Assessing the political viability of labor market reform : the case of employment protection - commentary

Labor market

Rogue NGOs and NPOs: content, context, consequences

This paper explores the key components of dysfunctional, criminal and deviant behaviours within and by associational and not-for-profit organisations, and their consequences in terms of practice, application and policy. Abstract This short primer explores the key components of dysfunctional, criminal and deviant behaviors within and by associational and not-for-profit organizations, and their consequences in terms of practice, application and policy. A rich literature review of major and minor nonprofit scandals—primarily in the West—but also in other countries around the world demonstrate the breadth and depth of nonprofit corruption, fraud and misuse of funds as well as misconduct and deviant behavior by individuals within and by organizations. These associations range from Mom and Pop-scaled voluntary foundations to transnational charitable organizations, and so-called “Dark Nonprofit Groups (DNGs)” that promote terrorism, hate, extreme political views and other noxious or bizarre ideologies. Summarized are the widely researched concerns regarding self-regulation of these organizations including weaknesses in management controls, issues with adherence to existing vision and mission statements; board and management accountability; internal and external fiduciary controls; and intra- and inter-governmental regulatory responses. The context of these wrongdoings are ensconced within the framework of a discussion of ethics, morals, and wayward interpretations of legal and ownership structures in prevailing cultures and societies. Consequences of nonprofit organizational misconduct and dysfunction reveal a universal need for more research into the dark side of the Third Sector; and additional accountability and transparency not only at the micro level—individuals and board members within the organization--but also at the state, federal and global level. Lastly, increasingly vocal activism of civil society is acknowledged to have given shape and direction to the new moral landscape of 21st century Third Sector agendas

The Maritorious Melodrama: Film Noir with a Female Detective

Feminist critics tend to disagree whether the parachuting of women into traditionally male roles—for example, that of detective—results in a feminist representation. The female detective of the 1930s, however, can be seen to offer a decidedly positive feminist hero in that she defies the stereotype of the “masculine” (i.e. unnatural) woman—especially when one considers the time in which she appeared and representations of female detectives in contemporary film. Despite popular conceptions of classical film, Hollywood did offer progressive representations of working women, ironically in the decade characterized by economic and social upheaval during the Depression. The prolific female detective of 1930s B-films and series is an independent woman who puts her career ahead of the traditional female pursuits of marriage and a family, and who chases a mystery as actively and with greater success than the men who populate the police department or a rival newspaper’s staff. However, during World War II and especially its aftermath, the representation of the female detective began to change, and the independent woman came to be depicted as all but the criminal herself. In this paper, I explore the representation of the female detective in film noir of the 1940s and the shift from the celebration of the independent and career-oriented woman to her demonization. Critics of film noir have discussed at length the figure of the femme fatale as dangerous femininity but noir’s female investigative protagonists have been ignored. In this paper, I will discuss how the sex of the investigating protagonist complicates the traditionally male noir detective narrative. The result is a hybridization of generic conventions: the narrative is driven forward as much by the female protagonist’s personal desires as with many types of melodrama (specifically the woman’s film) as by her investigation as with a detective film; however, at the same time, the heroine’s independence as a detective poses an undesirable challenge to the masculinity of her husband (or husband-to-be) as with film noir. Just as the maternal melodrama demanded a woman make personal sacrifices to facilitate her daughter’s success in the world, so too do these noir films demand the sacrifice on the part of the female protagonist to see the man she loves returned to his “proper” place as head of the household. Thus, I term these films “maritorious melodramas” as opposed to maternal as they see the female protagonist “excessively devoted” to her husband in the noir films Phantom Lady (Siodmak 1944), Black Angel (Neill 1946), and Woman on the Run (Foster 1950), the heroine is offered simultaneously as a progressive image of femininity—because she occupies the center of, and drives forward, the investigative narrative—and as a contained one—because ultimately she is proven incompetent as a detective and is returned to the prescribed social role of devoted and sacrificing wife

THE POVERTY OF APPLIED POLICY ANALYSIS

Agricultural and Food Policy,

DIRECTED ENERGY WEAPONS: ETHICAL IMPLEMENTATION OBSTACLES

Includes Supplementary MaterialThis thesis illustrates the historical vectors of missile superiorities improvements, a corresponding decrease in discrimination of intent, and weapon adoption struggles that seek to balance the necessity for victory over humane weapons and moral intents. Narrowly focused on lethality, these evolutionary conventional weapons improvements predictably resulted in an increased escalation into wars of attrition. Departing from the historical vector, directed-energy weapons (DEWs) are the next evolutionary step in improved missile superiority to offer non-lethal effects. DEWs still face the same adoption obstacles and tug of war between necessity and morality while facing additional criticisms from human and civil rights institutions with claims of unethical effects and intent. This research determines that DEWs are more humane when compared to conventional kinetic weapons due to non-lasting and reversible effects. DEWs adhere to the spirit of the Laws of War. The allegations that DEWs violate the laws are based on old ambiguous text and their illegitimate correlation to rightfully banned historical weapons of war. DOD DEW policy aligns with the various laws and codes. It is also postured to implement DEWs. This thesis recommends that a new strategic narrative is required to overcome anchored claims and violations and to familiarize political decision-makers and military leaders to better understand the technology and accept the shifting risks associated with DEWs.Major, United States Air ForceApproved for public release. Distribution is unlimited

The wire and the world: narrative and metanarrative

Rarely, if ever, has a television drama constructed a narrative with such a strong thrust to metanarrative. Its intricate and interwoven storylines dramatise the dialectical interaction of individual aspirations and institutional dynamics. These build into a story of a city, not only the story of Baltimore in its particularity, but with a metaphoric drive toward the story of Everycity. Every character and storyline pulses with symbolic resonance radiating out to a characterisation of the nature of contemporary capitalism. While the text itself does not name the system, the metatext does so with extraordinary clarity and force. David Simon, the primary voice of this collective creation, has engaged in a powerfully polemical discourse articulating the world view underlying the drama. This paper will explore that world view. It will examine how specific plots open into an analysis of the social-political-economic system shaping it all. It will moreover argue that The Wire has demonstrated the potential of television narrative to dramatise the nature of the social order, a potential that has long been neglected or inadequately pursued in the history of television drama. In probing the parameters of the intricate interactions between individuals and institutions, The Wire excavates underlying structures of power and stimulates engagement with overarching ideas.It bristles, even boils over, with systemic critique. While it offers no expectation of an alternative, it provokes reflection on the need for one and an aspiration towards one. Indeed some commentators have raised the question of whether The Wire is a marxist television drama. While David Simon has explicitly stated that he is not a marxist, the question remains. What would a marxist television drama look like? It would look very much like The Wire, this paper contends