utifrån de aktiviteter som sker på arbetsplatsen anpassas ledarskap, lokaler och teknik för att på ett effektivt och strukturerat sätt maximera nyttan och värdet i det arbete som individerna utför

A Time for Action: A New Vision of Participatory Democracy

For over eighty years, the League of Women Voters has been a voice for women and men of all backgrounds, rising above partisan disputes to help citizens fully and intelligently exercise their rights -- and their responsibilities -- as participants in the American experiment. The League has earned a reputation for integrity and fairness, and generations have relied upon League resources to help them make the kind of informed decisions that keep policymakers responsive and truly give weight and meaning to the hallowed phrase "consent of the governed."The League has cultivated expertise on electoral behavior and public policy at national, state, and local levels, and has been a leader in identifying and researching political trends. In recent years, one of the most distressing trends has been the ongoing decline of civic participation, in the voting booth and beyond. If one measure of the health of democracy is the rate at which citizens participate in elections, the fitness of the American body politic has been spiraling downward ever since voter turnout peaked in 1960.Recognizing the need for new insights and strategies to attack this problem, the Chicago chapter of the League convened a Task Force of recognized experts and leaders from the community to spearhead an examination of the factors at play. Concerned organizations of many stripes have studied the situation over the years, but there has been no authoritative summary of what we know and what we yet need to learn that can be turned into real steps toward a solution. Why are people dropping out of the political process....and what can be done to draw them back? What creative strategies hold the most promise for capturing Americans' attention, raising their awareness, and inspiring them to participate?The Task Force's findings are often disturbing, yet they also give cause for optimism. Americans may be keeping to themselves in growing numbers, but they do not do so solely from apathy or indifference; and want only to be invited to share their views, to be assured that government will pay attention, to be shown how and why they can make a difference. Young people especially have felt shut out of the process, despite knowing as well as anyone what matters to them and their communities. It's time they were invited back in. In this deeply polarized political moment, it is vitally important that we remind all Americans that civic engagement isn't merely about the often arcane and alienating world of politics -- it's a way to share in something bigger than ourselves, to express our devotion to our country and our community, to assure that (in Abraham Lincoln's timeless phrase) "government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth."Here in the state that was home to the author of those words, in the city where he was nominated for the presidency, we can take the first steps toward reinvigorating the vision he expressed. It is the hope of the League and the Task Force that this report will point the way toward those steps