Successful Projects - What Makes Them Work? A Cross-National Analysis

[Excerpt] This cross national analysis is based on national studies made by research teams in India, Kenya, Romania and South Africa. It aims to draw out the lessons learnt from successful social development processes in these countries. In each country, studies have been made of projects identified as interesting, successful and/or outstanding in the way they have improved the quality of life of people with intellectual disabilities. In national reports, the respective teams have made their own national conclusions. This comparative report briefly describes the national studies. It then continues with a cross national analysis attempting to identify circumstances or factors that are common to these successful projects. Finally, the report summarises the conclusions and their implications. We hope that the findings presented in the report will be used as inspiration in future planning, implementation and funding of projects aiming at improving life conditions of groups that are marginalised in society. Chapter 1 and 2, describing the research process and the national reports have been written by Annika and Lennart Nilsson. Anders Gustavsson and Johans Sandvin are responsible for the cross national analysis in chapter 3 to 7. The conclusions and implications in chapter 8 have been written jointly. The study has been commissioned by Inclusion International and financed by the Swedish International Development Agency (Sida)

(De)legitimation of power of agency. A multimodal critical analysis of social practices during COVID-19 pandemic in Romania

The COVID-19 pandemic has been a real challenge to national and international authorities, bringing social and ideological implications. The shift from urgency to action and an appropriate message tailoring are essential in such a sanitary crisis. This article presents a multimodal critical discourse analysis of the Facebook posts of the Romanian Ministry of Health and of the online users’ comments. The aim of the study is to examine how the Romanian authority and citizens use semiotic resources (multimodal texts) in order to give meaning and make meaning of the social practices related to the COVID-19 pandemic. The findings reveal that the Romanian authority mainly focused its messages on (de)legitimizing the actions of various abstract participants in an information campaign meant to counter fake news. The salience of behavioural processes-as-instructions highlighted a reduced agency of the Ministry of Health and an increased agency for Romanian citizens. The online users employed polarization as a discursive strategy to legitimate the Romanian authority’s calls-to-action that challenge the conservative liberalism ideology of the government and to delegitimate the tardiness of these actions

Book Review: Orthodox Christian Renewal Movements in Eastern Europe

A review of Aleksandra Djurić Milovanović & Radmila Radić, eds. Orthodox Christian Renewal Movements in Eastern Europe. London: Palgrave MacMillan, 2017. ISBN 978-3-319-63354-1, 339 pp. Index

Unmet goals of tracking: within-track heterogeneity of students' expectations for

Educational systems are often characterized by some form(s) of ability grouping, like tracking. Although substantial variation in the implementation of these practices exists, it is always the aim to improve teaching efficiency by creating homogeneous groups of students in terms of capabilities and performances as well as expected pathways. If students’ expected pathways (university, graduate school, or working) are in line with the goals of tracking, one might presume that these expectations are rather homogeneous within tracks and heterogeneous between tracks. In Flanders (the northern region of Belgium), the educational system consists of four tracks. Many students start out in the most prestigious, academic track. If they fail to gain the necessary credentials, they move to the less esteemed technical and vocational tracks. Therefore, the educational system has been called a 'cascade system'. We presume that this cascade system creates homogeneous expectations in the academic track, though heterogeneous expectations in the technical and vocational tracks. We use data from the International Study of City Youth (ISCY), gathered during the 2013-2014 school year from 2354 pupils of the tenth grade across 30 secondary schools in the city of Ghent, Flanders. Preliminary results suggest that the technical and vocational tracks show more heterogeneity in student’s expectations than the academic track. If tracking does not fulfill the desired goals in some tracks, tracking practices should be questioned as tracking occurs along social and ethnic lines, causing social inequality

The evolution of cultural and economic activities in the DKMT Euroregion

The Danube-Kris-Mures-Tisa (DKMT) Euroregion has its roots back to 1992, when Timiş and Csongrád counties began the first discussions for a cross-border cooperation. Till 1997 the Euroregion needed to develop its institutions for greater effectiveness, so the period 1992-1997 could be considered a background of fruitful public and scientific discussions. The study is focused on three levels of developments: institutional-political, cultural and economical. It is a large reflection on the projects of which DKMT should profit in the future as well as on the economic potential of the Euroregion. The recent developments and the different stages of integration to the EU are also matters of discussions.Danube-Kris-Mures-Tisa Euroregion; institutional frame; economic development.

Roots and Routes : Life stories of exiled Hungarian women in Sweden

This dissertation analyses the narrated life stories of Swedish Hungarian women, sharing the numerous values and experiences of Hungarian exiles. With the help of interview transcripts of five women from the first generation of Hungarians living in exile in southern Sweden, the study presents seldom-discussed angles of ascertained membership in the Hungarian nation, moving beyond traditional definitions of ethnic belonging, official census figures, and organizational categorizations. The analysis is based on the author’s primary investigations and long-lasting personal relationship with the interviewees. The study traces the legacy of individuals in the exile generation, as well as the mutual impact of the studied individuals and the Hungarian community. It shows that commonly accepted definitions are not always useful when categorizing immigrants: the analysed stories do not present victims of circumstances, contradicting practiced grand narratives that often speak of occasional, perceived, and lived discrimination regarding minorities or migrants. Rather, the stories depict efforts towards equilibrium in the narrators’ attitudes and behaviour, including maintaining important segments of Hungarian culture, while integrating or rejecting integration into wider society. The interviewees spoke of the importance of shared issues, such as parenting and relationships with family members and community, as well as work and the impact of minority status on their lives. The study also presents the sentiments of the five Hungarians vis-à-vis their ancestry and heritage and their relation to their adopted and native countries from the perspective of the life adjustments they experienced while living in Sweden, including their outlook for the future. The stories include contradictions and even obscurities that sometimes confound the logic of ruling discourses, thus problematizing the institutions and ideologies that shape our lives

Burnout in the Workplace: A Review of the Data and Policy Responses in the EU

This report looks at the extent of burnout experienced by workers in the EU, based on national research. As a starting point, the report sets out to consider whether burnout is viewed as a medical or occupational disease. It then examines the work determinants associated with burnout and looks at the effects of burnout, including psychosocial and physical work factors, work intensity and work organisation. It also reviews national strategies and policies regarding this issue, the involvement of the social partners in the current debate, as well as preventive actions currently in place